Dogged objection to plan

Bundaberg Landcare president Michael Johnson is upset over the prospect of an off-leash dog area at Neilson Park.

Scottie Simmonds

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BUNDABERG Landcare plans to lodge an objection to the approval of a dog off-leash walking area at Neilson Park Beach.

The Bundaberg Regional Council approved the area at the end of Fred Courtice Ave as an off-leash area at its last meeting.

But Bundaberg Landcare president Mike Johnson said the group would lodge an objection with the Department of Environment and Resource Management.

“It’s not that Landcare objects to dog off-leash areas, many of our members are dog owners,” Mr Johnson said.

“The objection is to the abysmal positioning and planning of this proposal.”

Mr Johnson said the area had been planned as a revegetation site for years to provide screening and reduce light, which is detrimental to turtles nesting nearby.

He said the council was inviting similar problems to the area at Baldwin Wetlands, with irresponsible dog owners letting their pets off the leash adjacent to conservation areas, harassing responsible people doing the right thing with their dogs and causing confrontation and destruction of native wildlife.

Mr Johnson said the off-leash walking area was close to a high tourist and visitor area at peak times with limited parking and infrastructure, a children’s athletics track, a buffer zone to a conservation park and a major conservation park proposal all close by.

“That to us ticks all the wrong boxes,” he said.

Mr Johnson said the land nearby was owned by the department, and in 2003 was approved by it as a conservation park.

The approval was sent to the Burnett Shire Council, but the issue stalled with amalgamation.

“We seem to have a council which, although spending thousands of dollars in Brisbane promoting the turtles, cannot seem to see the benefits of a major conservation park adjacent to such a tourist drawcard,” Mr Johnson said.