General News
16 July, 2025
Dog park fence finally on the cards
ATHERTON’S only off-leash dog park will finally get a dividing fence to separate smaller dogs from larger breeds.
The issue was raised by Cr Kevin Cardew in March who told the council that dog owners had been asking for a fence to create separate areas for small and large dogs for three years, and had even presented a petition to council last year.
A decision to put a chain-link fence across the park never eventuated though because officers discovered that the existing dog area was on heritage-listed land.
After the March meeting, officers were tasked with investigating the issue further and undertook a survey to determine how dog owners wanted to use the park and whether a diving fence was needed.
Of the 73 people who did the survey, 42 said they had encountered a conflict between dogs at the park, and 74% of those people believed a dividing fence would aid in reducing conflict.
When asked how the dogs should be separated, 48% of those who favoured a dividing fence said it should be based on the size of the animals.
However, officers still recommended that no action be taken by council because there was no way to ensure that dog owners would comply with the use of the divided areas as intended, and Local Law officers would not have any capacity and authority to monitor and enforce the correct use of the park.
“Therefore, it is recommended to operate the current dog park and off leash areas in their current state until a Local Law review is complete in conjunction with the Planning Scheme review, and further recommendations are presented to council,” a council report stated.
When the vote was put, only two councillors backed the recommendation which prompted Cr Maree Baade to put an alternative motion that council install the fence to separate large dogs from smaller ones, and that a follow up study be done after 12 months after the installation to gauge public feedback.
The motion also included a need to review the signage at the park to ensure that it communicated how the area should be responsibly used by dog owners.
“There’s currently only fenced off-leash dog areas within TRC and, with a review of our Local Laws as part of the upcoming planning scheme review, this is a great opportunity to trial a dividing fence,” Cr Baade said.
“It will give us a chance to understand how best to meet needs of local dog owners and set a community-informed standard for any future off-leash areas across the TRC.”
She said she had used off-leash dog parks around Australia, stating that signs work – people know their dog requirements and they decide accordingly.
The motion was passed 4-3.
The council report also outlined what would have to be done to install the fence at the heritage site including applying for a Heritage Exemption Certificate through the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation.
In 2024, the department provided an exemption certificate on the condition that officers undergo training of how to deal with such a site and have relevantly qualified representatives on site.
Recent advice from the department was that the council would need to engage an archaeologist familiar with Chinese heritage at the site when post holes were drilled to ensure that no cultural material was impacted.
