Dorset Council has approved a recommendation to seek ownership of sections of Crown Land within the municipality from Environment Minister Matthew Groom.
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In council’s April meeting held in Ringarooma on Monday night, councillors considered a recommendation to seek the transfer of ownership of Crown Land leased by Dorset Council in Bridport, Derby and the Derby Regional Reserve.
The Reserve includes parts of the Blue Derby Mountain Bike Trails.
The decision to explore the potential for Dorset Council to take over Crown Land areas follows frustrations expressed by Dorset mayor Greg Howard following a stop-work notice on the council’s Bridport foreshore works.
The report presented notes that Dorset Council maintains about 25 hectares under formal licence agreements “or by informal arrangements” within Bridport, as well as large sections of land beside the Derby Regional Reserve.
“More recently council has also entered into a lease with Crown Land (CLS) and the Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) for a 10-metre wide corridor that contains a large portion of the [mountain bike trail] network at Derby,” the report said.
Cr Howard said both the PWS and CLS had proved difficult to deal with over “a long period of time” and that transferring ownership of the land in question would make sense for all parties.
He said needless red tape was costing the council hundreds of working hours.
“We look after (those areas) anyway so we pay all the costs on them already, so it doesn’t seem much point having to deal with Parks and Wildlife and Crown Land Services because they’re so bureaucratic,” Cr Howard said.
“They expect you to get a works order to fill a pothole.”
The council report noted another potential solution to the council’s struggles with the PWS and CLS.
“Transferring ownership of the Derby Regional Reserve may require approval by Parliament, hence, a short-term solution would be to amend the existing lease to include the entire reserve and remove the requirement for council to obtain any approvals from PWS.”