Greater Shepparton City Council has been successful in its application for funding to establish a new off-leash dog park at Princess Park under the State Government’s Building Works Package.
The dog park was identified as an action in the Princess Park Future Directions Plan, adopted by Council in February 2019, and has already seen works undertaken such as the main oval lighting and irrigation.
In line with the Future Directions Plan for Princess Park, the new off-leash dog park will be located in the bushland north of the Shepparton Runners Club building.
Works are planned to begin in December 2020 and be completed this financial year.
The works will include a 1.8m high fence, shade sail, solar lighting, seating, a water fountain, dog agility equipment, irrigation, a dog waste litter bin and a concrete entrance and walking strip.
Now funding has been secured, there will be an opportunity for interested community members to have input into the layout and equipment at the park. This will be communicated in the near future.
Council will also advertise a contract for construction of a parking area at Goyen Reserve in the coming weeks, and has budgeted for the design of the pavilion as part of the 2020/2021 Adopted Budget.
Council Director Infrastructure Phil Hoare said it’s great to see successful outcomes for grant applications Council pursue.
“Creation of this dog park will provide Greater Shepparton residents with an additional off-leash dog park which the community has indicated a strong need for. It’s a great initiative, and will result in additional jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is a good outcome for our community,” he said.
“The need for additional off-leash this dog facilities has been clearly communicated to Council from the community and, importantly, was included in Council’s Princess Park Future Directions Plan, which assisted with our application. We are extremely excited to see it come to fruition.
“The dog park will provide a safe and enjoyable space for people to get active with their dogs in a beautiful bush setting. We look forward to working with the relevant local stakeholders as the dog-park takes shape.
“In the past few months we have realised just how important open green spaces are for the community, and we thank the State Government for assisting us in providing another open area for the region.”
Council received almost $160,000 for the project.
