Council moved a motion to source grants to pay for the removal of the wetland and “return to the originally designed retardation basin.”

Wetland Committee chairwoman Mona Finley was “appalled by such negative thinking.”

“What could be more utterly futile than to reinstate a stagnant pond, exactly what had given rise to complaints from the community in the first place,” Mrs Finley asked.

Mayor Ruth McRae said council never takes on a decision lightly, and has and continue to listen to the community.

“We gather a lot of information from many different people to get the full picture and it can take months,” Cr McRae said.

“Community input is paramount… during community consultation for the delivery plan and strategic plan, it [wetlands] was not brought forward as a priority, as such we respected the residents of Darlington Point. During the community consultations [in 2016] the community did not place the wetlands as a high priority.”

Mrs Finley said the wetland had been a “community-driven” project from the onset in 2000, funded by a Centenary of Federation grant of $21,600, with a further $6000 raised from the community.

“The area was redesigned to permit water flow, with appropriate aquatic plantings for filtration. The surrounds were to be re-vegetated as natural bushland, and the whole area intended as a peaceful haven for both wildlife and people,” Mrs Finely claims.

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While the motion has been resolved, Cr McRae said there is still a window open to community wishing to propose “another road” for the wetland’s fate.

“That road would need to have support of the community as, at the end of the day based on our calculations for undertaking work and annual maintenance, it’s the ratepayers who pay for this work, which may involve rate increases to sustain.

“The path council has taken does not affect the rates as the costs associated are already built in.”