WORKS on a new park in Evanston Gardens have been halted due to the discovery of asbestos, but Gawler Council has confirmed there is no health risk to locals.

The council began works to turn a disused parcel of land on the corner of Hindmarsh Boulevard and Musgrave Street into a community park in October last year, after a campaign by local residents.

Works then began on the project, but were halted in June after council staff discovered cement sheeting fragments containing asbestos in the ground.

Staff promptly stopped work on the site, fenced off the area and had the sheeting removed by a professional, before enlisting an external contractor to undertake a further study of asbestos contamination in the area.

The investigation found bonded asbestos was present throughout the site, with nine samples showing levels of the potentially-cancerous material which exceeded the safe limit for public spaces.

Another 22 mounds either had no asbestos present, or amounts which did not exceed the safe limit of 0.02 per cent of the sampled soil volume.

The asbestos found at the site is bonded asbestos, which poses no known health risk, but can become dangerous if disturbed or damaged, which causes it to release potentially carcinogenic fibres.

Gawler Council chief executive officer Henry Inat said there was no health risk to residents living near the reserve.

“Based on the investigations undertaken to date by the Town of Gawler there is not considered to be any risk to public health and safety as the site is closed off from public access and any remaining traces of bonded asbestos in the soil have remained undisturbed since their discovery,” he said.

“The Town of Gawler advises the site remains restricted from public access until further notice with temporary fencing and associated signage in place.”

Elected members discussed a report into the asbestos contamination at their September meeting last night – held after The Bunyip’s print deadline.

It is set to cost council more than $197,000 to remediate the site, with elected members voting last night on whether to go ahead with the works.

Mr Inat said the remediation works will begin “as soon as possible” following councillors giving funding the green light.

“Following this remediation work, the remaining landscape works will be finalised and the park can then be reopened for safe public access,” he said.

According to the report tabled last night, Gawler Council notified Musgrave Street and Hindmarsh Boulevard residents of the asbestos discovery.