Drug dealing and "public sexual activity" prompt Southsea park restrictions

Councillors have backed new restrictions at two Southsea parks following reports of drug dealing, loud music and “public sexual activity”.

Portsmouth City Council’s cabinet has approved a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) covering Wimbledon Park and Waverley Gardens, following concerns about the impact of persistent antisocial behaviour on nearby residents.

The measures are intended to tackle problems including alcohol consumption, amplified music and public urination or defecation, after a public consultation received 418 responses.

Councillor Graham Heaney, a ward councillor, welcomed the proposed restrictions, saying the issues in the parks went back “a number of years”.

He said the situation “has been disturbing” for residents, some of whom “don’t feel safe going in there”.

He added that while the council had “responded to residents’ concerns”, it had taken “longer than we might have hoped”.

Fellow ward councillor Denise Perry said the PSPO was “not about restricting the enjoyment of public spaces”, but about reinstating the parks as community assets for everyone.

She said: “For too long residents have been reporting persistent and unacceptable antisocial behaviour”, including amplified music, excessive drinking, drug taking and “public sexual activity”.

Cllr Lee Hunt, cabinet member for community safety told councillors: “I’ll be reviewing this every single day.”

He acknowledged the time taken to bring forward the restrictions, but said the necessary legal checks had to be in place before the council could proceed.

Cllr Hugh Mason said previous attempts to tackle the problems had included the use of mobile cameras and trying to close the parks at night, all of which were unsuccessful.

“I walked past there one Sunday evening in February this year and saw behaviour in the gardens just before they closed which quite frankly I would have never expected to see in Portsmouth in the public domain,” he said.

Cllr Matthew Winnington said the problems had a long history, pointing to issues in the area around 17 years ago.

He said Waverley Road had been one of the reasons the council introduced its Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) policy, describing properties as having been “badly managed at the time”.

He said there had been a series of improvements and deterioration since then, with the latest decline appearing after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cllr Winnington said the situation had become significantly worse over the past two to three years and described the PSPO as “the last thing we can do, we’ve tried everything else”.

He admitted he was “sceptical of PSPOs because they’re arbitrary and a bit authoritarian”, but said he nevertheless supported the measures.

Under the PSPO, alcohol consumption and open alcohol containers will be prohibited, alongside amplified sound and public urination or defecation.