Let's talk public toilets & pooch paw-sibilities - Macfaull Park, Spearwood

Thank you for having your say

The City recently asked for your thoughts on the idea of public toilets and a dog park being installed at Macfaull Park. Macfaull Park is an off-leash exercise area, whereas a dog park is typically a fenced or partially fenced space within a park for dog exercise and agility training.

Regardless of whether the City installs a dog park or not, the off-leash status of Macfaull Park will remain.

What our community said

We collected 178 responses over 33 days in September and October 2023. Thank you for having your say. Key findings include:

Public toilet:

• The majority of respondents (64 per cent) said it is important or very important to have toilets at Macfaull Park.

Enclosed Dog Park:

• Opinions on a dog park are divided, with 42 per cent of participants against the idea, 37 per cent in favour, and 20 per cent feeling neutral.

• Only 34 per cent of dog owners and 49 per cent of non-dog owners favour the idea. However, reasons for support are conflicting, and can be largely attributed to competing views on off-leash dog exercise in the rest of the park:
  1. Some non-dog owners, especially those with negative dog encounters, support the idea of a dog park, believing it may make the park safer.
  2. In contrast, many dog owners are not supportive of a dog park, concerned that it might eventually lead to on-leash restrictions in the park.

• The top three reasons respondents oppose an enclosed dog park include:
  1. Fears this may ultimately result in the rest of the park transitioning to an on-leash area, either immediately or over time.
  2. A desire to preserve the park's current ambiance and character, coupled with concerns that an enclosed dog exercise area could potentially disrupt or diminish it.
  3. A preference for exercising dogs in an open space and concerns that an enclosed facility will be underutilised.
• The top three reasons respondents support a dog park include:
  1. Having the option of a controlled space for socialising, training, and exercising dogs that may otherwise need to be on-leash.
  2. Enhancing convenience and accessibility for local dog owners who would like the option of an enclosed dog park.
  3. Hoping an enclosed dog park will result in the park's off-leash status changing to on-leash, and/or containing all off-leash dogs within a fenced area.

• The most popular preference is no dog park and subsequently no fencing, but if built, 39 per cent opt for an enclosed fence, with only two per cent opting for partial enclosure.
• The top two locations favoured by respondents include the park’s north-east corner (21 mentions) and the southern end (18 mentions).
• The top three features mentioned by respondents for their ideal dog park include:

• Water stations with bowls (38 mentions)
• Agility equipment e.g. tunnels, ramps, and jumps (26 mentions)
• Dog waste disposal facilities (18 mentions).

For more information, read the Community Feedback Summary in the Document Library

Next steps

Thank you for sharing your views. The City is reviewing the community’s feedback and key findings will help us decide the next steps. When available, we will publish the next steps on this page.

Should either project proceed to the next stage, the City will prepare a draft design for community feedback.