The Central Otago District Council-owned 60ha Sandflat Rd forestry block in Bannockburn is due to be harvested, and before it is cleared the area, a popular off-leash dog-walking area will be closed to the public, the Cromwell Community Board confirmed.
The decision came despite a plea from a group, backed by a petition with 880 signatories, to keep the area open.
Cromwell Dogs spokeswoman Lisa Telle said the group was happy to help with signs for the area if that was burdening the council.
She said the risk the council was taking by not having ‘‘a safe off-leash area’’ was greater than the risk of trees falling down among the mature pines.
She was ‘‘shocked’’ the board had decided to insist on the area’s closure.
The only remaining off-leash area locally, at Alpha St, was on a main road, it was unfenced, a cycle trail ran through it and it was next to a playground.
‘‘This creates conflict with children, walkers and cyclists,’’ she said.
‘‘People regularly complain about off-leash dogs in this area, despite this being our only space.’’
The Alpha St off-leash area was 9850sq m compared with Sandflat Rd’s 725,000sq m.
The forestry block accounted for 97.6% of Cromwell’s off-leash space, she said.
Ms Telle, who is also owner of Zoomies Dog Training & Adventures, said the group was looking into a range of options including an ‘‘independent examination of the legal status’’ of the forestry land to try to reinstate its use.
‘‘The council’s own website states that it ‘owns and manages a number of forestry blocks’ and that these forests ‘provide amenity value for the community for walking and biking’.
‘‘These spaces have been part of daily life in Central Otago for generations of dog walkers, families [and] recreational users,’’ she said.
He visited the block last month and in the four and a-half hours when he conducted his inspection, he saw 20 people walking their dogs there, indicating the site was ‘‘high use’’.
Of the 44.9ha of the block most frequented by visitors, only 21 trees out of 12,350 (0.17%) posed ‘‘some risk’’, his report said.
Overall the risk was low ‘‘unless in the event of strong winds’’.
The main risk was ‘‘widow makers’’ — dead or decayed branches held up in the crowns of trees.
These were rated as low to moderate risk as it would take ‘‘a severe wind’’ to dislodge them, he said.
He recommended signs reflective of the risk — and among other suggestions said ‘‘enter at your own risk’’ signs would be appropriate.
Council chief executive Peter Kelly affirmed the risk was ‘‘low’’.
However, he said the council did not have the resources to put signs up and bring them down in response to ‘‘wind events’’ locally.
And the nature of the risk changed in windy conditions, he said.
‘‘We can’t absolve ourselves of that responsibility.’’
He reminded the board of the death of Wellington GP Richard Tyler, who died last year from injuries suffered when a falling branch struck him when he was out walking on a Mt Victoria trail.
Despite some conversation around the board table suggesting otherwise, Central Otago District Mayor Tamah Alley said the message from the board needed to be a ‘‘hard no’’.
‘‘This board needs to be really clear — you are putting signs up to say you cannot enter this area.
‘‘It’s not: ‘You read the signs and then make your own decision’.
‘‘It is: ‘We do not want you in here because the risk to your life and wellbeing is too great’.
‘‘We do not want people ignoring signs and going in this area because we have said it is unsafe. Full stop,’’ Mrs Alley said.
It was important also to note the board recognised the Cromwell community wanted more areas to exercise their dogs, she said.
The board recommended the council identify ‘‘additional off-leash dog walking areas’’ in its long-term plan considerations.
After the meeting, council community experience group manager David Scoones said ‘‘the safety advice made the decision clear’’.
‘‘Once we had expert advice confirming real safety risks, we had a duty to act.
‘‘That’s not something we take lightly given how much this space means to locals.
‘‘Ultimately, safety sits operationally with the chief executive of any council, and is not an elected member decision.’’
The dog-walking status was resolved to be removed in November last year, and remained removed, he said.
Maintaining public access until the trees were harvested would require post-wind-event inspections at an estimated cost of around $1000 each time — an unbudgeted expense — as well as dedicated staff to manage signage before- and after-wind events.
Cromwell Dogs’ petition was received and accepted, he said.
The independent assessment was commissioned specifically to ensure the board had the best available information before making any recommendation.
‘‘The outcome reflects that evidence, not a predetermined position,’’ he said.
The council’s final decision will be made on June 24.
