Inner-city doggos will soon have a brand new park to do zoomies in, with the City of Melbourne set to start construction on a new bespoke canine facility in Southbank.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the paw-some new dog park will transform one of the city's ruff-est streetscapes into a dedicated play space for pooches.
"All dogs love getting out and exercising and meeting new furry friends, but living in an apartment can make that more challenging," the Lord Mayor said.
"Southbank residents have told us that they want to see more pet-friendly spots around the neighbourhood, and this new park will give locals dogs the opportunity to run and play in a safe environment."
The new dog park will be developed in a disused area beneath the Kings Way southern undercroft.
"This is an area that is in desperate need of improvement and we want this dog park to become a favourite for locals, whether they are human or hound," the Lord Mayor said.
"Up to 10 people will be employed to bring the pup playground to life."
The dog park forms part of the City of Melbourne's City Road Master Plan, which will transform the local area into a safe and welcoming place for everyone through a series of projects.
"The delays to the delivery of the City Road Master Plan have been disappointing but we will start work on this project next month, and we are committed to delivering more open space for humans and their doggos throughout Southbank," the Lord Mayor said.
The Lord Mayor said 3948 dogs were registered with the City of Melbourne in 2020, up from 3622 in 2019.
"This park joins eight other designated off-leash areas in the municipality. They are getting plenty of use with an additional 326 Fidos, Rovers and Spots making the City of Melbourne their home in the last year as residents sought companionship during the pandemic," the Lord Mayor said.
"While Cavoodles have snagged the most popular breed again, we've welcomed 50 per cent more greyhounds to our city, as well as 30 per cent more spoodles."
Environment portfolio Lead, Councillor Rohan Leppert, said the park has been designed with peak enjoyment for pooches as the main focus.
"With more than 400 dogs living in Southbank, it was an easy decision to include a space designed just for them in our plans to revitalise the City Road area," Cr Leppert said.
"The off-leash area is the size of a basketball court and is filled with play equipment to delight pups big and small. I look forward to seeing local dogs and their owners enjoying the facilities and making new four-legged friends."
Construction will begin in late April, and the park is scheduled to open later this year.
A pedestrian crossing is also being planned to enable easy access to the dog off-leash park from nearby Boyd Park.
