Dog Control Policy Consultation

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Nelson City Council Dog Control Policy and Bylaw Review 2012

Update on the Proposed Dog Control Policy and Bylaw 2012

After considering the submissions on the Proposed Dog Control Policy and Bylaw 2012, the Council has decided not to proceed with the proposal it notified early in 2012.

Instead it will prepare a new proposal which the public will have the opportunity to comment on, as part of a new consultation process. The Council has provided the following direction for the development of the new proposal.

Prohibited areas

Retain the proposed prohibited areas with the following changes:

Retain two of the swimming holes (Girlies Hole and either Black Hole or Dennes Hole) as dog exercise areas during summer (December to March) and allow dogs in all holes during the remainder of the year.
Add Sand Island to the list of prohibited areas.
Limit the dog prohibited status of the Maitai Cricket Ground to the cricket season.

(Note: Marsden Valley Reserve to the east of Barnicoat Reserve is proposed to be retained as a dogs prohibited area.)

On leash areas

Require dogs to be on a lead within the urban centres of the Nelson Central Business District, and the Stoke and Tahunanui shopping centre.

Require dogs to be on a lead in most neighbourhood reserves (including all 18 of the parks which submitters opposed during the consultation on the earlier proposal).

Off lead areas

Allow dogs off lead everywhere else (where they are not prohibited or required to be on lead) on the understanding that dogs must be under the control of the person exercising them, as required by the Dog Control Act. That means, if a person does not have the dog under control off a lead, they need to put their dog on a lead.

Dog park

Develop a dog park at Saxton Field.

Good Dog Owner Policy

The Good Dog Owner Policy will be retained, but amended in consultation with the Dog Owner Group.

Download a copy of the agenda for the 3 May meeting. (62KB PDF)

Download a copy of the minutes from the 20 March meeting. (85KB PDF)

Click here for a copy of the Hearing Report (53KB PDF) (53KB PDF), which summarises the submissions.

Also available are:

Additional information for the hearing on the proposed Dog Control Policy and Bylaw. (67KB PDF)
Summary of submitter feedback - attachment 1: proposed Dog Control Policy and Bylaw. (19KB PDF)
Summary of submitter feedback - attachment 2: Active Transport Forum - terms of reference. (22KB PDF)

The Original Proposed Approach

Dogs in Public Places

Require dogs to be on a leash as the default in the urban area, including along the transport corridors (Railway Reserve and Trafalgar 200/Atawhai Shared Pathway), on public streets and along esplanade reserves.

Add new dog prohibited areas, as follows:
•   Haven Holes Reserve.
•   The Brook Conservation Reserve.
•   Trafalgar Park, the Saxton Field Cricket Oval and Athletics Track, and Saxton Field Hockey and Softball Areas.
•   the picnic area associated with Sunday Hole, Black Hole and associated barbeque facilities, and Girlies Hole.
•   The fenced area of the foreshore and esplanade reserve at Paremata Flats.
•   The part of the Marsden Valley Reserve to the east of the Barnicoat Walkway.

Add new dog exercise areas, as follows:
•   Maitai Valley – Almond Tree Flat and the paddock before the golf course.
•   The following neighbourhood reserves:

Whangamoa – Frost Reserve.
Atawhai – Frenchay Reserve, Montrose Reserve, Te-Ata Reserve, Todd Bush Reserve and Tresillian Reserve.
Nelson City – Andrews Farm Reserve, Betsy Eyre Park, Custom House Reserve, Grampian Oaks Reserve, Pioneers Park, Russell Reserve, Wigzell Park and Wolfe Reserve.
Stoke – Aldinga Reserve, Ballard Drive Reserve, Bishops Park, Enner Glynn North Reserve, Manson Reserve, Manu Kau Reserve, Monaco Reserve, Neale Reserve, Ngaio Reserve, Nikau Reserve, Poets Park, Ranui Reserve, Tokomaru Reserve and Woodstock Reserve.
Tahunanui – Bisley Reserve, Blackwood West Reserve, Bolt Reserve and Centennial Park.

•   Miyazu Reserve (between Neale Park and Paremata Street).
•   Saxton Field Circus Oval – excluding the periods when a circus is occupying the area.
•   Undeveloped areas of Saxton Field, and a large number of neighbourhood reserves.

Remove the following from the list of dog exercise areas (leash required in these areas):
•   Boulder Bank Drive (Sewerside Drive).
•   Maitai Walkway above the Collingwood Street bridge.
•   The Railway Reserve.
•   Bishopdale Reserve (South).

Reasons

The purpose of going to a leash required rule in general, except for defined exercise areas, is to ensure the general public have the confidence to use public areas without undue unwanted confrontation with dogs.

This principle is especially important in multi-use areas such as public walkways and cycleways.

This increased restriction on dogs in general public areas has been balanced by providing a significant number of new exercise areas where dogs can be off leash.

A number of extra dog prohibited areas have been added (including Black Hole and the associated barbeque area, and the picnic area associated with Sunday Hole) because these are popular recreation areas used by families, including children. The other reason for dog prohibited areas is to protect wildlife (including at Haven Holes, Paremata Flats and the eastern half of Marsden Valley Reserve).

Good Dog Owner Policy

The Council proposes to discontinue the Good Dog Owner Policy, and to replace it with a discount for all dog owners who pay their registration fees on time.

Reasons

Most of the provisions of the Good Dog Owner Policy are now included in the Dog Control Act 1996. The Good Dog Owner Scheme takes a lot of time to administer, and it is not an effective mechanism for managing multiple dog ownership. A standard discount for paying registration fees on time will be simpler to administer, and assumes that everyone is a good dog owner unless proven otherwise.

Dog Ownership Information

Changes to the publicity material are proposed, including advice on what dog owners can do to avoid conflicts with other people in the community, the importance of locking extendable leads where there is a risk of tripping cyclists and pedestrians, and dog training options.

Reasons

The changes are intended to increase dog owners’ understanding of the rules and community expectations, and therefore reduce conflict between dogs and people.

Multiple Dog Ownership

Allow Nelson residents to keep up to two dogs on any property within the urban area, as of right. Require any person who wishes to keep more than two dogs on their property to gain written permission from the Council to do so.

Dog owners who already have more than two dogs will have an “existing use right” to continue to own their existing dogs until the end of those dogs’ lives. Written permission will be required for ownership of any additional dogs.

This limit does not apply to properties outside of the urban area, as defined on the map attached to both the dog control policy and the bylaw.

Reasons

To improve the Council’s ability to manage the effects of multiple dog ownership through the use of property-specific conditions, and the ability to withdraw approval if conditions are not met or issues arise.

Statement of Proposal, Policy and Bylaw

Copies of the Statement of Proposal, and the draft Policy and Bylaw are available free of charge from Civic House on request. They are also available on the from the 'Downloads' section below and at the Customer Service Centre and the Nelson libraries.

Submissions

Any person or body interested is welcome to make submissions or comments on any aspect of, or omission from, the bylaw. Please note that the entire policy and bylaw is open for consultation, as well as any matters relevant to the policy and bylaw that people wish to raise as part of this consultation process. Council, in making its decision, will be taking account of all submissions made

These are to be in writing and forwarded to:
Dog Control Policy and Bylaw Review
Nelson City Council
PO Box 645
Nelson 7040

Or emailed to: submissions@ncc.govt.nz

Submissions must be received no later than 5.00pm on Monday 5 March 2012.

Any person who wishes to speak to the Council in support of their submission will be given the opportunity to address the Council at a hearing which commences at 9.00am on Tuesday 20 March 2012.

All enquiries should be directed to the Planning Adviser on 03 546 0261.