near where I live there is a municiple golf course. A lot of local people use it for dog walking and have for years with no problems. Last week with no warning signs were put up saying dogs must be kept on leads. There was no consultation, no warning.Nothing. This week apparently there is a police community support officer chasing round cautioning anyone found with their dog off lead. A lof of the local dog walkers are very unhappy about this as it is council land.
Does anyone know if we can object or appeal  against this ban or if the council should have consulted with us?

Unless the land in public land or the public have a right of way then the owners can, I think, make any rules they like even ban dogs altogether.

We have also this week had a load of signs put on lamp posts around the estate saying all dogs on lead max fine £1000, but for me it is very welcome as im sick of fending offlead naughty dogs off when i take mine out for walks.

In what region do you live?  Have you checked your local authority 'Dog Control Orders'?

Land like that you describe is usually subject to a DCO to keep dogs on a lead, or to put dogs on a lead when directed to do so by an officer.  You may find that these have been in place for a while and they have just started to enforce it?

DCO's replace local byelaws relating to dogs and in many areas there is a big push for Councils to 'tidy up' their outdated, and not easily enforcable, legislation.  Where councils are changing to DCO's there should be a period of consultation but these are poorly publicised and they may have passed you by.  The Kennel Club is quite hot on tracking new DCO's so you may find your area mentioned on their pages too.

Does anyone know if we can object or appeal  against this ban or if the council should have consulted with us?

I think you have probably been rather lucky in the past that you have been allowed to walk your dogs on the golf course without anyone objecting to them being off lead - or indeed on lead  :-) It's an area of land set apart for a particular activity where one wouldn't normally expect dogs to be and I'm not so sure I would want my dog to be off lead on a golf course - aren't you worried that they might be hit by a ball or even worse pick one up and choke on it?

There is a footpath that runs across our local golf course but dogs have to be on lead and you have to have eyes in the back of your head to avoid stray golf balls whizzing past you :-)

We have those but that is the law on public highways anyway.

> Unless the land in public land or the public have a right of way then the owners can, I think, make any rules they like even ban dogs altogether.

The land is council owned. not fenced and the public have access to it all.

> I think you have probably been rather lucky in the past that you have been allowed to walk your dogs on the golf course without anyone objecting to them being off lead

As far as I can find out this has been allowed since the council made a golf course out of the old tip 15+ years ago.

> I'm not so sure I would want my dog to be off lead on a golf course - aren't you worried that they might be hit by a ball or even worse pick one up and choke on it?

I usually walk on the golf course early before the golfers are out and keep well out of their way. Otherwise it would worry me about the golfers as most of them seem to have awful aim and send balls flying in all sorts of strange directions.

> We have also this week had a load of signs put on lamp posts around the estate saying all dogs on lead max fine £1000, but for me it is very welcome as im sick of fending offlead naughty dogs off when i take mine out for walks

That is why I like walking on the golf course. If I go early there are few dogs on it and it is easy to see people coming from some distance so I can protect my nervous girlie from loose dogs.

> In what region do you live?  Have you checked your local authority 'Dog Control Orders'?

I live in Crewe, Cheshire. The only reference to dog control orders I can find is this http://moderngov.cheshireeast.gov.uk/ecminutes/Published/C00000477/M00003339/AI00011088/$8CWCDogControlorder.docxA.ps.pdf which only mentions clearing up after your dog and does not say anythng about dogs on leads anywhere.

Hi, does that put you in Cheshire East?  Is that where the golf course is?

As you can see from your memo - all land is currently covered by the Dogs Fouling of Land Act 1996 but there is a big move towards the newer legislation of Dog Control Orders.  When these are being considered most councils are also looking at the additional orders they can apply (as mentioned before).  However I can't find the info for Cheshire East and they should have a map of all land covered by DCO's - such as cemetaries, play parks, some common land etc.  You can ask them for this as a resident or under Freedom of Information - try asking the dog warden first or environmental health.

DCO's can also be applied by a Parish Council so you could check with them too - all Parish Council meetings are open to the public and allow public speaking time.  They aren't allowed to add your topic to the agenda of that meeting but they can decide to add it to a later agenda.

Has the golf course got a website you could look at? 

Your Local Access Forum appears to be better organised!  I think Cheshire East is part of this LAF

Info on DCO's here

List of DCO sites here.  Can you see your golf course?

The land is council owned. not fenced and the public have access to it all.

That does not make it public land, it is land, owned by the council and it is set aside for the community to use as a golf course, that does not give the public a right to use it as they like. Picnics and cricket matches would not be allowed and it would seem that the free running of dogs is not either.

> List of DCO sites [url=undefined]here[/url].  Can you see your golf course?

no. these are all in and around Chester. No where in Crewe is mentioned.
thanks though