A proposal to make James Warner Park, located at the bank of the Brisbane River, into an off-leash dog area has divided residents of Kangaroo Point. The site is a nesting ground for bush turkeys, which could be driven out of their habitat if dogs run freely around the park.
Residents have been left upset after a video made its way in the news showing a group of people encroaching on the turkeys’ home with torches late one night.
It comes as Councillor Jonathan Sri opened a proposal for an off-leash dog area in Kangaroo Point and conducted a poll for residents to choose the best location. The other area in contention is CT White Park. Mr Sri said that they were “pretty close to settling on CT White Park” until some locals asked for more time for public consultation and consider James Warner Park as well.
“With BCC now confirming that the administration will support a dog off-leash area at either CT White Park or James Warner Park, depending on which location has more support from residents, this last polling round is about choosing the specific location,” he posted on Facebook.
Mr Sri’s poll has, so far, received 355 votes with 61 percent preferring James Warner Park. The locals also posted their thoughts on having an off-leash dog area in either location.
“The proposed enclosed area at James Warner Park is less than 15 metres from the neighbouring residential buildings. This will inevitably lead to on-going problems with noise, smell and dust as the existing grass cover is lost,” John Cox shared.
“When the dog owners defiantly used James Warner Park for intermittent periods from 5 pm – 7 pm, I saw first hand the wildlife disappear as well as the damage to the grassed area. I can only imagine what it will look like used daily – a dust bowl,” Thelma Butcher said.
“The CT Park is very busy with bikes and scooters and ferry commuters. It is also very steep in areas which would prejudice older or disabled people many of whom love walking their dogs and enjoy the social interaction,” Emma Hossaxko, a resident for 27 years said.
“The second proposed location at CT White Park would be less successful due to the topography, lack of shaded edges and high volumes of cycle traffic that passes along both edges to Bright Street (the playground further down is partially fenced for this reason),” Josh Spillane said.
“Bottom line here is that we do not need a DOLA. People should be happy to actually walk their dogs on a leash. DOLA’s are filthy unsightly areas that very quickly turn in to smelly dustbowls,” according to Andrew Whyte.
Mr Sri has yet to confirm the final decision on the location. He did address concerns about the noise in a DOLA close to the houses.
“If BCC receives lots of complaints about a DOLA, the parks officers will go check it out periodically to make sure there aren’t any obvious issues, but they’re not likely to take any enforcement action unless there is ongoing sustained repetitive barking,” the councillor said.
