Community crying out for trees at splash park

Online Poll

Shaun Hollis

Journalist

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Port Douglas is getting a new $3.3m splash park.

Newsport readers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of retaining as many trees as possible at Port Douglas’s new $3.3m splash park in an online poll conducted across the weekend.

Of more than 160 people who have so far voted in the poll, 89 per cent of people wanted more trees to be retained at the Jalunbu Park site, while just 11 per cent did not.

But the community call will likely be too late for several “clusters of trees” at the selected site behind the Port Douglas Surf Club, with the Port Douglas Shire council aiming to remove them between Tuesday, December 3, and Thursday, December 5.

An update from the council sent out last week to some residents stated “neighbouring residents will be impacted with noise from increased truck movements and machinery, including a woodchipper and chainsaws”.

The splash park plan has been backed by many people online, but some Newsport readers have commented about the removal of trees.

For example, Nicole Phelps wrote: “Let’s hope that this splash park is not surrounded by concrete and no shade. PLEASE keep those gorgeous shady trees - they’ll be needed.”

“The next ratepayer expense will be the installation of massive shade sails - where some well kept trees could have done the job for free,” Rosie Wang stated.

The water-based playground is set to include a nature-themed splash park with a 400sq m splash pad, new footpaths, picnic shelters, a barbeque area and a carpark upgrade.

The play area will include nozzles that can shower, spray, rain, mist, dump or shoot steams of water.

There will be no pools of water, so lifeguards or fencing will not be needed.

Mayor Lisa Scomazzon last week welcomed the splash park announcement.

“It’s quite exciting to have this finally happening,” Mayor Scomazzon said.

“I think the community will be happy once this is finished and I think we will be too.”

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