A Sunshine Coast father whose son uses a mobility scooter was happy a new footpath was being constructed near his home in Nambour, until he saw four power poles were in the middle of it.
The footpath is now unusable for Greg Paix's 19-year-old son Josh who cannot manoeuvrer his scooter around the poles.
Mr Paix posted photographs of the footpath outside the new Gosfield Estate on the ABC Sunshine Coast's Facebook page this month, prompting the Sunshine Coast Council to admit it was a mistake.
Hinterland councillor Greg Rogerson said it could have been "consultants pushing the boundaries" but acknowledged the council, as approval agents, "should have picked it up".
"Council's operational works [officers] were more intent on what was happening inside the estate, but that is no excuse," he said.
Cr Rogerson said the plans were not within Australian standards and should never have been considered, and he questioned why the engineer would have even put them in.
But he acknowledged the plans were approved by council.
Mr Paix said only in Nambour and the Sunshine Coast could would something like this be passed.
"It's great to have a new footpath and see thousands of dollars spent, but when you are on a mobility scooter how is this for fine design?" he said.
Cr Rogerson said it would be fixed, but he was not sure if ratepayers would have to foot the bill.
"It may cost up to $20,000 to fix," he said.
A spokesman for the developers Parker Property Group said the approvals were in place when the company bought the site in 2015, and the footpath was built in accordance with the approved plans.
