Wait for Torquay dog park drags on

TORQUAY’S long-awaited dog park could be delayed another decade as the Surf Coast Shire moves the project to a different list of priorities.

The shire’s 2022–26 domestic animal management plan committed to identifying a site in 2022 and applying for funding in 2023, but neither milestone has been met.

The project is now listed as unfunded in the latest social infrastructure plan and expected to be built over the next 10 years.

The shire says every site investigated has faced constraints including competing land use, environmental issues and access limitations.

Community calls for a dedicated dog park date back to at least 2017, with nearly 7,000 registered dogs in the municipality.

Dog owner Ted Allan said a temporary compromise is needed, suggesting reinstalling the gates at Grenville Oval in Banyul-Warri Fields is one option.

The shire removed the gates on the Grenville and Polwarth ovals in July 2025 to prevent unsupervised dogs from damaging the playing surface after concerns were raised by sporting clubs.

The shire said it received 48 reports of unsafe conditions at the fields and has a legal responsibility to provide a safe playing environment.

Allan said the community is asking for a compromise while the shire gets “their dog park act together”.

“A lot of people are pretty angry about this,” he said.

Allan said Grenville Oval -with gates- would be a suitable interim solution for dog owners who did not want to take their pets to off-lead areas.

“We’re more than happy to cooperate with the footy clubs and the soccer clubs in terms of use,” he said.

The shire’s 10-year social infrastructure plan forecasts planning and community engagement on a location for the dog park over the next five years, with detailed design and construction in the following five years.

“We’ve gone from a commitment in the domestic animal management plan to ‘no idea; can’t help you’,” Allan said.

Shire general manager of placemaking and environment Chris Pike said the shire shares dog owners’ goal of a Torquay dog park.

“The major hurdles we need to clear for the dog park are firstly finding a suitable site and secondly securing funding,” he said.

“Unfortunately, finding a location has been very challenging, with every site we’ve investigated so far having constraints. Our search is continuing.

“We appreciate it’s been a long wait for those who are passionate about this facility.”

Pike said the dog park was one of many community priorities the shire was trying to balance alongside planning for new and improved facilities across the municipality.