1. Find the rust-coloured "LOG IN/JOIN" button at the top of the page and click it to start registering.
2. Select "LOG IN" if you already have a profile on Conversations Merri-bek OR select "SIGN UP" to create a new profile.
3. To create your profile you will need to add: Screen name, email address, password, full name and postcode. Check the boxes that apply and click "CREATE ACCOUNT".
4. You can now continue with your submission

Merri-bek is a diverse community and we want our community engagement to reflect that. By telling us how you identify you are helping us understand who we are hearing from.

This information helps us to meet our legislative obligations and improve our processes. We want our decisions to benefit as many of the diverse people living, working and playing in Merri-bek as possible.

Your information will not be used for any other purpose.

What we heard

During stage 1 of community engagement many community members and dog owners supported the creation of a no-dog area to improve the protection of nature along the Merri Creek but there were differing views on the area size.

Some dog owners supported keeping the area as on-leash, noting that some owners are not responsible and do not have their dog under effective control or recall. The Friends of Merri Creek and Merri Creek Management Committee recommended an expanded no-dog habitat area.

During the engagement we observed a majority of dog walkers had their dogs off-leash, and many were unaware that the park was on-leash. Around half of dog owners were engaged with their dogs in the park and the other half were not actively watching their dogs but would occasionally call them as they passed through the park. Some dog owners did not seem to understand that some other park visitors do not feel comfortable with dogs, or how dogs impact the natural environment.

The bush kinder groups that use Tate Reserve were attracted to the space because it is close to public transport and was officially a dog on-leash area. We heard about negative encounters with dogs from the bush kinder organisers. They also acknowledged that children often valued the experience of encountering dogs in the park.

What we did

We have heard concerns about the changes potentially impacting community access and use of the park. We have allocated 46% of the park to dogs off-leash. This area – combined with the location of 3 other dog off-leash parks nearby – offers the local community many areas of parkland to walk their dogs off-leash.

To improve the sharing of this space and the experience of all we will implement:

• Improved safety signage
• Responsible pet ownership education
• Locating the bush kinder space inside the no-dog area.

Council acknowledges the proposed changes are not supported by all park users. We want to work with the community to improve communication and the sharing of this space in a positive way. Council is open to suggestions on how to improve sharing and encourage residents to submit feedback using the form above.

The proposed fencing will create a habitat area that restricts dogs from entering the space. We will monitor potential environmental changes that might arise from dogs being kept away from the waterway.

People can still enter and enjoy the fenced area by going through gates, which will be located close to the main paths. The fenced area will also provide a space where people who are not comfortable with dogs can still enjoy the waterway and park.

Some minor changes to the existing informal paths have been made to improve safety and reduce erosion, especially in the southern area of the park.

Council is also planning to carry out erosion protection works at the 'Sheoak' stand of trees in the north. This will protect the creek edge, improve water quality and to allow dog off-leash access to continue in this area.

Some residents have raised public safety concerns about the pilot changes. Council takes public safety seriously and we appreciate the community sharing their concerns. So what is changing with the pilot that could affect safety?

Tate Reserve will remain an open, publicly accessible and popular park. The paths in Tate Reserve have a high level of visibility with good sightlines. There are very few blind corners and the provision of gates in the fencing, combined with the additional use of the western path (close to residential dwellings that provide passive surveillance of the park) will make the western path safer. Dogs are also now allowed to be off-leash in more than 45% of Tate Reserve. This may result in increasing dog walker visitation to Tate Reserve and improve perceptions of safety. Concerns have been expressed that there could be conflict between dogs with other park users like cyclists, joggers, bush kinder children etc along the paths. Widening the paths and providing additional path options can result in higher cyclist speeds and less caution when sharing the space. We will make some minor path improvements and improve education through signage.

1. Safety concerns have been raised with the erection of the temporary fencing along the upper western path. The biggest challenge for accessibility and mobility in this park exists at the narrow section of path at the southern Egan Reserve end of the park as well as at the northern Harding Street section of the park. Improvements to the path are complicated here due to the steep topography and private land ownership. The western upper path is closest to private houses, most of which include overlooking windows that provide passive surveillance. In the central section, Council is undertaking some minor works to improve safety in line with the recommendations of the XYX Lab Report including:
   • Uplifting some path-side vegetation adjoining the upper path to improve sightlines
   • Pruning back or removing dead and dangerous branches over the path
   • Adding pedestrian gates to the temporary fence
   • Additional programming of activities
   • Provision of interpretative signage to improve understanding of the park’s history and natural values
   • Surveys of park users
   • Reducing the number of paths to increase usage and activation of the upper path
   • Closing the steepest, more dangerous and slippery paths at the southern end of the park
   • Updating the Council website to inform residents that the park now includes an off-leash area
   • Please note that there are currently no plans to illuminate the park or paths with lighting.
2. Fencing improves the protection of wildlife from dogs. The effects of dogs on wildlife and local flora is both direct and indirect, including chasing birds, habitat disturbance, soil erosion, pollutants from dog faeces, and marking vegetation with urine. Council is interested to understand what effect fencing to create a habitat area without dogs will have on the environment. The design and alignment of the fencing is aimed to improve the sharing of the space while reducing the risk of wildlife entrapment and flood damage.

