The Town of Bassendean has demolished an unofficial dirt track and bike jumps that have entertained eastern suburbs children for nearly two decades, citing safety concerns.
The jumps, located near the Bindaring wetlands in Bassendean, were removed earlier this year after complaints about potential dangers.
Local resident Aaron McKay expressed his disappointment at the council's April 28 meeting, explaining that the track was built by kids about 20 years ago and provided a valuable outdoor activity.
"It's one of those great things where you'll tell your kid to get off the iPads and go and play outdoors and do stuff, and you're trying to get them to be creative and do their own thing," Mr McKay said.
"There didn't seem to be any great graffiti or anything like that around the area. It seemed to be a pretty well kid-friendly zone. It just seemed to be that little bit of independence that (my son) and his friends could go and do something together."
He asked whether the jumps could be reinstated or new ones built elsewhere, suggesting that a simple pile of dirt would suffice rather than an elaborate, expensive structure.
"I don't believe it needs to be some massively designed feature thing. It could be the accidental dumping of some dirt by the Town of Bassendean in a spot that the kids could do stuff with," he said.
"I can't see why we need to spend hundreds of thousand dollars on planning and all the rest of it when we really want the kids to do stuff themselves to try it out, see what works, see what doesn't work, make alterations to make it better for themselves.
"Having it where they're actually playing in the dirt and working with the environment, I think is the step that brings them 20 or 30 years down the track to being in touch with nature and wanting to preserve it."
Mayor Kath Hamilton said the jumps had expanded into areas where environmental upgrades were underway, and the council acted on complaints that some jumps were dangerous.
Mr McKay acknowledged one jump had "got out of control" but described the rest as "pretty timid." He suggested that problematic jumps could simply be knocked down by a backhoe, forcing kids to rebuild smaller ones.
He added that the jumps did not need to be at their original location, as kids would adapt to a new site with a decent drop-off.
Cr Hamilton indicated she would ask council staff to explore potential sites for "nature-based" jump or BMX tracks, develop a concept plan, and investigate grant funding.
However, Cr Jennie Carter raised concerns about liability if someone using the jumps was injured. Mr McKay countered that the council would only become liable if it received complaints about the jumps, and noted that the concrete track at Bassendean oval posed greater risks.
Cr Hayden Long acknowledged safety and environmental issues but described the council's response as "heavy-handed." He said he channelled his "inner teenager" to identify potential alternative sites in Bassendean.
