Logan council takes two years to draw up plans to fix ‘cruel’ pound

A Queensland council has been criticised for taking two years to overhaul its pound while dogs are left locked in cold cages.

Logan City Council’s animal shelter and pound on Queens Rd at Kingston.

Calls have been made to speed up plans to overhaul one of the state’s busiest and outdated animal pounds to make it fit for purpose.

Logan City Council allocated $15.9 million in its Budget two years ago, when it promised to modernise its Kingston Animal Management Centre in a project spanning three years.

But the plans remain wrapped in secrecy with the council announcing last week it was still in the design phase, despite building set to start by June next year.

Ratepayers and animal lovers said they were concerned it was taking too long and animals would suffer before the council made the facility fit to house lost and abandoned animals.

Ratepayer Diana Howes said thousands of people had signed a petition in 2018 urging the council to allow volunteers into the Queens Rd pound to exercise dogs confined for long periods while waiting to be rehomed.

“The council said volunteers could not go into the facility to take the animals for a walk until after the renovations because the vacant land for exercising confined animals was to house the facility’s existing demountable building which was being relocated for the redevelopment,” she said.

“Nothing has changed since and the demountable hasn’t been moved. Animals are still being caged up in cold boxes until they are finally rehomed or euthanised and there are no publicly available details on the redevelopment.

“The facility is out of date and it’s cruel its redevelopment appears to be a broken promise.”

Logan council plans a $15 million overhaul of its pound at Kingston.

With construction due to start on the $15 million project in less than a year, council is yet to release details of the tendering process and who will undertake the reconstruction works and what the designs include.

Last month, the council said it would spend $20 million every year on expanding vital infrastructure as part of its 15-year Community and Lifestyles budget.

It said it would prioritise “shovel-ready” projects in order to secure state and federal funding and listed its Kingston Butter Factory theatre centre, its new Cronulla Park PCYC at Slacks Creek, the Logan North Aquatic main pool upgrade and the Yarrabilba Community Hub.

There was no mention of renovations to the pound, which is one of the council’s largest facilities.

Council’s Animal Care Strategy 2018-2022 recognised that pets were an important part of Logan life and contributed to residents’ wellbeing.

The strategy sets out a master plan for the Animal Management Centre and for satellite animal related services that may be required as Logan expanded.