It’s a dog’s life in the city
FENCED dog parks would be built to service multiple suburbs in the major areas of Geelong, under a council plan to cater to the city’s rising animal population.
Residents and their dogs will be expected to drive more than 10 minutes to access the off-leash facilities, which will be rolled out more widely from next year.
The council has created one fenced dog park at Corio’s Stead Park, and is preparing to identify further locations in early 2019.
The Corio site is in line for an upgrade, with new facilities to be created serving Geelong’s main residential areas in the north, south and Bellarine Peninsula.
Council’s connected communities manager, Robyn Steven, said there were more than 34,500 registered dogs across the city. “With the growth of new residential areas and a reduction of average house block sizes, the demand on public open space for dog exercise areas is expected to increase,” she said.
A draft guidelines report on the dog park concept will be considered by Geelong’s councillors at a meeting tonight.
“It is proposed that one fenced dog park should service a group or cluster of suburbs,” the report reads. “(They) should be distributed across the City of Greater Geelong based on areas of need and established in strategically located areas.”
Key considerations will include the number of registered dogs in particular suburbs, the number of existing off-leash areas and public requests for the concept.
The latest data shows Lara is home to the highest number of dogs, with 2649. Southern suburbs Highton and Wandana Heights share 2636, while Ocean Grove hosts the most dogs on the coast with 2563.
The council has forecast developing one dog park at a time, with feedback from each facility to inform the creation of future sites.
A public survey has found the provision of fenced dog parks is a high priority for many owners. More than 80 per cent of respondents supported the development of additional parks, with 60 per cent stating they were willing to travel more than 10 minutes to access one.