Conwy Council Apologises for Confusion Over Colwyn Bay Dog Ban

Conwy County Council today (Thursday) apologised for upsetting residents after a move to ban dogs from Colwyn Bay’s beach was halted in favour of the matter going back to public consultation.
At a cabinet meeting this afternoon, councillors voted for a new public consultation to take place on whether dogs will be allowed to go on Colwyn Bay’s beach.
The cabinet were voting on a new Dog Control Public Space Protection Order, which governs where dogs can be walked and how across the county.
The order was put in place in 2017, then updated in 2020, but expires this month.
Whilst most of the order was voted through, the part referring specifically to Colwyn Bay beach will go back out for a new public consultation.
That’s because whilst the previous order forbade dogs from being walked on the section of beach between the pier and Porth Eirias all year round, the council’s website and signage said the beach was seasonal for dogs, allowing dogs to be walked between September 30 and May 1. This has caused huge confusion.
Now a new public consultation will go out for the whole of Colwyn Bay including the section between the pier and Porth Eirias.
Rhos on Sea’s sandy beach will remain an all-year-round dog exclusion zone due to nesting birds.
The section of beach between the pier and Rhos on Sea remains free for dogs to walk, but this will also be included in the consultation.
But despite dogs being officially banned from the beach between the pier and Porth Eirias all year, Conwy’s chief executive said it will not be enforceable until after the public consultation due to the confusion caused by the signs.
Chief executive Rhun ap Gareth said: “The order remains,  but we can’t do anything about that really, but what we will do is give an assurance that because of the nature of the signage compared to the order, we won’t be able to enforce that area.
“So once we get the options through, we will then be able to decide what we do with the whole beach, which I think makes more sense. It gives that whole-beach approach. I must admit I’m disappointed that there is a difference in the signage, but we are where we are. There are lessons learnt. ”
Leader Cllr Charlie McCoubrey then apologised to the public for the upset that was caused.

By Richard Evans – Local Democracy Reporter