A new Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) comes into force next week covering part of the Woodchurch estate.
At the centre of the area covered by the PSPO are the shops on Hoole Road in Woodchurch, which historically has been a hot-spot for anti-social behaviour caused primarily by young people.
Over the last 12 months, Merseyside Police has reported receiving a significant number of complaints regarding youths causing annoyance/nuisance in and around Hoole Road shops and the adjacent semi-pedestrianised area ‘The Meadow’, which is a cut-through made up of alleyways, public open space and housing.
In addition to the reports to the police, Magenta Living – which is the major Social Housing provider in the area – have also received a high volume of complaints, as have the elected members to both the council and Parliament for the area.
The Woodchurch PSPO 2022 comes into force on 19 December 2022 and will remain in place for an initial three years. It can be extended more than once if necessary if the authorities believe there is a possibility of the nuisance behaviour recurring.
Included as part of the restrictions brought in under the PSPO is a ban on anyone consuming alcohol in any public place within the restricted area. It also prohibits the use or possession of other substances, including ‘legal highs’, nitrous oxide or other drug-related paraphernalia.
Between the hours of 3pm and 10pm each day, anyone in a gathering of two or more people in public within the restricted area could be asked to disperse if a police officer or other authorised enforcement officer thinks they may be intending to engage in behaviour that could cause alarm, harassment or distress to other people.
Other restrictions within the PSPO affect people covering their faces for any other reason than on medical or religious groups and riding a bicycle, scooter or other wheeled form of transport on the paved area in front of the shops on Hoole Road, though there is an exemption for mobility vehicles.
Full details of the PSPO can be found on the council website from Monday 19th December – https://www.wirral.gov.uk/communities-and-neighbourhoods/anti-social-behaviour/public-spaces-protection-orders 
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