Calls for an off-leash dog park in the Hooke Street Reserve have been dashed after Dungog council said it wasn't the preferred site.
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The calls came during public feedback about the reserve's masterplan, which outlined a range of improvements to the site.
Councillors unanimously supported the council report at the April 17 council meeting, which noted the reserve was "not the preferred location for such a facility".
The report did say the dog park "could be added to the draft plan" if required but none of the councillors moved a motion for it, or voiced their support for it, when the draft plan went before them.
The dog park was at the top of the list in 11 of the 17 submissions the council received about its draft management plan.
The types of plants used came in second, and concerns about access to Dowling Street between the Uniting Church and Alison Court was third. There was also a call to incorporate EV charging stations.
The masterplan outlines the reserve's potential and provides a list of future projects including parking and picnic areas, an accessible amenities block, multi-use trails connecting the reserve to Jubilee Park and Dowling Street, and landscaping and tree planting.
Moir Landscape Architecture, who looked at how the site could be used, called it a "crucial piece of green infrastructure".
Councillors agreed to remove the reference to non-native plantings as well as the link to Dowling Street at the council meeting.
The councillors also agreed to review the access to Dowling Street in the future and said the location for that future link would be determined at that time.
Moir Landscape Architecture said the reserve could help improve connectivity of open space by creating a link with the Dungog Common, Jubilee Park, Dungog Library, Bennett Park and Dungog Showground.
The masterplan is expected to cost at least $1.25 million but the council doesn't have any money to put towards the project.
A council spokeswoman thought the cost could be even higher than that because projects that weren't identified in the council's developer contributions plan would have to be funded through other means.
She did not speculate about the final cost.
""Any works undertaken will require further council or grant contributions to fully fund the projects. The works identified in the masterplan will be undertaken as funding and community need allows," she said.
"Further survey and design work will be undertaken over the coming 12 months.
"Other identified works will be undertaken in line with council budgets and grant funding availability."
The spokeswoman said the projects would be delivered within three timeframes. She said some would be delivered within 1 to 5 years, some within 6-10 years and some would happen after that.
She said the whole project would be completed within 20 years.
Hooke Street Reserve is located between Dowling Street and Lorde Street and is a grassy field with a stormwater drain running through it.
There was a bus shelter on the site in the past but it was torn down in 2022.
Council put the draft plan on public exhibition in December and received 17 submissions about it.
"The predominant commentary were concerns with respect to the inclusion of an off-leash dog park, types of plantings and the proposed future access to Dowling Street," the council report said.
"Based on this feedback a presentation was provided to council in March where it was determined to modify the draft masterplan."
The masterplan also noted the reserve's vulnerability to flooding.
