Dogs in the Public Domain - Investigations, Trials and Projects

New designations for dog access at Narrawallee Beach and surrounding areas come into effect from 1 September 2024:

• Access to the timed off-leash area on Narrawallee Beach is via 6 beach access tracks through Matron Porter Drive Reserve and dune.
• Narrawallee Inlet Reserve and the northern end of Narrawallee Beach remains dog prohibited.
• General beach access via Victor Ave stairway only. No dog access to the timed off-leash area on Narrawallee Beach via Victor Ave stairway.
• General beach access via Surfers Ave stairway only. No dog access to the timed off-leash area on Narrawallee Beach via Surfers Ave stairway.
• The area on Narrawallee Beach south of the main beach access track to Matron Porter Drive Reserve car park remains dog prohibited.

The Dog Off-Leash Guide and regulatory signage will be updated over the coming weeks to reflect these changes.

The Council made new designations for dog access arrangements at Narrawallee Beach at the ordinary council meeting held on 29 July 2024 (ref. MIN24.402), and subsequently reaffirmed its commitment to this decision at the ordinary council meeting held on 12 August 2024.

The Council’s decision follows interim dog access arrangements, which have been in effect since late 2023, and community consultation undertaken in May 2024. Interim dog access arrangements will remain in effect until the new arrangements come into effect on 1 September 2024.

Further information about dog access areas in Shoalhaven is available on our website.

Updated on: 09/09/2024.

A rescission motion has been submitted for Council’s consideration related to CL24.223 Narrawallee Beach Dog Access - Review of Environmental Factors and Proposed Permanent Dog Access Arrangements - Outcome of Engagement Activity (ref. MIN24.402).

The rescission motion will be considered by the Council at the ordinary council meeting to be held on 12 August 2024, and is available to view HERE.

What is a ‘rescission motion’?

A rescission motion is way to ‘rescind’ (or ‘overturn’) a previous Council resolution. The Council will vote on the rescission motion, which must be endorsed by a majority of the Council to be carried.

If carried, the Council’s decision recorded in MIN24.402 will be overturned. Dog access arrangements at Narrawallee Beach will remain in effect as though MIN24.402 had never been made. This means interim dog access arrangements will remain in effect as recorded in MIN23.661 until the Council makes new designations for dog access areas.

If the rescission motion is not carried, the Council’s decision recorded in MIN24.402 will remain in effect.

A rescission motion has been received on item CL24.223 Narrawallee Beach Dog Access - Review of Environmental Factors and Proposed Permanent Dog Access Arrangements - Outcome of Engagement Activity signed by Cr White, Cr Wells and Cr Watson.

The Council had resolved to formalise the Narrawallee Beach Dog Access as recommended in the business paper on 29 July 2024 (CL24.223).

This matter will be placed on the agenda for the next Ordinary Meeting of Council being 12 August 2024.

The Council will soon consider a report about proposed permanent dog access arrangements at Narrawallee Beach. This report follows on from community consultation undertaken in May 2024.

• Forum: Ordinary Council Meeting (Council Chambers, Nowra Administration Building)
• Date: 29 July 2024

About Council Meetings: Further information about Council meetings is available on our website.

Access to Information: Anyone may access Council meeting agenda papers (reports) and minutes, for both upcoming and previous meetings. Agenda papers will be published to our website the week prior to the scheduled meeting date. View here.

Request to Speak: Further information about making a request to speak at Council meeting is available on our website.

Live Streaming: Information about streaming Council meetings is available on our website.

PLEASE NOTE:

• Recordings of live streams will be accessible within 24-hours of the conclusion of the meeting.
• We are aware there is a high-level of community interest in this matter. There is limited space available in the Public Gallery, and access to the Public Gallery will be closed once capacity is reached. Interested community members are encouraged to observe the meeting via the live streaming service.

Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback about the online public information session hosted by CEO, Robyn Stevens, to provide some clarity about the community engagement process for the Narrawallee Beach Dog Access proposal and associated Review of Environmental Factors (REF).

The community engagement process was held for four weeks during which time we received 714 surveys and 140 written submissions from a cross-section of age groups that’s statistically representative and statistically significant based on the demographics and population of Narrawallee and surrounding areas. We also responded to emails and questions asked during the community engagement period to clarify information and provide assistance by answering enquiries.

The Online Information Session outlined some of the emerging themes from the community engagement and the legal requirements relating to the REF. There were 65 attendees at the session and a number of questions asked and answered during the meeting. The additional questions that couldn’t be answered in the information session timeframe are published in the FAQs on this webpage. The meeting was recorded and can also be viewed in the Online.

We appreciate that people are passionate about the dog access provisions and we want to provide everyone with certainty about this as quickly as possible. We’re now focused on preparing a briefing and a report for councillors to consider on 22 July 2024, which incorporates the volume of responses we’ve received during the community engagement campaign (6 May to 2 June 2024), along with the environmental assessment and legal framework.

We are unable to prioritise any additional responses at this time and anticipate that enquiries will need to wait up to 28 days for a response.

Anyone who wasn’t able to attend the online community information session on the Narrawallee Beach Proposed Dog Access on Tuesday 18 June 2024 can watch the session at the link below.

Narrawallee information session 18 June (vimeo.com)

Questions that were unable to be answered in the session will be published soon.

We are hosting an online community information session at 5:30pm on 18 June 2024 to answer some of the questions we’ve received about the proposal during the recent community consultation campaign.

