City of Launceston Council general manager Michael Stretton said while the closure was unfortunate it was on the recommendation of council engineers to close it, effective immediately, for the safety of families.

"There has been a slippage behind the walls of the centre, which has caused quite severe cracking in the structure itself," Mr Stretton said

The centre is housed in a former water reservoir which is almost 150 years old and is used by thousands of families every year from across the region.

"At this stage, engineers will assess the facility and we expect to have a report back to council within the next month," Mr Stretton said.

The landslip has not affected anything outside the facility and no adjoining properties have been affected.

IN OTHER NEWS

All existing bookings at the facility will be cancelled and anyone who has booked will be contacted by the council 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, the City Park, Heritage Forest or the Cataract Gorge," Mr Stretton said.

"All of these locations are free for the community to use, and also have barbecue facilities that would be more than suitable."

The Road Safety Centre has recently been refurbished, with the council installing a lift and upgrading the playground facilities.

Mr Stretton said the council would be working to repairing the facility and reopening it as soon as possible and as soon as it was safe.