Council Meeting 19 May 2020 Outcome:

Henley Park Concord is now an off-leash dog park. A fence along Flavelle St will be installed to improve the safety of dogs in the park in the coming months, along with other amenities including signage, doggie bins and bags, and an upgrade to the existing water fountain.

We will monitor the park and present a review to the Council in 12 months to ensure the decisions made are suitable.

The Council report and Community Engagement Outcomes Report are available to read here.

Project background

Henley Park, Concord has been identified as a possible off-leash dog park. We are holding a trial period to test community sentiment and understand what amenities and regulations might be necessary to suit the community. The whole park will be part of the trial except the fenced children's playground.

Why is the trial happening?

Council's recently adopted Dogs in Public Places Strategy has sought to reduce confusion around where and when dogs are allowed off-leash in our local parks, and has successfully opened several new areas for dogs to exercise throughout the City. For more information on the strategy as a whole, click here.

As part of developing the Dogs in Public Places Strategy, we investigated whether there is an adequate supply of dog parks in the City. The draft NSW Greener Places – Open Space for Recreation Guide includes performance criteria for household proximity to dog exercise areas. It states that there should be: “Access to an off-leash opportunity within 10 minutes (800m) walking distance of all houses.”

The map below shows the portion of our City that falls within an 800m radius of an existing off-leash dog exercise area. It shows a high supply of dog parks in high density areas such as Rhodes and Drummoyne. The strategy identifies an opportunity to explore options for the establishment of a dog off-leash exercise area in Henley Park to address this need.

What does the trial mean?

From 10 February - 15 March 2020, the park will be trialled as an off-leash area. Council will provide some temporary amenities including signage, bins and doggy bags. Council officers will monitor the park throughout the trial, and will be available to discuss with residents on Sunday 23 February at 3:30-5:30PM

During this period, we ask that you fill in the survey below to help us determine whether this park is suitable as a permanent off-leash park.