Mansfield Parkland Preliminary Site Investigation for Off-Leash Dog Park

Project overview

We completed a preliminary site investigation for council-owned parkland at Mansfield, Victoria. The land is former railway land, and the proposed use is an off-leash dog park. The preliminary site investigation was issued on 12 June 2026. Our role was to assess whether surface soils were suitable for recreational and public open-space use, and whether a pollution report, statutory environmental audit or further detailed investigation was warranted before the park proceeded.

Former railway land can carry a range of historical contaminants associated with track, ballast, fill and former associated activities. A preliminary site investigation is the appropriate first step where council parkland is being converted to a higher-intensity recreational use such as an off-leash dog park, because it tests actual soil conditions against the criteria that apply to public open space.

What we did

We sampled seven surface soils on 24 May 2026. The laboratory suite was selected to cover the contaminant groups most relevant to former railway land and to recreational park use.

• Total recoverable hydrocarbons and BTEXN.
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
• Metals.
• Asbestos.
• Organochlorine pesticides.
• Organophosphorus pesticides.

Results were compared with recreational and public open-space assessment criteria. The investigation was a preliminary site investigation only. It was not a detailed site investigation, a pollution report and site assessment, or an environmental audit.

Findings

All seven surface soil samples were below recreational and public open-space criteria for the analytes tested. On that basis we concluded that the parkland is suitable for the proposed off-leash dog park. No result in the surface soil program indicated a need to change the proposed recreational use or to undertake remediation before the park is established.

Because concentrations were below the relevant land-use criteria, we advised that a pollution report and site assessment is not required, and that a statutory environmental audit is not required for the proposed park on the information obtained in this preliminary site investigation.

Recommendations

We recommended a simple construction environmental management plan and an unexpected-finds protocol. Those documents are a proportionate control for park construction on former railway land, even where sampled surface soils meet open-space criteria. Earthworks, service trenches or landscaping can still encounter materials that were not present at the seven surface sample locations, including deeper fill, ballast or isolated debris.

A simple construction environmental management plan typically sets out erosion and sediment controls, stockpile management, and how soil is to be handled during construction of the dog park. An unexpected-finds protocol sets out the steps if odorous soil, staining, suspected asbestos, or other atypical materials are uncovered. Together they allow the park to proceed without a heavier assessment pathway, while still providing a clear response if conditions change during works.

The preliminary site investigation therefore supports the proposed off-leash dog park, records that surface soils meet recreational and public open-space criteria, and leaves a light-touch management framework in place for construction.

Talk to our team

If your council or project team is converting former railway land or other parkland to recreational use, we can complete preliminary site investigations and practical construction management advice. Call us on 1300 043 684 or visit https://ienvi.com.au/contact/ to discuss your site.