Horses off Levys Beach indefinitely

At a special meeting of council on Friday night councillors voted unanimously to rescind last week’s decision to allow horses on the beach, after it was found training was an illegal activity in the area under the city’s planning scheme.

In a motion put forward by councillor David Owen and seconded by Mike Neoh they then voted unanimously to “not initiate any action in relation to the use of Levys beach for commercial horse training”, meaning after November 30 racehorses will not be able to train on any of the city’s beaches until March 30.

Councillors also voted unanimously that it “understood the current prohibition of the commercial training of horses within the planning scheme and that all applicable future decisions in relation to training at Levys beach be made through the sole decision of the council”.

Cr Owen said it had been inappropriate for councillors to vote on the motion last week to allow horses on the beach while it was under a legal cloud.

“We rushed into the meeting last Monday,” he said.

Cr Kylie Gaston said it had been a controversial and challenging issue.

“It’s only fitting that all planning decisions should come back to council,” she said.

Cr Peter Hulin said processes needed to change to allow the public to have their say at the start of the meeting on issues, rather than after an agenda item was decided.

Cr Neoh said it was interesting the draft Belfast Coastal Plan took the “community in one direction and the final plan took another”.

He also said he was bemused Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation, which manages native title rights, had been silent on the issue.

Belfast Coastal Reserve Action Group spokesman Bill Yates welcomed the decision.

“BCRAG congratulates the council on making the correct decision to rescind the previous motion to allow commercial horse training in the Levys Beach area,” he said. “Common sense has prevailed and the planning provisions, that are there for a very good reason, among them the protection of the Belfast Coastal Reserve from inappropriate activity and development, have been upheld.”