The East Coast community will again have an opportunity to comment on draft changes to its dog policy.
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The Break O’Day Council is seeking input on new changes to the second draft of its revised Dog Management Policy.
Mayor Mick Tucker said the council had received an unprecedented number of submissions on its final draft revision of the policy in January, following the release of the first draft in December 2017.
“We really welcome feedback and were really pleased to see this level of engagement from our community as it indicates how important this policy is and how important it is that we get it right,” Cr Tucker said.
“Many submissions we got earlier in the year acknowledged the different points of view.
“Whether they wanted to be able to walk their dogs in areas on and off-lead, people who didn’t want to see dogs on the beaches at all, or were just concerned about shorebirds that live and breed on our beaches.”
An assessment was undertaken by the Parks and Wildlife Service, and following discussions with council officers the revised draft policy was developed.
Beaches with sections available for off-lead exercise would include Boronia Street at Ansons Bay, Steiglitz, Maurouard Beach, Ring Rock at Dianas Beach, Beaumaris south of Yarmouth Creek, Byatt Court at Scamander, and Seymour.
Declared prohibited areas would include coastal areas with high wildlife values, such as shore and migratory birds, alongside areas defined from time-to-time by fencing and signs prohibiting dogs for the temporary protection of birds and other wildlife.
“We understand that no matter what we do not everyone will be happy everywhere, but what we aim to do is strike a fair balance with this draft,” Cr Tucker said.
“We also understand that people will want time to consider the changes before council adopts the new dog policy.”
The draft policy was informed by the Tasmanian Dog Management Act and aimed to ensure a balance between allowing dog owners to enjoy the region’s natural areas while protecting its native wildlife.
The draft of the revised Dog Management Policy and a map of current dog zones with proposed changed overlayed are available on the council’s website.
Submissions are due to council by 5pm on November 12.