Port Phillip Council scraps plans for off-leash dog trial for South Melbourne beach
Plans for an off-leash dog-walking trial allowing pooches to frolic on the foreshore at a bayside beach have been scrapped, despite a petition signed by more than 700 furbaby fans. Here’s why.
Inner South
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Plans for an off-leash dog walking trial at South Melbourne beach have been scrapped by Port Phillip Council after current restrictions were deemed adequate.
More than 700 people signed a petition calling for off-leash times on beaches during summer.
Current regulations provide off leash times for dogs on all beaches except Port of Melbourne Corporation Land from April 1 until October 31.
However, between November 1 and March 31, dogs are banned from South Melbourne, St Kilda, Elwood and parts of Port Melburne and Sandridge beaches.
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The trial would have allowed pooches to roam free on South Melbourne beach between November 1 and March 31, 5.30-10am.
But councillors earlier this month voted to scrap the trial “given the current satisfaction rating of off-leash areas”.
Cr Ogy Simic said it was not about “dog users versus everyone else”. “There is a lot of time in the year when dog off leash is permitted already,” Cr Simic said.
“The reality is if we start trials in South Melbourne … we’re doing things which will be divisive in the community.”
Amanda Levi of the Bayside Dog Alliance, which also covers Port Phillip, said the summer restrictions were “harsh”.
“Bayside Dog Alliance is very disappointed with the decision,” she said. “A trial would have provided the opportunity to review the true value of this area for off-leash activity and validly assess if it was a viable option to carry forward with,” she said.
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