New Riverside Drive Dog Park (near Beesley Street)
UPDATE 20/10/25
I want to thank everyone who engaged with the Community Poll on the proposed Dog Park near Beesley Street. Engagement on this proposal was incredibly high, and I truly appreciate the time so many of you took to share your views.
Your feedback was thoughtful, passionate, and reflected just how much our community values accessible and well-designed open spaces for both people and their dogs. I heard from residents who are excited about the idea of a safe, dedicated off-leash area close to home, as well as from others who shared ideas and concerns about location, and how best to balance green space use in this part of West End.
Outcome of Community Poll
The community has voted for the continuation of the project. We've sent community members who wanted an update a detailed email with reflections and points of interest. If you would like a full update please contact the Gabba Ward.
The bigger picture — future parkland in Kurilpa
Some residents asked about waiting for future riverside parkland at the Visy and Parmalat sites. Last week, the State Government announced plans to privatise the 7.1-hectare Visy site in South Brisbane, one of our last golden stretches of riverfront, handing it to private developers for over 4,000 homes and high-rise development. I'm taking action to prevent this sell-off and fight for genuine public parkland and community facilities in South Brisbane and West End.
In the meantime, the Riverside Dog Park is an important step forward improving our open spaces work locally..
Add your voice today to help protect our riverfront for future generations.
POLL IS NOW CLOSED
I also encourage you to sign up to my mailing list to keep in the loop on similar local issues in the future.
What consultation is planned for the new Beesley Street dog park?
I want to hear from you! To help shape the future dog park at Beesley Street, I’ve sent information to every resident in the ward via my printed newsletter. I’ve also provided information through my email newsletters, held three pop-up offices on site to chat directly with locals, and launched a follow-up poll that will advertised through corflutes at key locations. If you have additional feedback, please email me at [email protected].
Why was the old Riverside Drive dog park closed?
The original dog park was permanently closed after the 2022 floods, which exposed toxic materials like heavy metals buried beneath the surface. The land was already contaminated due to historic industrial waste and was listed on the State Government Environmental Management Register.
Was the site cleaned up after the flood?
The land was returned back to the State government, who proceeded with only a partial remediation that was completed in 2023. The State Government installed a clay cap (100mm of compacted fill topped with 100mm of soil) to seal the contamination. Full remediation wasn’t carried out due to cost concerns.
Why can't the dog park be reopened on the same site?
The clay cap means that no infrastructure can be installed (including fencing, seating, bins, signage, or water fountains) because digging or anchoring could breach the cap and expose toxic materials. Even tree planting is banned. Turf is the only permitted groundcover.
The state government owns the land the old dog park was built on. The state government won’t support a new dog park at that location because of environmental regulations and public health risks. Infrastructure and revegetation are both severely restricted.
Has the Council tried to find a replacement site?
Yes. Between 2022 and 2024, several options were explored:
- Davies Park – Ruled out due to sport/recreation zoning, lease constraints, and space limitations.
- Old industrial land or vacant land acquisition for new parkland
- Jolly Place Park (Grey St) – Approved by the Lord Mayor without local consultation, but never built. It was later deemed unsuitable due to its small size, heavy traffic, proximity to an office building, and poor access for West End residents.
What has the community said about the closure?
Through previous consultations there has been sustained community pressure to replace the dog park, especially from apartment dwellers in the Kurilpa precinct. Concerns include:
- Lack of appropriate facilities and soil erosion at the Orleigh Park dog park.
- Increased unsanctioned off-leash use in Davies Park and along Riverside Drive.
- Requests for more bins, clearer signage, and better enforcement of dogs off-leash.
Why does 4101 need a second dog park?
West End has a large and growing population of dog owners, many of whom live in apartments without backyards. This makes public off-leash areas essential for exercising and socialising dogs safely.
- In 2011, 4101 had around 19,000 residents
- By 2021, that figure had grown to over 35,000 residents - an 82% increase in just ten years
- As of February 2024, there are 2,493 registered dogs in the Gabba Ward alone
Despite this significant growth, West End now has fewer dog parks than it did in 2011. The permanent closure of the Riverside Drive dog park means there is now only one formal off-leash area (at Orleigh Park), which as stated above has a ack of appropriate facilities and soil erosion at the Orleigh Park dog park. Please note I have a project to upgrade Orleigh Park dog park.
With limited access to green space, and no backyard options for many residents, a second dog park is urgently required to meet the community’s needs.
Don’t we need new parkland in 4101?
Yes! West End urgently needs new parkland. As the population continues to grow and more people live in apartments without private green space, access to quality public parks becomes even more important. Despite collecting millions of dollars in developer contributions, the LNP administration has not delivered any new parkland for West End in over a decade.
I have been advocating for creating new parks, particularly on under-used industrial sites like 281-299 Montague Road, 16-24 Duncan Street, 127-129 Hardgrave Road, and the Visy and Parmalat Factories. These sites could provide much-needed green space without displacing homes.
Any new parkland for 4101?
Yes, 92 Ryan Street in West End through the Flood Buyback. This block will now be rehabilitated as a public pocket park, giving local residents more space to relax, gather, and connect with nature. Council has not committed any funds for this work. However, I have now completed a consultation with the local community and will work with Council to deliver the vision via my Suburban Enhancement fund.
Unfortunately this park is not large enough to accommodate a dog park.I’ll keep pushing for more public green space in the inner southside to meet the needs of our growing community.
What are you doing to secure additional new parkland for 4101?
Delivering new parkland is one of my top priorities. As a positive step, I have been able to secure a commitment from Council to deliver 3 new parks in 4101 over the next 10 years: 1 hectare on the old Visy site, 1 hectare on the Parmalat site, and 0.5 hectares at an unspecified location.
