Project update

Your feedback and final design

Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback on the Mount Waverley Linear Reserve dog off-leash upgrades.

Your input was instrumental in assisting the project team and designers to refine and finalise the plan in line with the project's budget and scope. For more information, please see the Feedback Summary Report.

Construction commenced at Mount Waverley Linear Reserve on Monday 13 January 2025. We anticipate these works will be completed by the end of March 2025.

Please view the final design and key modifications to the concept below.

Key themes from community feedback

Please see below the key themes from community feedback below, and how these informed the final design.

Why are the rose gardens being removed?

  • The proposal to transplant the roses to the Grenfell Road ‘wedge’ was not supported by Council’s Horticultural Team and the broader community.
  • Roses can pose safety risks to children and dogs.

What changes were made to the design?

  • The design was modified to remove the roses from the reserve and return these areas to grassed open space.

Were there any changes made to the dog off-leash areas?

  • The southern section of the reserve (Heany Street end) has been designated as off-leash for many years. The northern section (Beverley Grove end) was changed to dog off-leash effective 1 July 2023. These changes were not part of the dog off-leash area upgrades.

What was the community feedback on the proposed fence?

  • While the majority supported the proposed 1500mm fence and double gates, some feedback raised concerns about accessibility for people with prams, bikes, and those with accessibility challenges.

What changes were made to the fence design?

  • The fence was changed to a 1200mm-high black mesh fence with a 1.2m-wide single gate with stop plate and self-closing hinges. A maintenance vehicle access gate was also added and the fence will be set back onto the existing turf beam with a mowing strip flush with existing levels.

What was the feedback on the digging pit?

  • A small number of respondents did not agree with the digging pit due to cleanliness concerns.

What changes were made to the design?

  • The digging pit was removed and replaced with boulders for informal seating and climbing opportunities for both dogs and children.

What concerns were raised about the Heany Street fence?

  • Concerns were raised about dogs running through the car park to the vet on the corner of Heany Street and Waverley Road.

What changes were made to address these concerns?

  • The design was modified to upgrade the ageing fence along Heany Street into the car park with a post and double rail fence, pedestrian and vehicle access, and plantings and boulders to create a visual barrier to slow down dogs.
  • A removable bollard will be installed for maintenance vehicle access.

Why was the extra planting buffer removed from the design?

  • The existing barrier plantings around the playground were deemed sufficient and did not require additional plants.

What new feature was added instead?

  • New signage 20 metres from the playground will be installed to remind dog owners that dogs must be on-leash within 20 metres of the playground when in use.

Final design

Heany Reserve Concept Area A - Final Design
Heany Reserve Concept Area B - Final Design

Project background

We created a draft concept plan for proposed enhancements to the dog off-leash area at Mount Waverley Linear Reserve (including Heany Street and Beverley Grove Reserves), Mount Waverley.

Monash Council has secured $500,000 in funding through round one of the Victorian Government's New and Upgraded Dog Parks program, which seeks to improve the state's open space network to ensure that Victorians have easy access to much-needed green open space to exercise, relax or enjoy the outdoors with their dogs.

Like other councils, Monash is experiencing population growth and pressure on our public open spaces. With a continued increase in the number of registered dogs in Monash, planning and managing off-leash areas for people to walk and exercise their dogs is critical.

Following extensive community consultation, Council endorsed a new Off-Leash Policy in November 2022 to guide how we manage our open space with increasing dog ownership in Monash. This process included a review of off-leash areas across the municipality.

As part of this review, the dog off-leash area at the south end of Mount Waverley Linear Reserve (Heany Street Reserve) was extended. The off-leash area was increased to include the north reserve (Beverley Grove).

The proposed Mount Waverley Linear Reserve upgrades are designed to provide a welcoming environment for the whole community and a place that dog owners can come to actively recreate and socialise with their dogs.

Feedback was sought by Sunday 28 July 2024.

The draft concept design included the below improvements:

  • Dog enrichment elements - digging pit, log clusters and clamber mound equipment
  • New pathway
  • Additional seating options throughout the reserves
  • Safety fencing and gates along the busy Waverley Road frontage
  • Bollard and single-tube fences at the Heany Street car park entrance
  • Barrier planting and/or landscape barriers (new/retained) to create an informal barrier along other entries
  • Additional drink fountains with dog bowls
  • Additional bins
  • Waste bag dispensers
  • Reinforced buffer plantings between the playground and off-leash area
  • New signage with dog off-leash appropriate messaging (and dog etiquette signage).

We recognise the social, mental, emotional, and physical health and wellbeing benefits that owning dogs provide to our society. These off-leash area improvements have been designed to provide:

  • A hub where dog owners can congregate and network
  • Opportunities for education/awareness and community development and ‘place making’ initiatives
  • An alternative and low-cost recreation option for dog owners and their dogs.

This area will remain a public open space asset that will be accessible to all residents, not only dog owners.