The Shire of Collie’s recently announced trail connecting Soldiers Park to Minninup Pool has raised community concern about potential safety issues.
Collie local Ed Riley said he was concerned about the path and its likely proximity to the Collie Golf Club.
He said that in order to reach Minninup Pool from Soldiers Park while following the Collie River, the path would have to either skirt around or cut through the golf course, leaving trail users at risk of being hit by wayward golf balls.
However Shire of Collie chief executive David Blurton said the path wouldn’t pose a major safety risk to its users.
“There are many golf courses in WA which have public access ways running through them,” he said.
“There is a small risk to users of the new trail however I am confident that this risk can be effectively managed through design, signage and other strategies.”
Mr Blurton said the shire would work with the golf club to determine where the trail would be located to make it as safe and accessible as possible.
“The golf course land is a shire reserve which is leased to the Collie Golf Club. We will be working closely with the club to determine the best route along the river to ensure the best outcome for all parties,” he said.
Collie Golf Club president Regan Old said he was supportive of the plan to build the path but he was worried about the potential effect it would have on the course.
He said he had discussions with the shire about the path before it was announced, but had yet to be consulted about the final layout the path would take.
“I’m hoping that we’ll be consulted before any plans are locked in,” he said.
“I’d be disappointed if the path forced us to move the tee boxes or reconfigure the layout of the course.
“The golf club is always open to new ideas and we’re not against it, but we hope we’ll be consulted about the exact location of the path before anything happens.”
Mr Old said he also didn’t feel the path constituted a safety issue.
“People walking or riding along the path would know the risks and would make their own decision to use it,” he said.
Last month, the Shire of Collie received $420,000 of funding from the federal government’s Building Better Regions fund to help construct the 6.5km long dual-use trail.
The project also received a $40,000 contribution from the Shire of Collie, $250,000 from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, $90,000 from South 32 and $40,000 from the South West Development Commission.
The project will be constructed in two stages with completion expected in 2020.
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