Animal welfare charity, Dogs Trust, has said it is ‘disappointed’ by Glasgow City Council’s decision to reject a ‘much needed’ Firework Control Zone (FCZ) around the rehoming centre this year.
Dogs Trust Glasgow says it is appealing a decision not to have a FCZ located around its rehoming centre in the Broomhouse area of the city.
An FCZ was slated to be enforced in Glasgow for the first time this year, with a pilot zone being set up in the Pollokshields area. The use of fireworks within the FCZ would be illegal for a 10-day period.
Pollokshields was earmarked as the location for the new ban, due to the area having suffered the most serious firework-related antisocial behaviour in previous years.
However, the council was unable to bring in the FCZ due to a missed deadline. In an administrative blunder, officials missed the legal notification deadline, which had to be published 60 days before the date it was due to come into force.
Bosses at Dogs Trust Glasgow say their application to have a zone approved by its rehoming centre was wrongfully rejected as it met the criteria.
Staff say they witness the anxiety and distress caused to dogs by fireworks every year. The rehoming centre has also been subject to anti-social behaviour which has seen fireworks aimed at the centre so that they explode directly above the kennels housing the dogs in its care.
Laura Foster, Associate Director of Rehoming at Dogs Trust, says: “Fireworks season is a really difficult time for dogs in our care, with many of them traumatised by the noise from fireworks. Our Glasgow rehoming centre is particularly affected as it is located in a residential area, where private displays are frequent and unpredictable.
“Sadly, our centre has also had problems with the anti-social use of fireworks where people have deliberately set off fireworks next to the centre, purposefully aiming them to explode above the dogs’ kennels. This sort of behaviour is completely unacceptable and causes our dogs a great deal of distress.”
Dogs Trust has now appealed the decision on the grounds that the Scottish Government's guidance on implementing Firework Control Zones clearly states that the impact of unpredictable fireworks on animals is grounds for establishing a zone.
Glasgow City Council has since confirmed that while the application will be reviewed, there is now not enough time to review and implement a zone by Bonfire Night 2024.
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Ms Foster added: “We don’t understand the reason behind the initial refusal of our application; Scottish Government's guidance on implementing Firework Control Zones clearly states that the impact of unpredictable fireworks on animals is grounds for establishing a zone. That, combined with the anti-social incidents we have experienced, provides reason enough for a successful application.
“The establishment of a Firework Control Zone would have made a huge difference to the dogs in our care, so it’s incredibly disappointing that our initial application was unsuccessful, and now there is not enough time for the panel to review our appeal ahead of the impending firework season.
“We urge Glasgow City Council to review our appeal as soon as possible, and hope that those reviewing our application will seek advice and guidance from animal welfare professionals to ensure that the impact of fireworks on our dogs is considered before making a final decision.”
A council spokeswoman said: “Applications for firework control zones were considered by the multi-agency panel. Decisions were based on data held by the council, Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue about complaints / antisocial behaviour involving fireworks in previous years. Where applications were rejected, applicants had a right of appeal.
“We would remind residents that they can feed into the ongoing consultation into the possible creation of a citywide Firework Control Zone next year.
“We are working with our partners in the emergency services to address the community safety concerns that arise around Bonfire Night.”
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