Parra News March 12 2024

LOCAL NEWS
Asbestos-riddled hall set to fall Asbestos investigation rolls on
ELLIE BUSBY
The fire damaged Dundas Scout Hall.
ELLIE BUSBY
The fire damaged Dundas Scout Hall,
which has been confirmed to contain
high risk asbestos, is finally set to be
demolished.
Parramatta Council has granted Scouts
NSW approval to demolish the building,
located at 42A Yates Avenue, Dundas Valley,
at a recent Local Planning Panel meeting.
An Asbestos Material Survey was submitted
with the Development Application,
confirming traces of friable and non-friable
asbestos had been located throughout the
building.
But a Parramatta Council report said it
“has not identified any fundamental issues
of concern”.
“The application along with the Detailed
Site Investigation submitted by the applicant
was reviewed by Council’s Environmental
Health Team Leader who determined that
satisfactory evidence has been provided
that the site can be made suitable for the
proposed development, subject to conditions
of consent,” it read.
Following demolition of the hall, further
investigation into the potential contamination
of the soil will be required for any
development on the site.
The Dundas Scout Hall was badly damaged
by fire in December 2022, making it the
second time in one month that the muchloved
facility was targeted by arsonists.
Although the hall hadn’t been used by
an active Scout group for many years, it
was often used for hire. At the time of the
incident, the hall was being utilised by The
Manning Foundation, who was using it as a
space to store items like food and blankets to
give to those in the local area.
The NSW Environment
Protection Authority
(EPA) has reached the
end of the supply chain as
it traces asbestos contaminated
mulch, with a total of
four local sites confirmed to
be positive.
Although the initial phase
of supply chain testing is
complete, the EPA said its
criminal investigation will
continue to explore multiple
lines of inquiry.
Over the past eight weeks,
around 6,500 tonnes of
mulch has been tracked
down, assessed and tested,
with nearly 1,200 samples
taken for analysis.
At this stage, 75 sites have
returned a positive result for
asbestos in mulch, with all
sites found to have low levels
of asbestos contamination.
Locally, the presence of
bonded asbestos has been
found in mulch on the
Carlingford to Parramatta
shared path in Telopea, as
well as in a garden bed of
the Parramatta Light Rail
project, also in Telopea.
Four samples taken at two
landscaped sites across the
Prospect Highway Interchange,
between Prospect
NSW EPA is continuing its investigation into traces of
asbestos located in the greater Sydney area.
Photo: Melinda Jane.
and Blacktown, have also
returned positive results for
traces of bonded asbestos.
All sites were fenced off to
prevent any public access
while a remediation plan
was developed.
A construction site at Westmead
Children’s Hospital,
which is not open to the
public, has also tested positive
for asbestos.
The sites have been
inspected by a licensed
asbestos assessor and
samples collected for analysis.
The NSW Asbestos Taskforce
said it will continue
monitoring the situation
while moving to broader
consideration of legacy
asbestos. The NSW Government
has also announced
it will move to tighten
regulations and strengthen
penalties for a range of environmental
crimes.
Free exercise classes
for seniors!
This program is a light exercise program to reduce the risk of ffalling
and is free for those over 65 years of age (or Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islanders over 50 years of age) and includes:
• Free 12-week group exercise program
• Free home exercise program as part
of the group program
• Free exercise bands
• Free education sessions
Falling over can be dangerous and
you could end up being admitted to
hospital. The Still Standing Program
consists of light exercise to help you
maintain your independence and quality of life. The Still Standing program
is also a good way to meet new people and make new friends.
52816
Classes available in Dundas Valley, Toongabbie, Wentworthville and coming
soon to Merrylands (April 2024).
Other locations available in Western Sydney as well. Check the website for details.
Contact us today to join the program!
Phone: 1300 487 921 (please leave a message) or text 0431 207 285
Email: admin@newedgeperformance.com.au
Website: stillstanding.au
This service has been made possible by funding from Western Sydney Primary Health Network
PN53292
8 parra news » Tuesday, March 12, 2024