Have Your Say about our furry friends at Barracluff Park

7 September 2022

Waverley Council is inviting the community to have its say about providing safe spaces to exercise dogs in Barracluff Park, North Bondi.

Bondi is a densely populated suburb with limited green space but has a high number of young families and people with pets who enjoy the park, including the Council’s new playground at Barracluff Park and the green spaces for exercising dogs on-leash.

The feedback received during consultation about how the Council can better manage dogs in the park will help inform Council’s approach to achieving a balance between the needs of dog owners, local sporting clubs and other park users. Barracluff Park is currently not a dogs off-leash park.

Barracluff Park’s junior sports and training field has sustained damage from overuse by dogs, specifically dogs digging up the playing surface. Our consultation seeks feedback on how the park can best be used by the community and how to accommodate the varying needs.

On 2 August 2022, Council endorsed a Feasibility Study that includes options for managing dogs in the park while striking a balance between the needs of all users.

Council is now seeking input from the community about these options which include:

Option 1 – Fenced sports field with timed dog off-leash area

Option 2 – Fenced sports field and dogs permitted off-leash in surrounding park area

Option 3 – Fenced off-leash area in Beach Road Reserve

Option 4 – Two fenced off-leash areas, one in Beach Road Reserve for large dogs and Simpson Street Road Closure for small dogs

Consultation is open until 26 September at haveyoursay.waverley.nsw.gov.au. Have Your Say days and an online information session are also planned. Please see our Have Your Say engagement website for more details.

Mayor of Waverley, Paula Masselos, said Waverley’s dog ownership per capita is in line with the national average, however, the area has less public open space than most councils to service the needs of our 76,000 residents. Council needs to balance the sometimes competing needs of our community to access and enjoy our parks.

“Our consultation will help gather the community’s views on how our much-loved Barracluff Park can be used safely whilst ensuring that it can accommodate junior sports, which is so important for children growing up in apartments, as well as providing access to exercise our furry friends safely,” Mayor Masselos said.

“We are also engaging with local sporting clubs and the synagogue next door about our options and how we can help accommodate the community’s needs.”

Barracluff Park is a designated passive recreation and sport park but is informally used as a dog off leash area. High level of dog use of the park has seen many clubs withdraw from the park due to ongoing safety concerns. One option being considered is to remove or separate dogs and upgrade the sportsfield.

“We also encourage dog owners to visit our Have Your Say page to read the latest advice on responsible dog ownership,” Mayor Masselos said.

For more information, or to provide feedback, visit https://haveyoursay.waverley.nsw.gov.au/barracluff-park-dogs.

-ENDS-

Media inquiries: media@waverley.nsw.gov.au or 0416 075 532.