BRIMBANK Council will place clean soil over asbestos particles found at the site of an old playground in Albion.
The action follows calls from a concerned Albion resident, who said the affected area in Selwyn Park, where council plans to build a new playground, remained exposed to the public.
The resident, who did not want his named published, said children often played at the site.
“To leave contamination like that exposed is extremely dangerous for residents and children who still walk and play at the site,” he said. “There has been no signage to highlight to residents the contamination of the site.”
Brimbank’s general manager of infrastructure and environment, Paul Younis, said the council had uncovered old building materials when it started work on a playground upgrade in May.
He said following the discovery, the council employed consultants to undertake tests which revealed the soil was not contaminated but contained fragments of asbestos.
“As part of usual construction works, fences were already erected to block off the site, which meant the asbestos fragments were undisturbed and would not pose a risk,” Mr Younis said.
“To maintain health standards, council has decided to construct a protective cover over the top of the old building material and cap the area with a layer of clean soil and then build the new playground on top.”
The council was adjusting plans for the playground upgrade to suit the new site conditions. Works are expected to restart in November.
