Upgrades to the foreshore facilities at Little Manly Beach which had been set back several months due to the unearthing of bones during excavation work, have now been further delayed due to the presence of asbestos at the site.
A spokesman from the Northern Beaches Council told the Manly Observer that “Council has engaged specialist environmental contactors and an occupational hygienist to manage the asbestos removal process. Wet sieving is continuing to find asbestos fragments. Once the stockpile has been sieved, all sieved material and asbestos fragments will be removed and disposed offsite to a licenced facility.”
The spokesperson also noted that it is “highly unlikely Council will be able to identify the source of the asbestos as it is likely as a result of historical activities dating back many years.”
“The reserve will reopen once the stockpile sieving is complete and a clearance has been obtained from the Occupational Hygienist. It is anticipated that this will be in early 2023.”
In July this year, excavation work at the sea wall was stopped when human remains were uncovered and a NSW Police crime scene was established. In August, a second grave site, also that of an Indigenous person, was revealed.
It was during culturally sensitive practices for handling the Indigenous remains that professionals were deployed to the site to inspect the soil, and this was when asbestos was uncovered.
“The asbestos was discovered in the material excavated to build the new seawall,” the Council spokesperson explained. “The land was previously in private ownership. The source of the asbestos is unknown. It is likely that the asbestos came from historical activities or from an old structure on the site that was demolished before strict protocols were developed for asbestos removal.
“Council is working in close cooperation and consultation with Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council (MLALC), Heritage NSW, archaeological consultants, environmental consultants and SafeWork NSW. The works are culturally sensitive.”
“The sea wall is complete but is currently closed as a precaution while the asbestos is removed.”