Dog park expansion plans abandoned

A plan to expand Trafalgar’s off-leash dog park has been thrown out.

Cr Michael Leaney admitted “it’s not our finest hour in terms of planning” and, with Cr Darren Wallace, urged councillors to “cut our losses”.

Both agreed Trafalgar Recreation Reserve would serve as a better location in the future.

A petition signed by 42 nearby residents in early February raised objections to the off-leash dog park expansion at Hollydell Park.

Arguing the dog park would be still too small and the community would lose green space, work was halted.

The matter returned to Baw Baw Shire Council with councillors unanimously voting to abandon the expansion, against officer recommendations.

The off-leash dog park will remain at its current size of 1384 square metres and any equipment purchased will be installed within the existing space or at Warragul and Drouin off-leash dog parks.

A report to council showed 207 requests to upgrade the shire’s three dog parks had been made since 2018, including 54 relating to Hollydell Park.

In response, council allocated $370,000 to improve the three dog parks in its capital works program.

The upgrades proposed to include new shelters, dog agility equipment, paths, landscaping, water fountains, seating, park furniture and separate area for small and vulnerable dogs.

The report said officers “recommend the continuation of the programmed delivery” but noted the delay would have a financial impact.

“However, this will be minimal compared to abandoning the project,” it said.

If abandoned, it said council would face $5000 to install a second entrance as well as $50,215 in product and equipment purchases losses.

Cr Wallace, moving an alternate motion to stop the expansion, said the works didn’t suit users or surrounding residents.

“It’s to stop an expansion but not stop the possible upgrade to the existing enclosure,” Cr Wallace said.

He said most agility equipment and a small shelter could still be installed and important drainage works would be completed.

“This dog park can never been fully developed to its maximum potential,” he said. “I believe we need to cut our losses on the expansion.”

“All is not lost. The existing dog park will satisfy the users for the time being, but further planned works need to be done.”

Cr Wallace said Trafalgar Recreation Reserve would be a worthy alternate site.

“I’ll be working hard to get a dog park included into the Trafalgar Recreation Reserve masterplan,” he said. “It’s a recreation reserve, that recreation should include humans and dogs.”

Cr Leaney said Hollydell Park was an extremely constrained site with a gas main going through it.

“With benefit of hindsight, it is possible to look back and say possibly this was not an appropriate location to put a dog park in the first place,” Cr Leaney said.

“Probably our biggest mistake was not going back to first principles, right from the beginning, to say was having a dog park in Hollydell Park the right location.”

By halting works, Cr Leaney said everyone understood a bigger dog park wouldn’t be delivered tomorrow.

“It’s not going to be this year, it’s not going to be next year, it’s going to be quite a way down the track,” he said. “But, at the end of the day, all of those users have actually said we prefer to wait to get a really good dog park than something that is not really adequate.”

“Better to cut our losses now, actually do some re-planning and work to a better result into the future,” Cr Leaney concluded.