We know how much our riverside sites are important to residents and visitors, offering great walks and green spaces. With the increased number of visitors, we also have an increased number of unauthorised moorings along the riverbank and we want to make sure that the riverside spaces can continue to be enjoyed by local people and river users.
Previous consultation and concerns raised
Two phases of consultation were undertaken from February to December 2023 on a possible Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to restrict mooring to 24 hours (no return within 72 hours) at Ditton Reach, Albany Reach, Cigarette Island, Cowey Sale and Hurst Park and Surrey County Council’s land adjacent to Hampton Court bridge (Parrs mooring).This was considered by Cabinet on 5 July 2023.
While there was overall support (85% either agree or strongly agree), there was also some opposition to the proposal (13% disagree or strongly disagree). See the full results:
Respondents were generally supportive of a PSPO to help to manage the riverbank and allow for a busy active riverbank. However there were a number of concerns about the potential targeting of boaters, and possibly making boat owners homeless. Some of these concerns are being considered further in the current consultation.
Second phase consultation
To be transparent, to address concerns from the previous consultation and to ensure that due process for a PSPO is met, a second phase of consultation considered more detail on how a potential PSPO for unauthorised moorings would be implemented and enforced.
The documents below provide more details on the potential PSPO:
Riverside sites affected by PSPO:
Next steps
The council adopted a new Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) on 21 February 2024.
Update 14 February 2025
Following the legal challenge to the making of a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to manage unauthorised mooring on council-owned land, the Court has confirmed that it has upheld the claim to quash the PSPO.
The council was unsuccessful only on the narrow basis that the drafting of the PSPO Order was not sufficiently clear that the PSPO restriction will not be enforced where there are streaming warnings for a certain areas upstream, even though the Environmental Enforcement Policy clarified that it would not be.
This means the PSPO cannot be enacted in its current form. However, the judge found in favour of the council on all remaining 14 grounds. This included findings that the wording of the PSPO was otherwise sufficiently clear, the PSPO was rational and fair, the council undertook a fair consultation and the council complied with its duty to make a fair Equality Impact Assessment.
We are disappointed by this decision, as we had fought hard to support our residents from unauthorised moorings on our council-owned land and the disturbance they bring.
We will now review the decision in detail and, given the courts finding in our favour on the remaining 14 grounds, some of which were key legal points, we will seek to amend and re-make the PSPO, undertaking any relevant consultation, to bring forward an order as appropriate to deliver the type of enforcement needed to ensure our rivers are used safely and for the benefit of our communities.