Public Spaces Protection Orders

Contents

What is a PSPO?

The Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) was introduced in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to allow local authorities flexibility in protecting public spaces from persistent anti-social or unwelcome behaviour.

Breach of an order may result in a fixed penalty of £100, or an offender can be summoned to appear at court.

PSPOs must be extended, discharged or varied after a period of three years.

What does a PSPO mean for me?

Most people won’t be affected by the introduction of a PSPO as they designed to target or address unwanted behaviour caused by a minority of residents or visitors to our borough.

Current Orders

These are the existing orders as of April 2026:

Order No.	Restriction	Applies to	Expires
1	Amplified music	Tunbridge Wells (TW) town centre	13 October 2027
2	Alcohol control	TW town centre, Ridgeway (Southborough), Grosvenor Park, Hilbert Park, St John's Park	13 October 2027
3	Dog fouling	Boroughwide	13 October 2027
3	Dogs excluded	Children’s fenced play areas in parks	13 October 2027
3	Dogs on leads	St Marks Rec., TW Rugby Club	13 October 2027
4a	Dogs on leads	Nevill Ground, TW Cricket Club	13 October 2027
6	Dogs on leads	Dunorlan Park	13 October 2027
7	No fishing 7pm-7am	Sherwood Lake (residential side)	13 October 2027
8	Alcohol control	Sherwood Lake	13 October 2027
9	Curfew, 11pm-5am	St John’s Park	13 October 2027
10	No loitering	Car parks: RVP, Crescent Road, Great Hall, Meadow Road, Torrington	13 October 2027
11	Dogs on Leads	The Grove	13 October 2027