Roberts Lane, Hurstville will be closed while investigation works take place into the subsidence of Kempt Field.
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Parts of the 3.17ha park including the $1.5 million adventure playground have been closed since December, 2022 due to subsidence and contamination issues.
The adventure playground, which only opened in 2019, will not reopen, and the equipment will be split up between three playgrounds within the Hurstville Precinct.
Previously a brickworks, the site was filled in to become a reserve around 1977. It is NSW Government-owned and has been under the care, control and management of the council for more than 40 years.
In a Notice of Motion at the February 26 Georges River Council meeting, Councillor Nancy Liu called for an update on the status of Kempt Field and assurance that the public be involved in any future plans for the children's playground.
Impacted areas of the Kempt Field site remain closed to the public and have been fenced-off, with warning signs erected by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) while further investigations and remediation work is undertaken by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPIE).
The DPIE has now informed the council that it will commence investigation work at the end of the month causing the closure of Roberts Lane.
Following the investigations, the department has indicated it should have a Remediation Action Plan for the park by July, 2024.
The council has also engaged a consultant to undertake the detailed design of three Hurstville Precinct playgrounds at Woodville Park, Croot Park and Empress Reserve.
Councillor Colleen Symington, who seconded Cr Liu's Notice of Motion, said she has had numerous residents expressing their concerns about the closure of the adventure playground and asking when it will reopen.
"It has been hard relaying the news that the ongoing subsidence and contamination issues mean that the playground will not reopen, and the equipment will be split up between three playgrounds within the Hurstville Precinct," she said.
"What I find incredibly frustrating is knowing that the subsidence and contamination issues were not treated as a priority by the previous Coalition government and our council officers were consistently met with a combative attitude.
"Council officers wanted to be proactive and address the escalating serious issues, however meaningful discussions did not happen.
"There was no care or consideration given to the thousands of residents who utilized Kempt Field- bearing in mind that Hurstville Ward has minimal open green space at its disposal.
"At the very least two years was lost where a remediation program could have been developed and be now well underway.
"It was only after the election of the Minns Labor Government in March 2023 when we actually got action," she said.
