Off-lead dogs to be banned from Rickmansworth Aquadrome

At a committee meeting this week (July 1), councillors supported plans to expand a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to include the new rule, which owners could be fined £100 for breaking.

Owners will also not be allowed to have their dogs off lead near roads across Three Rivers or around the café at Leavesden Country Park.

The new rules will join existing offences including not taking away dog poo or walking more than four dogs at the same time.

Council officers said the aquadrome changes would “balance the needs of the dog owners, other users of the site and the protection of the nature reserve, its fragile ecosystems and to manage the risk of asbestos exposure”.

But the blanket ban on off-lead dogs at the Aquadrome was opposed by the Kennel Club, and others criticised the consultation on the proposed changes, which received only seven responses.

Councillors heard from a public speaker, who claimed there had been a lack of publicity around the consultation.

He said: “Nobody knew anything about it. The consultation process just hasn’t happened, or hasn’t been effective.

“A lot of people own dogs that need a lot of exercise. Those of you with very small dogs know that they need to run around a lot otherwise you get them doing zoomies around the house for hours.

“Big dogs need a lot of exercise. Most of that is done safely at the Aquadrome and does not need leads.”

Oliver Cooper, leader of the council’s Conservative group, said seven responses did not represent a “meaningful consultation”.

He questioned the need for a PSPO when it is already against the law to have a dog dangerously out of control, and commented on the small number of fines – six – that have been issued under the PSPO since it was introduced in 2016.

“The number of FPNs [fixed penalty notices] that have been issued under the existing PSPO … that’s not a meaningful deterrent to the real mischief, which is dogs out of control, and there’s already a law against that.

“I’m very unclear why we would want to extend it to the Aquadrome, which would have a significant impact on people.

“I do know that there are a large number of people for whom the Aquadorme is not just a local nature reserve … it is their local park, it is where they would take their dog to walk naturally and need to avoid the zoomies and to avoid them not getting the proper exercise and socialisation.”

A council officer responded: “It’s not just about interaction with other individuals and indeed children, it’s also about balancing the wider needs of the Aquadrome as a site.

“It is a nature reserve and it does have a lot of protected landscapes, protected ecosystems and some nationally important wildlife… that we want to protect.

“We are also seeing significant erosion around the lake banks. Expert studies have identified that, while not the only cause of the erosion, dogs entering and leaving the lake is a significant contributor to that.

“That damages the lake, also it’s very dangerous for the dogs because of the algae that lives in the lake … this is about protecting the animals as well as protecting the nature.

“It is a beautiful place to take your dog for a walk. We’re not proposing that we ban dogs completely from the site, we’re merely asking responsible owners to keep their dog on a lead and to stick to the paths.

“There are other areas in the almost immediate vicinity where people can walk their dogs off lead. The Bury Grounds is just across the road … Rickmansworth Park is within walking distance of most of the town. There are local alternatives.”

She said there have been incidents where dogs have dug up asbestos at the Aquadrome which then has to be covered or removed.

Elinor Gazzard, a Liberal Democrat councillor, backed the plans and said:  “I’ve got two young children and we use Leavesden Country Park quite regularly. They are petrified of dogs, and dogs off the lead completely spoil our whole park activity.”

Chris Lloyd (LD), meanwhile, who was standing in as chair of the committee, said he had  been told by Sarah Nelmes, deputy leader of the council, that she had seen “dogs going for wildlife” at the Aquadrome.

The new PSPO still needs to be signed off by a full meeting of Three Rivers District Council on Tuesday, 8 July. If approved, it will be in place until the end of March 2028.