Badger Weir picnic area in Healesville still closed due to damage from October 2016 storms

PUBLIC anger is growing as a popular Healesville park remains closed due to severe damage from a storm more than a year ago — and it could still be months away from reopening.

Some of the damage at Badger Weir Park in Healesville. The park has been closed since storms in October 2016. Picture: Bronwyn Spargo/Facebook

THE public has been locked out of a popular Healesville park for more than a year with repairs to fix the storm-damaged area still not complete.

Parks Victoria stopped people accessing the popular Badger Weir picnic area after wild storms uprooted trees, and damaged a toilet block, water tanks and picnic tables when it tore through the region on October 9, 2016 — 473 days ago.

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The authority did not specify why it had taken so long to repair the park, but said it plans to fix the broken utilities and reopen it by spring.

Badger Creek mum Renee Feehan, 29, called the delay “a joke” and said it was a “big kick in the guts” to the public who love using the park.

“It’s a beautiful place, that not many tourists knew about and perfect for families,” she said.

“The amount of summers spent there, with kids playing cricket and enjoying the space.”

Ms Feehan said it was not the only park damaged during the storms, but the only one that had not been fixed and reopened.

A recent post on the Yarra Valley Noticeboard Facebook page by Vicki McDonald asked why the park had not reopened.

It got more than 80 comments, many angry at the delay by Parks Victoria.

The Parks Victoria website still says the park is closed because of “severe damage” from the October 2016 storms.

The Badger Weir picnic area is still closed. Picture: Dale Morgan/Facebook

Parks Victoria Yarra Ranges chief ranger Conrad Annal said construction on a toilet block, barbecues and picnic tables, damaged in the storms, would start in the next three months and hopefully be finished by spring.

“The design work for the new facilities is currently underway and we will go through a tender process for the construction work within the next month,” Mr Annal said.

“Badger Weir is a popular destination and Parks Victoria looks forward to reopening the site for the community.”

Fallen trees have been an issue at the park. Picture: Dale Morgan/Facebook.