Residents can have their say on plans to introduce a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to tackle vehicle-related anti-social behaviour at Pleasure Fair Meadow car park in Peterborough.
In recent years the area has become a hotspot for unauthorised car meets and car cruising events, with the council receiving several reports from nearby residents impacted by persistent noise, smoke and odours as well as littering.
Local Authorities have powers under the Crime and Policing Act 2014 to set up PSPOs to tackle issues which are having a detrimental effect on people’s lives. A PSPO includes conditions which anyone caught breaching can face fines of up to £1,000 or Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs).
The proposed PSPO for Pleasure Fair Meadow car park includes several conditions aimed at preventing ‘vehicle-related nuisance and anti-social behaviour’ and performing a range of activities in the area.
A public consultation over the plans has now launched and run until Friday 28 March - you can have your say online here and hard copies are available on request.
Once the consultation closes, responses will be considered before the council makes a recommendation to implement the PSPO for three years.
Councillor Alison Jones, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, said: “We are fully committed to working with partners, including the police, to keep members of the public safe and develop strong and sustainable communities, which PSPOs are helping us to achieve. We encourage residents who live near the Pleasure Fair Meadow car park to take part in this consultation, as well as businesses, community groups and people who work in the area."
The car park is monitored by a council operated CCTV camera and from April 2023 to November 2024 32 incidents were logged by CCTV operators concerning anti-social or dangerous driving and vehicle-related ASB at this location. These ranged from large scale car meets of approximately 300 cars to smaller gatherings of vehicles with drivers carrying out stunts such as doughnuts, hand brake turns and other dangerous driving.
From April 2023 to April 2024, 30 incidents relating to car meets, anti-social driving and vehicle related anti-social behaviour were reported to the Police. From May 2024 to mid-November 2024 a further 47 incidents were reported regarding groups of vehicles meeting in the car park, anti-social/dangerous driving and collisions.
In Peterborough there are currently two area PSPOs - one in the city centre and one covering the Millfield, New England, Eastfield and Embankment areas. There are also six PSPOs which are for the gating of alleyways that have previously experienced significant anti-social behaviour which has had a detrimental impact on communities.
Find out more about PSPOs in Peterborough here.