Neglected Western Sydney parkland, broken barbed wire fences, overgrown, congested creek, long unslashed grass full of snakes & is a fire danger, burnt out rusty old cars and other risks to the public.
AN unkempt property accessible to anyone and close to a primary school is a death trap, Eastern Creek resident Keith Darley believes.
He lives across the road from the Western Sydney Parklands Trust block (pictured above) and has been lobbying for four years over safety.
Lack of fencing makes it accessible to anyone — and there is a risk of tripping on broken barbed wire on site.
He believes Eastern Creek, which runs though the site, poses a serious drowning risk. "Someone may fall and get caught in the grasses and be unable to break free," Mr Darley said. "The trust is ignoring the dangers to the community."
"I want to raise awareness about this danger in the community.
"I'm always getting kids out of there because of the fear they will drown in the creek. It's privately owned land and should be fenced off so people don't injure themselves."
Overgrown grass on the property would become a significant fire hazard this summer said Mr Darley, a former Rural Fire Service volunteer.
"There's a gas substation on the property and if that caught on fire, it would cause the biggest explosion you'll see in a lifetime."
He wrote to the parklands' operations and visitor services manager Jacob Messer last week.
"It is not our job to look after your property or community members from hazards on your property," Mr Darley wrote.
"Western Sydney Parklands is responsible for the upkeep of this property and if it cannot do so then it should be removed from the responsibility of it and given to someone who can."
Mr Messer has since responded to Mr Darley to inform him that damaged fencing along the boundary of the site will be replaced over the next two months.
The work starts this week to remove broken wire and overhanging branches from the road verge.
Mr Messer said experts had assessed the risk of a fire on the property.
"The trust initiated a site inspection with the NSW Rural Fire Service in May, who advised the trust that the site is considered a low fire risk from a bush fire perspective," Mr Messer said.
He said this was the first time the trust had heard about a drowning risk but vowed to investigate further.