The $750,000 pedestrian and cycleway boardwalk  was a project of the Lake Illawarra Authority (LIA) to overcome a ‘‘missing link’’ in their plans for a continuous shared pathway around the lake.

The proposed 220-metre grid mesh boardwalk would link the King Street foreshore promenade at Warrawong with the foreshore near a laneway off Lakeview Parade, Primbee, where another 100metres of concrete pathway would be built.

Earlier this year, the authority said the boardwalk would provide ‘‘a new visual experience’’ of the lake for leisure activities. It would also provide a shorter and safer route from Lakeview Parade to King Street, moving pedestrians away from the busy main road.

The NSW government disbanded the lake authority in July – its functions are currently under the umbrella of the NSW Department of Trade and Investment – until an estuary management committee is established comprising representatives of Wollongong and Shellharbour councils.

In a notice of motion to be presented at Monday night’s Wollongong City Council meeting, Cr Crasnich called for the council to write to the Minister for Regional Infrastructure, Andrew Stoner, seeking a  postponement of the decision to build the boardwalk until the new estuary management committee was established.

Cr Crasnich said that when the LIA decided,  at its June20 meeting, to proceed with building the boardwalk, the authority ‘‘may have been unaware of the 660 negative community responses to the proposal’’ submitted as part of the authority’s information day at Warrawong Markets on May18. 

‘‘This proposal has created major ill-feeling among the residents of Primbee and the community generally,’’ Cr Crasnich said.

He said the LIA had ’’failed to undertake comprehensive and unbiased consultations with the community’’.