Dog owners who frequent the Range Street exercise area in Ashburton are being advised they'll need to keep an eye on the area's availability over the next 12 to 18 months, as the Council will need to temporarily close or restrict the area for maintenance.

The Council allows dogs to use the old landfill as a fenced exercise area, however work has begun this month to maintain the landfill capping, and the area may be closed or restricted to the public some days while work is underway. The work will happen intermittently over the next 12 to 18 months.

The capping of the landfill forms a barrier between the waste in the landfill and the surface.

Both the exercise area and gravel access road at the end of Range Street will be affected. The accessibility of the exercise area will be signposted at the site, and residents are asked to obey the directions advertised.

"Old landfills require ongoing maintenance to ensure environmental and community safety. Although the work is progressively happening over a long period of time, we will be doing what we can to keep the dog exercise area accessible and open to visitors wherever possible," Council Service Delivery Group Manager Neil McCann said.

Alternate fenced dog exercise areas in the district include the Ashburton Dog Park on William Street and the Methven Dog Park on Dolma Street.​