Protect Our Beaches

say “no” to dogs on beaches

Your help is needed to Protect Station Beach, opp. Palm Beach

On 27 August 2019, Council resolved to proceed with a dog off-leash area trial at Station Beach, Palm Beach for 12 months. The trial was due to commence in December 2019, however, the motion is before the courts on planning and environmental issues.

However, on 17 December 2019, Council resolved to allow dogs on-leash at Station Beach which has the effect of amending the former Pittwater Council Dog Control Policy and permitting dogs on-leash at Station Beach between the hours of 4.00pm to 10.30am, Monday to Sunday (AEST non-day light saving time) and 5.30pm to 10.30am, Monday to Friday (AEST daylight saving time).

The Palm Beach Protection Group remains unsatisfied with this outcome and questions the Council’s capacity to manage the use of the area in accordance with the Review of Environmental Factors report that was commissioned as part of the consultation process for the trial. Ongoing compliance breaches of on-leash dogs on Station Beach and in close proximity to the seagrass, reinforces our concerns. The once family-friendly Station Beach is now becoming an unsafe dogs beach.

The introduction of both the on-leash and trial off-leash dog swimming area at Station Beach is inconsistent with Council’s long held environmental position in this area, considering Station Beach is home to the largest seagrass bed in the Pittwater estuary and nurtures a diverse marine life habitat that includes the white seahorse.

The NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (Crown Lands) is the delegated authority for issuing a licence agreement for the dog off-leash area trial. No such licence has been issued in respect of the proposed off-leash trial and current on-leash activity on Station Beach. Crown Lands has a preference for alternative, less environmentally sensitive sites. NSW Fisheries also has a preference for the use of ocean beaches rather than estuary beaches as impact on the marine life and environment is considered far less on ocean beaches.

We remain committed to protecting Station Beach for generations to come.

COUNCIL DOG OFF-LEASH TRIAL INFO

Why we are saying “No” to off-leash & on-leash
dogs at Station Beach, opp. Palm Beach

The Environment

Station Beach is a narrow tidal beach with a protected and endangered seagrass meadow running close to the shoreline with easy access for off-leash dogs.

Allowing on-leash and off-leash dogs on Station Beach will increase pollution from dog waste, and threaten wildlife and marine life, including at low tide, when seagrass beds are exposed.

The Council’s own Review of Environmental Factors (REF) report acknowledges the environmental risk and the NSW Crown Lands and Fisheries prefer an alternative site.

Visual Impact

As a condition of the off-leash trial, Council is required to install three small marker buoys to define the dog swimming area. We believe that these markers will not reduce the probability of environmental impact.

Traffic and congestion issues

Palm Beach has extremely limited parking, and is already struggling to meet demand, particularly for visitors. There is one single lane road in and one single lane road out of the peninsula, so the roads get clogged, quickly.

Allowing an on-leash or off-leash dog area on Station Beach is likely to result in thousands of additional visitors, coming from as far south as Manly and beyond.

These additional visitors will dramatically increase traffic congestion and exacerbate existing parking issues.

Protect Our Beaches say “no” to dogs on beaches