Conflicts over Sydney’s off-leash dog walking parks are leaving councils caught in the middle of a debate over whether more of the city’s outdoor spaces should be converted into pooch-friendly exercise zones.

A section of Mona Vale beach and popular parks in the Bayside and Willoughby council areas are the latest outdoor areas where off-leash dog walking will be permitted as a rise in the number of pets registered in Sydney fuels demand for more facilities for dog owners to let their dogs roam.

Northern Beaches Council will spend $60,000 installing signs and dog waste bins to support a six-month trial of off-leash dog walking at the southern end of Mona Vale beach, enabling dogs to be walked on the beach without leads during designated hours.

Ron Gosling Reserve in Bardwell Park is due to be upgraded with new fencing to support off-leash walking under plans supported by Bayside Council last week, while Willoughby City Council is also trialling a new off-leash dog park at Campbell Park in Chatswood.

But while some local government organisations are looking to increase off-leash dog walking facilities, others are taking a starkly different approach, including Randwick City Council, where plans to investigate creating the local government area’s first off-leash beach area were rejected by a majority of councillors due to concerns over environmental impacts.

Georges River Council has also shut down an off-leash park at Merv Lynch Reserve in Beverly Hills due to community tensions over the facility.

Those tensions were given a public airing at a council meeting attended by home owners living near the park who claimed unleashed dogs had roamed into private properties and left “droppings behind” in the front yards of homes.

Resident Marilyn Chand also claimed some dog owners were “traumatising residents” by “shining lights into their homes and shouting loud remarks” while residents were “innocently making dinner or washing dishes or trying to just enjoy the sanctuary of their homes”.

But dog owner Katrina Halyn, who attended the same meeting, criticised the council for closing the park, citing a petition signed by more than 1100 people who supported keeping the off-leash park in place.

“At this park we made friends of all ages – it was our village, but it was taken from us based on ridiculous allegations from a handful of people,” she said.

Georges River mayor Elise Borg said many councils are finding it increasingly challenging to strike a balance over the “conflicting needs” in public spaces.

“It can be an emotive issue because people love their local parks and they support a range of uses like exercise, sport, as well as dog walking. Our parks are under pressure,” she said.

“In a growing city they’re often the only places where dogs have that freedom to run around and socialise with other dogs. So the demand is high.

“But when we have residents saying they feel intimidated by dogs in their own home, we have to take that seriously, and that’s why we had to close the park down.”

The approval of the Mona Vale beach dog-walking trial followed extensive public consultation in which the majority of the 3306 respondents expressed support for the plan.

Those in favour said the off-leash zone would promote “socialisation and stimulation” between dogs, while concerns by objectors largely centred on potential environmental damage to sand dunes and seabirds, along with the potential for “overcrowding” and “dog faeces” left on the beach.

Councillor Candy Bingham said the off-leash trial could also “open the floodgates” for “people from all over Sydney and the Central Coast bringing their dogs here”.

But dog owner Beau McHenery said the off-leash trial would support social activity and added that “for a council called the Northern Beaches it seems laughable we don’t allow a man’s best friend on the beach”.

Susan Thompson, professor of planning at the University of NSW, said competing uses of Sydney’s outdoor spaces are an increasing challenge for local councils to manage.

“Since COVID, pet ownership numbers have risen dramatically in NSW and in our cities where more people are living closer to one another, including apartments without backyards; it’s placing more pressure on public outdoor spaces,” she said.

“Councils are having to consider the environmental challenges with off-leash facilities, such as grass being disintegrated by over-usage and dogs digging holes in parks, which can impact other users.

“But off-leash dog parks also have huge social benefits because dogs love to exercise and socialise with other dogs, and it’s also a great connector for dog owners who may not have a lot of other social contact.”

The trial of the Mona Vale beach off-leash trial is due to commence on October 14, with Northern Beaches Council confirming rangers will be “regularly swinging by to keep an eye on things”.

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