The contentious dog off-leash area issue has been a headache for council for nearly five years.

But it has flared up again after council recently resolved to prohibit access to the off-leash area on the southern part of Narrawallee Beach, via Surfers Avenue and Victor Avenue

Cr Proudfoot wants a progress report done by July and a resolution before the September local government election "so that the new council can just rubber-stamp it".

Otherwise "it will just get kicked into the long grass," he said.

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Cr Proudfoot said many dog owners had come to him about the situation in Narrawallee beach, saying they "can't get to the proposed off-leash area unless they jump in a motor vehicle."

He said the policy would need to be flexible in nature "and allow [council] to perhaps even expand the number of sections of beaches where there is little conflict between surfers, beachgoers and people who would like to exercise their dogs".

And he agreed with some residents that the dog access trial at Narrawallee beach was "set up to fail" due to improper signage.

On the other side of the fence, Greens councillor John Levett said off-leash areas should be fenced areas and not on beaches.

Cr Levett said: "The point about this issue is that there are a lot of rights to weigh up including the rights of people who don't want their space to be disturbed by dogs.

"You've got the issue of native animals that can be disturbed by the activity of dogs running free. You've got shorebird nesting areas which need to be carefully protected.

"I've had a lot of dogs myself but I don't think other people should put up with my dog."

He said, "the principle around this is that it's all governed by the NSW Companion Animals Act, which says that off-leash areas do not mean a dog is out of control.

"But my experience with off-leash areas is that dogs can be out of control. They can run amok."

The dog off-leash issue was raised by Cr Proudfoot at Tuesday night's council meeting and talks about a new dog off-leash trial will resume at the next strategy and assets meeting on March 9.