Point Cook residents have called on Wyndham council to go back to the drawing board and rebuild the iconic pirate ship playground that was destroyed by fire last September.
Almost 2400 people signed an online petition calling on the council to rebuild Bayview Park’s timber pirate ship in its previous form.
The council released its final design for the rebuilt park last month – a metal ghost ship at the top of the hill with play activities and a new slide at the bottom of the hill.
Work on the park is expected to begin in the next month.
But representatives of residents group Alamanda Owners Corporation and Point Cook Action Group lodged an official objection letter last week, saying the replacement plans did not reflect community sentiment.
Glen Piper, of Alamanda, said the council had not been open or transparent during the consultation process and had not listened to community feedback.
He said residents believed the use of a metal structure was inappropriate for a playground.
“Their process is an unqualified disaster,” Mr Piper said. “All along, people have asked for the ship back, not an art sculpture made of steel.
“Council has missed the mark completely and it’s time they recognised the mistake they have made.”
Despite the release of the final design, Wyndham chief executive Kerry Thompson said the council was still exploring design options with the steering committee.
“Wyndham City can appreciate there are some members of the community who would like to see the pirate ship rebuilt, but there is also recognition by other residents that the original design did not work as the site was unfortunately used for graffiti, drug use and rubbish dumping,” she said.
“The consensus feedback was that there was a wish for something iconic at the top of the mound, that it be ‘ship‐like’ and that it engage as a playground.”
Wyndham council did not answer Star Weekly’s questions regarding the results of its consultation process and survey, nor did it reveal how many residents voted in favour of the final design.