The Visy Site was purchased by the state government in 2022 to be used as an International Broadcast Centre (IBC) during the 2032 Olympics. The state government's 100 Day Review into Olympic venues found the site was not suitable for an IBC which opens the possibility for parkland to be delivered on the site much earlier than 2032.
Over the next few years I will be working hard with the community to campaign for the Visy site to be delivered as parkland asap. I am currently conducting a survey to help guide my advocacy for the future of the site, so please fill it out to let me know what your priorities are.
What about a dog park in Davies Park?
A dog park (multiple sites) in Davies Park has been explored, but it’s not currently feasible. Large sections of the park are zoned for sport and recreation and over 55% of the park is tied up in long-term leases, which limit what can be built there. After reviewing the site, Council determined there isn’t enough unencumbered space to accommodate a compliant dog-off-leash area.
While Davies Park isn’t a viable location right now, it could still be considered as part of any future park redesign, provided lease constraints are resolved and there's strong community support. For the time being, Riverside Drive is being prioritised because delivery is more practical and can happen sooner than next decade.
Isn’t this proposed dog park smaller than the standard dog park?
Yes, Standard minimum dog park size as per Off-Leash Guidelines is 3,000m². There is simply no existing parkland in 4101 with enough space to create a dog park of this size. Given the constraints, Council has approved a smaller than usual dog park in order to meet the needs of the community.
The new dog park near Beesley St will actually be larger than the old one that was closed near Hockings St. The old dog park was roughly 740m² and the new one will be roughly 970m². The Beesley St Dog Park will also be wider.
For comparison, the Orleigh Park dog park was 1273m². I funded an expansion of the dog park and upgrades to the facilities. This allowed for the creation of two separate dog parks, a 1247m² one for large dogs and a 596m2 for small dogs.
Will any trees be removed to build the new dog park?
No trees will be removed as part of this project. All trees will be retained.
Can the new dog park be split into two sections, to separate smaller and larger dogs?
We explored the option of splitting the proposed dog park into separate areas for small and large dogs, but unfortunately, this isn’t possible within the current site due to Council guidelines around minimum area requirements. As a guide, a small dog area generally requires at least 1,000m², while a large dog area needs closer to 2,000m². The available space at the proposed location simply doesn’t meet these thresholds.
That said, we know how important this feature is to many local dog owners, which is why the new Orleigh Park dog park upgrades will include two separate sections for large and small dogs. So while we can’t deliver it at this particular site, we are improving this option elsewhere within the 4101 area.
I’ve noticed that work seems to have started at the site, what’s going on?
What you’ve seen is preliminary site testing being carried out by Council officers to assess the land for any potential contamination. This is a standard part of the due diligence process for any proposed new use of public land. No construction or formal works have begun.
At this stage, a decision has not been finalised about the proposed dog park. We currently have a community survey to allow the residents to determine whether the project moves forward. Our office will continue to keep residents informed about next steps and any future works at the site.
Where will people park their cars to access the proposed dog park?
From speaking with residents and gathering community feedback, it’s clear that most people in the 4101 area are walking, rather than driving, to their local dog parks. With limited green space options available, this proposed location was identified as the most accessible site for the greatest number of residents based on local population and walkability.
Who is responsible for this dog park project?
Despite earlier promises by the Lord Mayor, his administration had given up on finding a replacement location for the old dog park. It took many years of internal advocacy from my office to pressure Council into finding and approving a replacement dog park.
The Lord Mayor has also refused to provide funding for this project. So I plan to use my Suburban Enhancement Fund to deliver the project.
When is the new dog park likely to open?
I have tentatively allocated funding for this project in the 2025/26 financial year. If everything goes well, the new dog park should be open by the middle of 2026.
What if I do not have a dog - can I still vote?
All community members can vote, whether they own a dog or not.
Historic update below as Poll is closed.
Important UPDATE 08/08/2025: New Riverside Drive Dog Park Poll
They new poll is UP. Unfortunately, the original poll didn't compulsorily require people to enter their email address, which meant there was a risk individuals could vote more than once. That’s not ideal when we’re trying to get a clear and fair snapshot of community sentiment.
As someone who believes deeply in transparency and accountability, I want to make sure this process reflects those values. So, we’ve created a new poll that resolves these issues. The old poll is no longer being used, and the data from it won’t be counted to ensure fairness and trust in the results.
Please complete the new poll here and ALL community members are encouraged to vote - whether you have a dog or not: https://thegabbaward.survey.fm/new-riverside-dog-park-community-poll
To protect the integrity of the poll: I’ve also received some concerns from some residents about using Google Forms as the platform. While Google Forms has been used successfully by my office for consultations in the past (with no breaches, misuse of fake emails, or targeted campaigns to manipulate votes) I take all feedback seriously. That’s why we’ve moved to a different, more secure platform for this new poll. The old results won’t be counted to ensure reliability and trust in the survey, and I apologise for any inconvenience.
This new platform requires email verification making submission a two - step process, only one vote per person will be allowed. We’ll be conducting security checks of the information provided and the new platform includes multiple other projections in place in the backend. There are other measures I’ve added (including increased questions) to help keep the process fair without compromising your privacy. I recognise no survey platform is 100% secure or foolproof but I trust residents to engage with this survey in good faith.
After hearing from many of you through meetings, events, town halls, workshops, and being around the neighbourhood, it’s clear there’s strong interest in the proposed new dog park near Beesley Street. Below you find an FAQ on the the proposed Dog Park. If you have any further questions please do not hetate to contact the Gabba Ward Office.