Protecting Off-Lead Dog Walking at Paddington Old Cemetery

Dogs of Paddington Old Cemetery (DOPOC) is a community group formed to represent the regular users of Paddington Old Cemetery, where dogs have been walked off-lead for over 30 years. Recently, Brent Council imposed a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) requiring all dogs to be kept on leads at all times within the cemetery. We believe this decision is unfair, unnecessary, and was made without properly considering the community’s views.

The Issue:

For decades, Paddington Old Cemetery has been a safe, welcoming green space where responsible dog owners have exercised their dogs off-lead—allowing them to run, play, and socialise. This has had numerous benefits: dogs stay healthier, a strong and vibrant local community has developed, and the cemetery has become safer for women, children, and other visitors.

Despite this, Brent Council has enforced a blanket “dogs on leads” policy. This was done even though a majority (61%) of respondents to the Council’s own consultation wanted dogs to remain off-lead.

We believe the Council’s decision fails to respect the Gunning Principles, which require fairness, transparency, and meaningful consultation in public decision-making. Furthermore, there are concerns that the Council is planning to convert Paddington Old Cemetery into a traditional burial ground with new graves—despite it being the only protected heritage cemetery in Brent. These intentions have not been made clear to the public and appear to be driven by economic motives, not community benefit.

Legal Advice:

We are took legal advice to challenge the PSPO and protect the community’s right to continue walking dogs off-lead in Paddington Old Cemetery. We are very grateful to all those of you who supported us financially to explore the possibility of a judicial review of the Council’s decision.

How Your Donations Helped:

Your donations helped to fund the legal work needed to challenge this decision.

Our barrister’s advice was that a High Court challenge to the PSPO was unlikely to succeed and could be very expensive. We therefore reluctantly decided not to take our case to the High Court.

About DOPOC:

We are a group of concerned local residents who believe in responsible dog ownership and protecting valuable green spaces. We’re not campaigning for dogs to be off-lead in all Brent parks—only to preserve a long-standing, respectful tradition in this unique and special space.