Kent Street Sand Pit: Pathway material could change to accommodate fire service vehicles

Plans to revegetate a former landfill site could be put on hold after the Town of Victoria Park council received emergency related advice from a State Government department.

Victoria Park council approved the design of the Kent Street Sand Pit last April, with plans to include yarning spaces, shaded areas, seating for Aboriginal stories and history presentations.

The design also includes water stations, connecting pathways, walking trails and mounding surrounded by trees, as well as a carpark and bike parking space.

While the park’s pathways were originally planned to be constructed from a clay road base, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services has since advised the path be changed to allow for fire service vehicle accessibility.

Town staff are now recommending the council vote to buildthe pathways from red asphalt, with the change projected to cost up to $250,000.

“DFES requires the pathway to be accessible by their vehicles, which are heavier than standard vehicles ... they’re not too concerned as long as it’s trafficable,” the town’s chief operations officer Natalie Adams said.

“Previous bushfire advice obtained from a consultant in 2023 was that it was likely that in the event of a bushfire within the site, firefighters may operate from the road reserve depending on the perimeter fence height and type,” a staff report reads.

“However, recent advice received from the DFES was that the path would need to be constructed such that fire service vehicles would need to be able to access and drive over them.

“The town has a liability to minimise the risk and allow access to the site via the pathways ... in order to accommodate this, the town must change the materiality to an option that is trafficable by fire service vehicles.”

A decision will be made at next week’s council meeting.

Restoring the once-contaminated site is expected to enable the natural habitat of endangered and rare species of flora and fauna to expand, including the black cockatoo.

The council first heard of the community’s desire to rehabilitate the Sand Pit in November 2019 after receiving a petition from the Friends of Jirdarup Bushland requesting the site be revegetated.