Popular Launceston children’s party venue Road Safety Centre closed due to landslip damage

A popular children’s party venue has been closed after a landslip caused its walls to crack.

The Road Safety Centre in South Launceston was closed this week after a landslip behind the facility caused its walls to crack.

A POPULAR children’s party venue in Launceston has been closed due to a landslip and its future hinges on what engineers find when they inspect the structure.

The Road Safety Centre in South Launceston, a bike centre which features a realistic but miniature urban landscape with roads and traffic lights, was closed this week after a landslip behind the facility caused its walls to crack.

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Launceston City Council general manager Michael Stretton said it had been a hard decision to close the centre but it had been made on the recommendation of engineers.

The centre is housed within an almost-150-year-old former water reservoir.

The council had recently upgraded the playground and installed a lift.

“While this is extremely disappointing for the thousands of northern Tasmanian families which use the centre every year, the majority for children’s birthday parties, safety must be our overriding priority,” Mr Stretton said.

Engineers will now assess the facility and a report is due back to the council within a month.

No adjoining properties appear to have been affected.

All existing bookings will be cancelled and council staff will contact everyone involved to arrange a full refund.

“I would encourage anyone impacted by the closure to [consider] relocating to one of the council’s many other free facilities such as the recently-opened Riverbend Park, Punchbowl Reserve, City Park, Heritage Forest or the Cataract Gorge,” Mr Stretton said.

“Obviously our preference is to see this facility repaired and re-opened as soon as possible. but that decision will be entirely contingent on the recommendations of the engineers’ report.”

Originally published as Popular Launceston children’s party venue Road Safety Centre closed due to landslip damage