The community information session is being convened using a Microsoft application (app) called ‘Teams’.

Participants joining the event from smartphone devices will need to have this app downloaded to their device prior to participating in the live event.

It will not be necessary to create a log-in, or to log-into, a Teams account to participate in the event. However, participants may choose to attend using their regular Teams account log-in if desired.

For those joining from personal computers, the event can be launched using a preferred internet browser (such as Outlook).

More information about attending and participating in a live event using Microsoft Teams is available via the following trusted internet resources:

1. Attend a live event in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Support
2. Attend a live event - Microsoft Support
3. How to join Teams Live Events - Technology Services (scu.edu.au)

The event will be held 5.30pm - 6.15pm Tuesday, 18 June, and recorded for those wanting to watch at another time. The link to the event is available from here. Please tune in at 5.30pm.

Community information session – Narrawallee Beach Proposed Dog Access

We are hosting an online community information session to answer some of the questions we’ve received about the proposal during the recent community consultation campaign.

The session is an opportunity for community members to hear about the project, ask questions and gain clarity on the interim dog access arrangements and the ongoing process to establish permanent solutions.

The online live event ensures privacy for participants, while the Q&A segment will allow for real-time interaction and clarification on outstanding matters.

The event will be held 5.30pm - 6.15pm Tuesday 18 June, and recorded for those wanting to watch at another time. The link to the event is available from here. Please tune in at 5.30pm.

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback about proposed permanent dog access arrangements at Narrawallee Beach.

Over 650 survey submissions, and over 100 written submissions were received. One written submission included 1,028 signatures.

Feedback has been received about:

• Accessibility
• Mental health
• Social cohesion
• Tourism
• Dog off-leash times
• Shorebirds
• Environmental assessments
• Survey design

Next Steps

We will now take time to review each submission received. Council officers will prepare a recommendation for permanent dog access arrangements informed by the findings of environmental assessments, Shoalhaven City Council’s Access Areas for Dogs Policy, and community feedback.

A report will be prepared for a future ordinary council meeting (anticipated date: July 2024). The Council will make a determination about permanent dog access arrangements based on this report.

We will continue to publish updates to this page. To stay informed, be sure to subscribe by clicking on the SUBSCRIBE button in the bottom-righthand corner of this page.

Dog access arrangements on Narrawallee Beach have attracted a significant amount of interest in recent years, and we understand there is a need to strike a balance between environmental protection and a range of other uses at this location.

Council is now seeking public comment on proposed permanent dog access arrangements at Narrawallee Beach, which will be on public exhibition for four weeks from:

• Monday 6 May to Sunday 2 June 2024.

Interested residents and property owners are invited to comment on the proposed permanent dog access arrangements by completing a short Online Survey on this web page.

Hard copies of the survey are available at our customer services centres in Ulladulla and Nowra.

Detailed written submissions can also be made via:

• EMAIL: council@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au
• MAIL: PO BOX 42, Nowa NSW 2541

Feedback received during the exhibition period will be included in a report to Council for final determination in July 2024.

Environmental assessment

The findings of a new environmental assessment, called a Review of Environmental Factors (REF), confirm the dog off-leash exercise area can remain in place on a permanent basis.

The environmental assessment will be published on 6 May, in accordance with section 171 (4) of the Environmental Planning & Assessment Regulation 2021, as a matter of public interest. The REF is available to view in the Document Library on this page. A REF cannot be adjusted as a result of community consultation.

The interim dog access arrangements will remain in effect during the public exhibition period and until a final decision is taken by the Council in July 2024.

Proposed permanent dog access arrangements

Narrawallee Inlet remains an important nesting area for endangered shorebirds, and the northern end of the beach and Narrawallee Inlet Reserve needs to remain off-limits to dogs.

Similarly, the intertidal zone (including the rocky outcrop) at the very southern end of Narrawallee Beach provides shorebird foraging habitat. The southern end of the beach, accessed from the Surfers Avenue stairway and Victor Avenue stairway, is used regularly by young families and others for swimming. This area will need to remain dog-prohibited at all times.

The proposed permanent dog access arrangements for Narrawallee Beach are that:

North

The northern part of Narrawallee Beach, from the un-named island across to Narrawallee Inlet Reserve, will remain dog prohibited, including:

• Narrawallee Creek Inlet Reserve
• Narrawallee Creek Inlet, including on the sand banks when exposed by tidal action
• Narrawallee Creek Nature Reserve (National Parks and Wildlife Service)

Central

A timed dog off-leash area will remain in place in the central portion of the beach, from the unnamed island to the main beach access track leading to the Matron Porter Drive Reserve carpark:

• Access to the timed off-leash area is provided via six beach access tracks in Matron Porter Drive Reserve.
• Dogs must remain on-leash within Matron Porter Drive Reserve and within all beach access tracks.

South

The southern part of Narrawallee Beach from the main Matron Porter Drive Reserve beach access track will remain dog-prohibited, with no on-leash transit permitted:

• The Victor Avenue Steps and Surfers Avenue Steps will remain dog prohibited.
• The rocky outcrop adjacent to Surfers Avenue Steps will remain dog prohibited.
• People who wish to visit the southern section of Narrawallee Beach without encountering dogs can use the Surfers Avenue and Victor Avenue steps.

Please complete the Online Survey on this web page. Alternatively, send your submission to council@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au or mail Po BOX 42, Nowa NSW 2541 by Sunday, 2 June 2024.