Horse riders warn government inaction will 'cost a child's life' at Centennial Park

Horse riders at Centennial Parklands are calling for authorities to move the sole entrance of a new, $4 million nature playground to a safer location, saying inaction might "cost the life of a child".

For more than two years, a group of about 100 riders has been warning the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust and the NSW Environment Minister the entrance to the Ian Potter Children’s Wild Play Garden forces families to cross a horse track and places riders, horses and visitors at risk.

They are baffled by the lack of clear answers and misleading statements, considering the operators could simply close the entrance on Grand Drive and open an existing gate near Loch Avenue.

"When we first discovered the planned horse track crossing it had been approved without consulting us, they told us: 'Get over it, no changes will be made'," regular rider Annabelle Warren said.

“The Trust and Minister Gabrielle Upton are unwilling to admit they have made a massive mistake. This recalcitrance is likely to cost the life of a child.”

Shortly before the park's grand opening in October 2017, the Trust installed "double" chicanes – fences that force the horses to zig-zag and slow down – at the entrance. The riders argue this "traps them", making the situation more dangerous.

Fairfax Media can reveal that last December, a horse nearly trampled on a child. The 19-year-old rider said she and her horse were between the two chicanes when a screaming child ran towards them and another rode towards them on a scooter.

Her horse, spooked, reared up on his hind legs and as he landed, "narrowly" missed striking a child.

"If I wasn't prepared, I could have fallen off or the child could have died," said the rider, who asked not to be named.

The 6000 square metre "wild play" garden – which has dry creek beds, a bamboo forest and banksia tunnels – has attracted 200,000 children in the past 10 months.

Ms Warren said riders had conveyed their concerns to Ms Upton's staff but they had not taken any action and the minister had not attended any briefings.

She said Ms Upton, at Budget Estimates last year, misleadingly said that following a Safety in Focus report, new safety controls were put in place and Safety in Focus had been "advised of the measures".

But Ms Warren said she spoke to Safety in Focus and established this was not true.

Over the past 2½ years, several safety reports have been commissioned.

The Safety in Focus report, delivered in January 2017, found the Grand Drive entrance "is likely to pose a risk of injury [because of a] horse" and the hazard could be "eliminated" if it was moved.

A June 2016 report by Reliance Risk, commissioned by Botanic Gardens and Centennial Parklands, found the entrance was "low risk". However, it based its assessment on visitor numbers of 100,000 – less than half of the actual figures.

A Horse Safety Australia report, commissioned by Centennial Park Equestrian Centre, of which Ms Warren is a member, found the entrance location was "very dangerous and put people ... at risk of serious injury or death".

The NSW Public Service Commission is reviewing a report from the Office of Environment and Heritage into allegations that Trust executives had failed to provide "accurate information" and consult "effectively".

Minister Upton directed all questions to Centennial Parklands, whose spokesman said "high volumes" of visitors regularly crossed horse tracks to access different areas of the park.

He said two safety reports concluded the entrance was safe and "a safety control expert was engaged and chicanes, fencing and signage were installed".

In regards to the near-accident in December, he said: "They continue to monitor this area and whilst no other reports of this nature have been received, all safety feedback is taken seriously."

He said the Trust could confirm Minister Upton’s answer during Budget Estimate hearings last year was accurate.

Article courtesy of Fairfax Digital and The Sydney Morning Herald