Dogs will once again be allowed on a section of the Tangara Trail at Racecourse Flats, after the Clarence City Council reversed a surprise ban that sparked community backlash.
Councillors voted at their July meeting to replace the recently installed ‘no dogs’ signs with new signs reading ‘dogs on leash, on track only’.
The popular 3.36-metre-wide walking track loops around the edge of the Racecourse Flats protected saltmarsh area in Lauderdale.
Local resident Andrew Paul told councillors the trail had been used by dog walkers “for many years” before the ban was suddenly introduced without any community consultation.
“It was with some surprise when we saw these signs recently erected, banning all dogs on the trail,” he said.
Councillor Emma Goyne, who moved the successful motion, said the issue stemmed from confusion in the council’s dog management policy rather than any deliberate policy change.
“[This] motion seeks to do nothing more than to clarify ambiguity within the current dog management policy and not to amend the policy,” Goyne said.
She added the signs had only been up “for a few short weeks” and that the council would soon consult the community on wider dog management issues.
Councillor Jade Darko strongly opposed the change, citing wildlife protection concerns.
“Sensitive areas need to be protected from increasing human impacts,” Darko said, referencing advice that “the scent of dogs, the sight of dogs, the sound of dogs can be extremely distressing to vulnerable wildlife”.
The short-lived ban had effectively cut off peninsula residents from walking to the Lauderdale shops with their dogs.
The council will now review its broader dog management policy as part of upcoming community consultation.
