Helensburgh Mountain Bike Park has been closed by Wollongong City Council, after concerns were raised last week that there may be asbestos in the soil of the bike jumps.
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The council said the closure was a precautionary measure to allow for further investigation into the makeup of soil material on the site's dirt tracks.
The Helensburgh Off Road Cycle Club asked the council's permission to take over a parcel of land at the back of the Rex Jackson sport fields about five years ago, building a three kilometre mountain bike track and skills park.
The track is a popular spot for riders of all ages, with the closure forcing the club to cancel a monthly race day planned for May 6.
The track is on council land, but is operated under licence the club.
"We know this park is well-loved by the community and enjoyed by riders of all ages and the decision to close the park is not one we take lightly," the council said.
"We are working with the Club's volunteer members and want to see the park back in operation as soon as possible."
The park was closed last Thursday, after concerns were raised with council by representatives from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) that there may be Asbestos Containing Material in the soil used to form the jumps and potentially the surrounding tracks.
The council said NPWS had confirmed the presence of Asbestos Containing Material within a recently installed dirt jump structure on their land, which adjoins the council site.
Since the closure, the council has been doing air monitoring at the site with the results showing there has been no detection of airborne asbestos.
An asbestos assessor will also undertake two surface inspections of the site and remove any items that could potentially be asbestos, the council said.
The council has also carried out pothole sampling at three locations across the site, to confirm if the soil used on the tracks is "Virgin Excavated Natural Material", as required, or if it does not meet this classification.
"We are working with HORCC club volunteers to review the soil classification certificate, which will provide details of materials used for the most recent works to resurface the track," the council said.
"Once the soil test results are in, we will work through next steps for the site with HORCC representatives."
"Council will also continue to liaise with representatives from NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service as they carry out their own investigations on their land.
"While we appreciate riders will be keen to use the tracks, the temporary barriers marking out the closed bike area will remain in place as we work through our investigations."
The sportsfields at Helensburgh remain open and are unaffected by the asbestos investigations, the council said.
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
