Works to resume on Western Lawn

Published on 17 May 2023

Contractors will be resuming remediation works on the Western Lawn after Council approved additional funding to remove contaminated soil from the site.

Given the site history, Council had anticipated some level of soil contamination with testing of 21 bore holes across the Park in June 2022 identifying historic waste materials that would need to be removed.

Further investigations undertaken at the start of the project late last year has confirmed that while not considered a public health risk, the soil will require off-site disposal.

“While disappointing”, Mayor, Cr Sarah Carter, said “ Council has to deal with the site conditions if we are to deliver this long awaited upgrade to this well-loved open space,” she said, noting it will have a significant financial impact on the project, with up to $3 million additionally required to support the remediation.

To mitigate these costs, Council has reduced the area of premium turf by 4000m2, which, while less than originally contracted, remains in line with the area noted on the Master Plan.

The Western Lawn is an important large and open community recreation space within limited municipal open space assets that is identified as “an active use precinct” in the Footscray Park Master Plan 2011.

Remediation works have been designed to deliver a high-quality outcome to ensure more open space is available to community use with the capacity also to withstand intensive activity.

While the additional soil testing has delayed works, Council is still aiming to begin installation in September to allow the turf to establish in the warmer months with a view to returning the Western Lawn to the community for use by December.

A total of 10,000 cubic metres of materials will need to be removed as part of these works.

Maribyrnong News

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