The Dog Exercise Area Regional Plan and Network Blueprint addresses the growing needs of our community and the increasing number of registered dogs. It focuses on safety and the health, wellbeing and vitality of our community, dogs and dog owners and non-dog owners, while enhancing the region’s environment and liveability.

The plan considers the current dog exercise area network and delivers a future network that meets user needs while aligning with our region’s environmental and community values.

The plan’s development is based on analysing current data, dog ownership trends, industry research and consultation on our community’s and Council’s values.

Key features include:

• The types of future dog exercise areas and desired standards of service including levels of embellishment
• Facilities requiring upgrades to meet the desired standards of service
• The estimated number and size of future dog exercise areas needed to address current gaps, while also considering the needs of the wider open space network
• Key actions that support delivery of the Plan.

The plan aims to:

• Ensure safe and sufficient access to dog exercise areas near homes
• Ensure dog owners have adequate access to the dog exercise area network, including dog off leash areas within a reasonable travel distance from their home
• Provide a network blueprint for future dog exercise areas until 2045
• Balance the needs of dog owners and non-dog owners with other outdoor recreation demands
• Protect environmental and cultural values, landscapes, habitats and wildlife
• Enhance community safety and comfort in dog exercise areas and provides dog-free zones, acknowledging that not everyone using public spaces owns a dog or feels comfortable around them.

Yes, the plan proposes 23 new off-leash areas over the next 20 years and upgrades, including fencing to eight existing sites.

It also recommends enhancements and changes to existing areas including:

• Fencing of several unfenced sites to protect dogs and other park users
• Additional embellishments such as dedicated and separated wash down facilities at dog beaches
• Changes to dog access on sports fields – dogs continue to be allowed in common areas and not allowed on the playing surfaces
• Changes to dog access on beaches and foreshores, using an evidence-based approach and assessment tool to accommodate balance between recreational opportunities for dog owners, other beach users and the environment. The proposed future network will provide over 16km of off-leash beach access and over 17 km of on-leash beach access for dogs
• Introducing changes to dog access in high conservation value environment reserves to better protect important environmental values while managing these areas in line with Council’s Environment and Liveability Strategy.

While the plan aims to expand and enhance dog access in many areas, it also proposes changes to some existing areas to ensure they are safe, sustainable and align with community and environmental priorities.

You can view the current and future proposed provisions here.

The draft plan recommends the following types of dog parks:

Council-wide dog off leash areas:

• These are large areas for off-leash dogs, offering unique experiences such as water play. These attract dog owners from both within and outside the Sunshine Coast region
• They are accessible to residents within a 20km radius
• They consist of parks that are at least 3 hectares in size or are more than 1km of coastline.

District dog off leash areas:

• These are larger areas with separate spaces for small and large dogs, enhanced activity areas, and facilities for social gatherings
• They are accessible to residents within a 7.5km radius
• There is one dog off leash area for every 5000 dogs
• They consist of parks that are at least 10,000m2 in size or less than 1km of coastline.

Local dog off leash areas:

• These are small, accessible areas for local communities to exercise and socialise their dogs
• They are accessible to residents within a 2km radius
• There is one dog off leash area for every 1,500 dogs
• They consist of parks that are at least 2,000m2 in size.

Finding the right balance is at the heart of this plan – ensuring that both dog owners and non-dog owners have safe, welcoming places to enjoy, while also preserving the natural beauty that makes our region special.

Equitably distributed off-leash areas for dogs and their owners to enjoy while also recommending access restrictions to areas where dogs could potentially cause impacts to other recreational activities, public safety, the environment and/or cultural heritage.

• Additional fencing of existing off-leash areas such as nearby roadways and where impacts to other park users may occur
• The ability for Council officers to effectively patrol designated areas
• Improved signage and regulations for dog exercise areas to reduce potential user confusion
• Expanded education programs to encourage responsible pet ownership.

The draft Plan recommends several strategic actions including:

• Implementing a decision-making framework and multi-criteria risk assessment tool, that considers social, environmental, cultural and management values and risks to guide the provision of dog exercise areas across the region’s open spaces
• Changes to dog access on beaches, and environment reserves to better protect environmental values
• Continued engagement with Traditional Custodians to ensure the protection of cultural values.

• Council has developed a decision-making framework and multi criteria risk assessment tools to assess the potential impacts of dog exercise on existing and future sites. The multi criteria risk assessment is an important tool that provides a consistent, risk-based approach to evaluations, to protect core values and guide rational and appropriate decisions

• Four individual multi criteria risk assessments have been developed to assess the impact of dog access (consequence) within recreation parks, sport fields; beaches and foreshores; and environment reserves based on identified criteria and can be found from page 53 to 59 of the Plan

• For more detailed information, see the Dog Exercise Area Regional Plan and Network Blueprint 2025-2045 for additional information.

The plan was designed to balance protection of our sensitive coastal environments with maintaining access for exercising dogs on beaches and foreshore areas.

Please refer to the following Fact Sheets for more information:

• Changes to beaches
• Changes to Rocky Foreshores, including Point Perry, Point Arkwright, Moffat Headland and Caloundra Headland
• Changes to Stumers beach.

Council will begin delivering the action plan in stages, subject to funding and annual budget processes.

Before any changes to dog access can go ahead, the local laws need to be updated. This is scheduled to occur in 2026 and the community will be kept updated throughout the process.

The recommendations will be implemented as funding becomes available from sources such as:

• Council’s capital works program
• Local Government Infrastructure Plan funding
• Developer contributions
• Grants.