A shire resident has called on Sutherland Shire Council to sink its plans to demolish the old wooden Scylla Bay jetty at Como and replace it with a “characterless” floating pontoon.
Barry Slade said the old jetty is a destination for locals and should be saved as part of the history of the suburb.
But Sutherland Shire Council said its restoration was impractical and uneconomic and that it has to be demolished for public in the interests of public safety.
Mr Slade supports the plans to refurbish the boat ramp.
“But the council also wants to demolish the adjacent timber jetty and put in a plastic floating pontoon "replacement,” Mr Slade said.
“How totally characterless that would be. It would rob the environment of a lot of its charm and social amenity.
“People are drawn magnetically to that wooden pier. It is a destination. They sit out on the end of it or lean on the rails, with only the sound of lapping water and view to the horizon, something that invites meditation.
“People do so little of that these days. Their horizons are too often the 15 inch distance to an electronic screen.
“And no-one is going to want to sit out on a seasick inducing wobbling plastic pontoon. It is spending a lot of money to go backwards in public amenity.
“The wooden jetty, with its grey and gold sandstone foundations, its patina'd glory, its higgeldy piggeldy charm, its views, is a destination for people.
“A characterless plastic pontoon is not a replacement, it is an ugly unharmonious blight on the landscape.”
A Sutherland Shire Council spokesman said the existing wooden jetty at Scylla Bay was constructed in the 1970s and has reached the end of its serviceable life-span, despite significant maintenance to keep it open to the public in recent years.
“The jetty is not heritage listed, and restoration of it is impractical and uneconomic,” he said.
“In the interest of public safety it will be removed following the installation of the new pontoon and boat ramp.
“The new pontoon structure will provide safer, more convenient access to the water than the existing elevated timber jetty.
“Community consultation about the design of the new facility was conducted in September 2015. Over 70 per cent of respondents indicated a preference for using the site to launch trailer boats and smaller craft, which will be made easier by the new pontoon.
“Further community comment was welcomed in October 2016 following a local letterbox drop and signage on site detailing the draft project plan.”
The Scylla Bay Boat Ramp and Pontoon is one of a number of projects being delivered under the Waterways Infrastructure Upgrade Program, a joint initiative between Sutherland Shire Council and the NSW Roads and Maritime Service.
But Mr Slade said that saving the old wooden jetty would be an investment in the social good.
“The council refurbished the jetty in recent years, and continuing that maintenance isn't impractical or uneconomic,” he said.
“It is an investment in social good.
“The wooden jetty, with its grey and gold sandstone foundations, its patina'd textures, its higgeldy piggeldy charm and its views, is a destination for people.
“A plastic pontoon is not a replacement for that and will look ugly. If necessary have both but keep the popular old wooden jetty.”