The mystery of who is responsible for a boardwalk and jetty linking a major Sunshine Coast resort with the water has been solved.
The boardwalk from the Novotel Twin Waters Resort and a jetty at the Maroochy River’s edge have become a maintenance hot potato that nobody wants to catch.
Both have seen better days. Some of the timber is badly weathered and some boards have risen badly, creating trip hazards and protruding nails.
Some of the support timbers for the jetty have rotted through and lay beside it, with the remains of the stumps in the water.
Signs at the resort end of the jetty declare both closed.
Councillor Taylor Bunnag said last week that enquiries were underway to establish who was responsible for the repair or replacement of the boardwalk and jetty.
He said the condition of the boardwalk and jetty had been brought to his attention by local residents.
The boardwalk and jetty were mostly used by Twin Waters guests and residents, he said.
Mr Bunnag said most people would expect to see “public money spent on public infrastructure, not private infrastructure”.
Novotel’s parent company, Accor, was contacted for comment and a spokesperson emailed Sunshine Coast News this morning advising that it was responsible for the jetty.
The spokesperson said planning was underway for the necessary rectification works.
The boardwalk and jetty run through the Maroochy River Conservation Reserve.
A Queensland Parks and Wildlife management plan prepared in 1999 makes reference to boardwalks in the section of the park north of the resort’s entrance and on the western side of the park near Nojoor Road.
It refers to a master plan for the area, including parts of the conservation park, which was being prepared by Lend Lease Development, the company which developed Twin Waters.
The QPWS plan says Lend Lease, with community groups, developed a 4km track within the norther section of the park and would be responsible for developing a boat ramp at Nojoor Road and weir access.
“Construction of an educational boardwalk system through a small section of the nearby saltmarsh and mangrove community is a possibility,” it says.
The plan proposes maintenance of structures as part of the QPWS guidelines, policies and actions but does not specify who should be responsible for this.
“Maintain all structures and ground surfaces, including the northern track system, in a safe condition as part of the regional risk assessment program,” it says.
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