Vote on your preferred location for a dog beach in Frankston City

Published on 29 September 2021

Frankston City Council is asking residents to vote on their preferred location for a dog beach within Frankston City.

South Ward Cr Claire Harvey said: “We listened and are acting on community feedback. Over 73 per cent of respondents said they wanted a designated off leash dog beach and we’re now inviting our community to vote on their preferred location for the off-leash dog beach area.

“There’s five locations to choose from and you can vote for a 24 hour dog beach or during the hours of 7.30pm - 9.30am,” Cr Harvey said.

The five beaches to vote on for a dog off leash area are:

Keast Park, Seaford.
Armstrongs Road, Seaford.
Seaford Beach.
Gould Street Beach near Wells St.
Olivers Hill to Frankston Pier area (part).

South Ward Cr Brad Hill said once community engagement is complete, a report will be presented at the Council Meeting on 15 November, 2021. A decision on the off leash dog beach area will be determined then.

Cr Hill said: “The approved beach will be clearly signed and marked so the public are aware of any restrictions or allowances.”

Have your say by visiting https://engage.frankston.vic.gov.au/proposed-animal-management-council-orders Consultation closes 5pm on 11 October, 2021.

Cr Hill added that in July 2021, Council asked the community if they supported proposed changes to the night time cat curfew, restricting dogs on beaches and restricting dogs in the city centre.

“We received 283 contributions, with 74 per cent of respondents supporting an off-leash dog beach. This followed extensive consultation in May 2021 on the Domestic Animal Management Plan (DAMP) where we received over 760 responses.

“The DAMP sets the strategic direction of animal management within Frankston City for the next four years and will allow review on an annual basis if required,” Cr Hill said.

The DAMP is a State Government requirement under the Domestic Animal Act 1994 and requires all Victorian Councils to develop, implement and submit a DAMP to the Department of Agriculture every four years with a review of the actions undertaken each year.

Council is looking at proposed changes to animal orders which would allow dogs in the City Centre, create a free roam area for dogs on the foreshore and increase the cat curfew to 24 hours. These will all be considered at the November meeting taking in to account all the previous community consultation.

For more information, please contact Council’s Coordinator Compliance and Safety, Jarred Stevens, via email info@frankston.vic.gov.au or phone 1300 322 322.