Lonsdale playground back in business

A POPULAR Point Lonsdale playground will soon reopen after the Borough of Queenscliffe secured a permit to remove a dangerous tree from the site.

The Borough had fenced off access to the Point Lonsdale Foreshore Reserve playground for about two weeks after an arborist’s report found a tree was at risk of falling.

It needed a permit from the state Department of Environment, Land Water and Planning before removing the decaying tree and had faced delays while the agency’s staff were inundated with requests related to recent flooding events across Victoria.

But BOQ said this week it expected the site to shortly reopen after it had gained the relevant approvals.

“We have been granted a permit to reduce the playground tree to a habitat trunk at the Point Lonsdale Foreshore Reserve playground,” a spokesperson said.

“We anticipate works to commence and the fence to be removed [Wednesday, December 14].”

The playground had been closed due to public safety risks from the tree that was at risk of falling.

“We apologise for the frustration caused by this recent closure,” the Borough stated last week.

“The playground closure [was] a result of an independent arborist assessing the tree and recommending its removal due to a high risk of failure.

“Council [had] voiced to DELWP the needs of our community and the importance the play space represents, as we [persisted] with our commitment to re-opening the playground for the community to enjoy.”