Throughout the engagement process, Council heard the community’s concerns about the path on the west side of the park, and is taking steps to improve it for users. Prior to installing the temporary fencing for the off leash area, Council will undertake minor works on this path. These works, which need to be completed every five to seven years, were planned as part of the engagement process.

The path will remain an informal recreational path and will unfortunately not comply with Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) grade accessibility. In order to comply with DDA requirements the path would need to be concrete, at least 1.2 metres wide and not exceed a gradient of a one metre rise every 20 metres. The existing steep gradient at the southern and northern end of the park are not part of the scope of these works

Council is also improving safety by closing off some of the steep and slippery informal paths within the habitat zone. Closing off these paths will also have benefits for the natural environment, as we know that multiple paths and desire lines - or ‘goat tracks’ - can result in increasing soil compaction, erosion and loss of understorey plantings, which negatively impacts local wildlife.

The retention of the single upper path for dog walkers may increase congestion between dog walkers and cyclists. Widening paths typically increases the speed of cyclists and so through the use of signage and the existing pinch points, cyclists will understand that they need to slow down and give way to pedestrians. Dog owners are also required to always have their dog under effective voice or leash control, have the ability to recall their dog and not allow their dog to disturb other park users.

Dogs can have a negative effect on habitat, flora and fauna, a range of species and soil and water quality. Council is planning to improve community understanding of how we can reduce the negative impacts of dogs while strengthening the positive interactions between the community and nature. We hope that the introduction of signage together with guided walks and discussions will improve our understanding. In addition, Council is working with landscape ecology students from Melbourne University to help develop an evaluation framework that will allow the community and Council to monitor any changes through the pilot.

Council heard very clearly from many dog walkers that they love visiting Tate Reserve because of its natural setting and the ability to connect with the waterway.

Council acknowledges that some in the community were concerned that the initial stage 1 engagement made them feel that they were either a dog walker or a nature lover. We know that many dog owners also value and help protect the natural environment. This pilot is an opportunity to provide learnings about the relationship between dogs and the environment as well as with other dog walkers.

The pilot rezoning of Tate Reserve with 46% of the park zoned dog off-leash together with direct access to the waterway under the Sheoaks supports community access to the area’s natural environment and the ability to connect to the Merri Creek. In addition, residents can walk 50m south for access to the beautiful Egan Reserve, which remains dog off-leash.

The community petition and strong voices of the community were listened to during the stage 1 community engagement. Council also has responsibilities to manage the waterway in line with environmental and planning regulations. The pilot changes to provide both an off-leash area and a no-dog habitat area attempts to balance both the needs of all members of the community with environmental protection.

Swamp Wallabies use this section of Merri Creek, but they are vulnerable to dog attacks and would benefit from dense, understorey habitat plantings. Council are responsible to not only better protect this species but also the general habitat areas and creek embankment. Restricting dogs from accessing the creek in a small section of the Merri Creek will help improve habitat for the Swamp Wallaby and many other species.

Monitoring and evaluation

During the stage 1 pilot, Council will be undertaking monitoring and evaluation in each of the pilot parks including Tate Reserve. This will include:

• Monitoring community usage of the changes in the parks
• Evaluating the environmental impacts of the new dog off-leash and no-dog areas
• Recording any incidents in the pilot parks
• Using thermal heat cameras to map park usage, duration of stay, hot spots in the park and types of park users
• Engaging student researchers to develop a dogs and the environment evaluation framework to collect baseline data to understand the impact of no-dog, dogs on leash and dog off-leash zones. This framework will assist Council in ongoing monitoring after the pilot, especially along our waterways
• Meeting with the community and key stakeholders to hear how the pilot interventions are proceeding
• Follow up engagement at the conclusion of the pilot.

Thanks to strong, sustained community advocacy, led by groups like Friends of Merri Creek and Merri Creek Management Committee, the planned freeway through Tate Reserve and along the Merri Creek valley was successfully defeated, not once, but twice.

The area was preserved as natural space and opened opportunities for revegetation, recreation, and a regional park vision rather than a concrete linear road.