Ballarat City Council’s proposed changes to off-lead dog areas has sparked a torrent of comment through The Courier’s Letters to the Editor and online commentary spaces in the past two weeks.

Already the council has received 18 submissions on its plans, which will effectively see dogs required to be on a lead except where otherwise designated.

In the central ward, the proposed off-lead areas are Victoria Park in the area south of Mullock Heap between Cedar and Pine avenues and the area north of soccer pitches between Caretaker and Cedar avenues, as well as Gregory Street Reserve in Soldiers Hill and the north corner of the Black Hill Lookout Reserve. 

The proposed areas for the north ward include Charles Edward Brown Reserve in the north-west corner, Pioneer Park Wendouree and Cuthberts Road Reserve in Alfredton. The proposed areas for the south ward include Birdwood Park in Buninyong and the MR Power Reserve in Sebastopol. 

The reaction has been mixed, as examples have shown.

Barb Adams, from Wendouree wrote to The Courier: “I feel that this proposal is extreme. Surely, there must be a middle ground that doesn’t punish all the responsible dog owners of Ballarat.”

And this from Maree Harrison from Nerrina: “While I understand a dog owner’s wish to let their dog ‘run free’, I have to say I am well and truly over this attitude. While some dogs may actually be well trained and respond to their owners, the majority I encounter do not.

“My on-lead dog and I are constantly rushed by off-lead dogs that just ‘want to play’.”

As a relatively new member of the dog owners club, it’s somewhat disturbing to find that the council has to regulate activity as simple as people walking their pet.

Maybe it’s a sign that the methods to ensure dog owners are responsible for the actions of their best friends hasn’t been effective.

THERE’S been an enormous response to last week’s special report on federal and state government funding disparity between Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong.

The Courier’s analysis showed Ballarat has been left behind when comparing major project announcements.

While not surprisingly there was not bipartisan agreement on the proposition being put forward, there does seem to be an intense focus on Ballarat in the lead-up to this year’s state election. What is really important, however, is what happens next. Bipartisan support for major projects and service delivery in Ballarat is the ultimate goal for city leaders, and our newspaper.

AUSTRALIANS have caught royal fever this week as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge graced us with their presence.

Those who say the relevance of the royal family has diminished might be disheartened by the hordes of people pining to get a glimpse of William and Kate, and of course, George.

Poor George, however, is missing out on seeing many of the sights, confined to spending much of the trip to Australia and New Zealand with the royal nanny.

The life of a royal family member is indeed unique, no matter whether you look at it from the perspective of mum, dad or bub.