Every doggy need catered for at canine leisure centre
Since Garden Cities planned, constructed and then launched Leadville Dog Park for the canine residents of Sunningdale in December 2016, daily, an estimated 120 dogs with their owners visit and enjoythe facility off Braselton on Leadville Road.
The park is on a hectare of land provided by Garden Cities at Sunningdale, where development started over 20 years ago. The company created the landscaped doggie playground areas, features, and a 180m2 building with a large veranda, at the entrance to the park, to accommodate services related to the care and comfort of dogs – and a coffee shop for their owners.
Although the park was provided at the cost of Garden Cities, it is now maintained by the City of Cape Town as a public amenity, and to ensure the ongoing success and high quality of services provided the park relies on dog owners taking responsibility for controlling their pets’ behaviour, and removing their droppings.
The park is another of the many infrastructural elements in Sunningdale, provided by Garden Cities. As part of its holistic development philosophy, the 100-year-old company includes services that will be needed by residents, such as commercial centres, schools and sports facilities.
The dog park was a new departure for the company in accordance with the growing canine population of Sunningdale. It is on Leadville Way, just off the main artery Braselton Road at the edge of the developed area to the east of the growing suburb that now comprises nearly 3 300 homes.
The facility has been enthusiastically adopted by residents – it features a walking path around an enormous open area in the shape of a giant thigh bone. Paw print patterns feature in the pavers on the gravel paths and in the shapes of smaller areas of lawn
A fence to prevent pooches wandering too far surrounds the park, but the open play area will also tie into the future green belt that meanders through the development. This will extend the scope of the park’s offering, with owners able to walk their dogs on leads in the public open spaces accessed through the formal dog park.
