Hi everyone,
I wanted to let you know that I have now heard back from the council regarding our petition and unfortunately they haven't approved our request. I have included the letter of response below which details their reasons.
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone for your support and help, we gave it a red hot go and I don't believe we could have done much more to change the result.
Colin and I look forward to seeing you out and about in Cronulla please stop and say hello, if nothing else it's been a great way to meet new people in the area.
Thanks again!
Emma and Colin
Letter from council as follows:
Dear Ms Roach
Thank you for your emails and attached petition concerning a proposal to use Tonkin Oval at Cronulla as an off-leash area for dogs with the potential for this use to apply to other sporting fields. The Mayor, Cr Carmelo Pesce has noted your correspondence and has asked me to respond on his behalf.
The primary purpose of Tonkin Oval is to support training and competition needs of our local sporting groups (in this case Grade Cricket). The field, along with the majority of our sporting fields, is a dog friendly area where dogs are already welcome on-lead. Unfortunately, the use of the sporting fields for sporting activity and as a dog off-leash area is not considered an appropriate use of the space.
The level of grade cricket is played on a turf wicket. This requires daily attention from Council’s curator to ensure that the wicket is prepared to the expected standard. Allowing dogs off leash on the oval during wicket preparation would inevitably create conflicts with the preparation of the wicket, eg with rolling and mowing equipment.
Public open spaces are designed to cater for different needs and are available for all members of the community to enjoy. We have approximately 50,000 organised sporting registrations and we work closely with sporting groups and local residents to maximise the use of the open space available for sporting activities.
We have six dog-off leash areas designed to meet the needs of owners and their dogs across the Shire. Our website has details of the locations and dog off-leash times.
I regret that this may not be the outcome you are seeking, however I trust you will appreciate Council’s position in this matter. If you wish to discuss the matter or require any further information, please contact our Building & Open Space Team Leader, Gwyn Cleeves on 9710 0473.
Yours sincerely
Scott Phillips