New dog exercise areas adopted
Gosford Council has adopted its new dog exercise areas policy at a meeting on July 22.
Under the policy, there are now 12 areas on the Peninsula and surrounds established for exercising and training
Five of these areas are on the beach at Patonga, Pearl Beach, Putty Beach and Umina Beach and Ocean Beach.
Sections of these beaches are designated "off-on leash'" exercise areas 24 hours a day.
Ettalong Beach is designated an "on leash" exercise area only.
Other off leash areas have also been designated along roads and on reserves.
At Ettalong, dog owners may walk their dogs on a leash in the portion of the beach adjacent to Barrenjoey Rd up to Beach St.
Patonga residents may exercise their dogs on the beach either on or off the leash from the playground opposite the general store up to Brisk St.
They must keep their dog on the leash in the section of beach south from Dark Corner to the playground opposite the general store.
At Pearl Beach, the designated part of the beach is north of Agate Ave while at Putty Beach the section of beach north of the access way from the main car park to the access way from Putty Beach Road car park will be available for dog exercise.
Umina Beach will be opened up in the area south of the first access way south of the skate facility at Umina Oval to the end of the beach at Berrima Cr.
At Ocean Beach, the area between Barrenjoey Rd and Augusta St will be an off-on leash exercise area.
Roads and reserves available for off-leash dog walking around the Peninsula are located at St Huberts Island, Pretty Beach, Ettalong, Umina and Woy Woy.
On St Huberts Island, all of Beachfront Parade and Long Arm Parade have been designated for off leash dog exercise.
At Pretty Beach, the unmade section of Araluen Dr and, at Ettalong, the northern portion of the reserve between Ettalong Oval and Maitland Bay Dr are open for off-leash dog activity.
In Umina, the eastern side of Kahibah Creek between Osborne Ave and Australia Ave is an off leash area.
Woy Woy residents will also be able to unleash their dogs along all of Brick Wharf Rd and Dulkarra Rd.
However, they will no longer be allowed to take their dogs off the leash in Burrawang Bushland Reserve in Hillview St, Woy Woy.
A register of maps outlining these areas is available at Council's Gosford and Woy Woy offices and branches of Council Libraries.
In its dog exercise policy, Council also notes that dogs are permitted on leash in non-Coastal Open Space System reserves (COSS) but not permitted at all in COSS Reserves, National Parks or the Crommelin Native Arboretum at Pearl Beach.
They also raise the possibility of providing "dog doo" bins for off-leash areas.
Council received over 500 submissions regarding the draft dog exercise policy in August last year.
Almost 90 per cent were concerned with the draft policy with regard to dogs exercising on beaches.
A number of these specifically expressed concerns over areas at Putty Beach and Pretty Beach.
Other submissions were also concerned that the draft policy did not provide enough opportunity for dog exercise on beaches, were located in inappropriate areas, and that there were too many designated areas on beaches.
The southern end of Umina beach was identified in submissions as inappropriate for a 24-hour off leash area as it is used by a large number of families with small children.
Under the Council's adopted policy, the area is included for off leash dog exercise.
In March this year, volunteers for clean up Australia Day collected 10kg of dog poo in 10 minutes at the same location.
Over half of the submissions council received did not support the proposed draft policy.
At its meeting on July 22, Council adopted the policy unchanged and decided to monitor the policy during its first year.
Alison Branley, Council agenda, August 8