WITH regard to dog exercise on AA Bailey Recreation Ground:

I write to thank Mitcham Council and for listening to the views of the local community in Clarence Gardens and reinstating a portion of Bailey reserve for use as a dog off-leash exercise area, when no organised sports are in progress.

This change was supported by all councillors, except Fisher and Hudson.

In addition, an amendment sponsored by Zane Young and strongly supported by Diana Gibbs Ludbrook will see the administration moving towards reversing the current ban by Cumberland United on dogs using the soccer ground, even when the ground is completely unused. There was strong support by the council for the view that no single group should control community open space to the exclusion of others.

It is very pleasing to see the council responding to the views of the hundreds of local ratepayers who completed the recent survey on dog exercise on Bailey reserve.

I hope the administration actively pursues the council's clear support for allowing dog exercise again on the soccer ground, thus providing separate and distinct off-leash and on-leash areas, which are so clearly favoured by the majority of local people.

DAVE WALSH
Clarence Gardens