Dawlish Discussion

District leaders were due yesterday to discuss plans to provide a new £2.5million country park in Dawlish.

When EU protected wildlife sites such as Dawlish Warren are threatened by an increasing population, the law requires that steps are taken to reduce the impact.

Because of the increase number of houses in and around the town there is a need for a new park where residents can relax and exercise their dogs without disturbing rare and vulnerable species and habitats.

Teignbridge Council has identified a site 300m from the Warren as suitable. The area has to be safe enough for dogs to be let off their leads and enough space for a walk of at least 1.5 miles. The footpath from the car park past the Langstone Cliff Hotel would provide access.

Source: Dawlish Gazette

it also says in the article that this project has "already hit a stumbling block" as "the majority landowner was not interested in working with the council to deliver the open space"  

Wonder who the majority landowner is.

Maybe the majority land owner doesn't feel happy about the prospect of his land being covered with dog poo, left by irresponsable dog owners who can't be bothered to pick it up.

But would it be the majority land owner's land should the scheme go ahead? Wouldn't the land have to be bought/leased by TDC in order for the country park scheme to become reality?

Further into the article there is mention of compulsory purchase.

Approx cost of the country park scheme, according to the paper, is £2.5 million. Money to come via payments from builders who will build the new houses scheduled for Dawlish (Community Infrastructure Levy) and from grants from such bodies as Natural England and the National Lottery).    

(None of which addresses the dog poo problem I admit but it does look that if push comes to shove, and the money is available, that the land will be purchased one way or the other and that the dog poo problem will then become TDC's to address and not the present landowner's). 

I don't think the issue of dog poo will be unduly burdensome, I'm sure responsible owners will continue to bag it up and dump it on my road.

Signs on the walks round Mamhead encourage people to use sticks to flick it in the undergrowth, I've never noticed a problem up there.

Another majority landowner has decided to to attack local residents and especially dog owners by stopping walkers using the boundary around the fields near to Southdowns Rd and Oaklands Wood. Signs went up this morning stating that everyone must keep their dogs under close control and stick to the Public footpath. Ok they are the landowners but footpaths have been around those fields for yonks. This is a blatent attack on dog walkers and walkers who tried to protect a section of this land from being developed. Luscombe could have worked with local residents instead of banning altogether.

This has a direct impact on places like Dawlish Warren as less and less areas are available to walk freely. Dawlish Warren Nature Reserve is suffering badly at the moment from over use, fires, litter and unfortunately dog poo.

Dog poo, try walking up Dawlish high street every morning to sandy lane, you will have to dodge eleven or twelve fresh lumps excluding the squashed ones. they don't come from small dogs.  I wish someone would catch the owners and take the dogs away then make the owners work down the sewers. I watched a old lady with her dog walking behind leaving its trail and she did not have any idea. I told her and she never had a doggy bag. We all blame the local down & outs with the look what i have staff kind dog, but its the coffin dodgers aswell. TDC need to create a position for a dog pooper to go round dawlish picking it up all day. A job for life.  

I know thats a touchy subject and its been covered many a time on this forum, but my debate is more about the decreasing areas for dog walkers and also the current over use of Dawlish Nature Reserve. Maybe  i should start a new thread. 

@Tracy.

Don't you think that a lot of people would like to go for a walk without having to look down all the time so making sure that you don't tread on anything instead of taking in the view, or having to listen to dogs barking all the time and not have someone's dog jumping up at you?

I know I would and I bet a lot of other people would.

Bring back the dog license I say.

I do like dogs but i could not eat a whole one .

Tried it in Hongkong about 35 yrs ago it was very good.  Dogpoo is a problem and wherever it is the owner should pick it up on the question of a dog licence all dogs should be chipped with a yearly  licence fee payable of 100 pounds

@leatash.

Well said. As for eating one, never tried it, but have had snails, frogs legs and horse, so would give it a try if I went to HK.

As i said before do not knock it to you have tried it LOL.

I wonder how many people who bang on about dog poo walk straight out of the toilet without washing their hands!

@Mcjrpc

Agreed, maybe some people do that, but you dont tread on it and spread it on your carpet.

@Carer - what has the dog licence got to do with anything?  responsible owners already have their dogs id chipped and already pick up after their dogs and make sure they aren't a nuisance and they are then likely to also pay up whatever fee is demanded so they can keep their pet - it is the irresponsible owners who won't bother getting the dogs chipped, don't pick up after their dogs and who couldn't care less whether they are a nuisance to anyone or not.  making a law about it isn't going to change their attitude, you are just going to penalise people who already are doing the best they can.

But if we are in the mood to have a go at pet owners - can we have a go at the cat owners who also don't clear up after their animals and let them out to foul the gardens around where they live?  I have a dog and I ALWAYS clear up after him and act responsibly, but when I am gardening I am forever finding buried cat poo from the cats in the neighbourhood, my neighbour has 6 cats and there are more in the other houses around here.  So those animals, who also belong to someone and are their responsibility, are allowed to foul where they like when they like.  I SAY BAN CATS!

@DJ

"responsible owners pick up after their dogs and make sure they aren't a nuisance"

You are referring to the smallest of minority there, and I talk from personal experience..

As for the license fee, then those who really want a pet, wont mind paying for it. Simple.

If they're not responsible enough to pick up after their animals, they're not going to bother with a licence either.  

How would the licensing system be enforced - increased stop and search powers, dog licence detector vans? 

Dog detector vans and SaS is a great idea.

Soon get the little shi poo machines off the streets and make it safe to walk across a nice grassy field without having to look down all the time to see what you are treading in.

As a responsible dog owner myself and know many other dog owners I would say that the irresponsible ones are in the minority here and that the few are getting a bad name for all dog owners. It doesn't matter how many dog bins or wardens you have, you are never going to stop the lazy dog owners from cleaning up, sorry but it ain't going to happen just like a lot of other things that we all moan about.

Back to the original subject of Dawlish Warren and open space, does anybody on here actually use the nature reserve or visit the bird hide?

"does anybody on here actually use the nature reserve or visit the bird hide?"

Not me. (responsible dog owner)

"Back to the original subject of Dawlish Warren and open space, does anybody on here actually use the nature reserve or visit the bird hide?"

Yes.

Yes, I do visit the Warren & Bird Hide, while dodging the dog poo that hasn't been picked up. LOL.

48% of men don't wash their hands after going to the toilet I would sooner have to dodge dog poo on the floor than eat my dinner with someone elses poo on my hands (from the door handle) I even pick the poo up out of our field. lets start another thread about bl**dy horse owners, no tax, no insurance, poo the size of tennis balls arhhhh !

@ Andy

Horse Poo is Organic and totally different to dog stuff, plus, horse poo doesn't contain toxoplasmosis that can cause blindness.