A WHALE watching platform at Point Picquet is not set in stone according to Meelup Regional Park Committee presiding member Bob Jarvis.
The City of Busselton received federal government funding for the project in November but Mr Jarvis said a design had not been finalised.
The $25,000 grant was part of the new National Whale Trail which was set up by the Commonwealth.
There has been public backlash from the announcement with residents Therese Sayers, Bruce King and Ray Walker writing into the Busselton Dunsborough Mail with their concerns.
Mr King said he was disappointed the funding for the project was approved without public consultation.
Ms Sayers said it would bring more visitors to the area and impact badly on the environment.
"Point Picquet is a stunning and unique headland of orange and red granite gneiss, do we need to scar it with a tourist platform that could easily be located at other places along the coast?" she said.
However, Mr Jarvis said once the design was decided on it would then go out for public comment.
The design Mr Jarvis would like to see would include a stone wall surrounding some of the rocks which would have cement to flatten the area.
Resident Ray Walker was also disappointed with the plans, after a disabled fishing platform he instigated for the same area was turned down by council in 2009.
“I would like to know, how all the reasons for knocking back the disabled fishing platform, all of a sudden are acceptable at the same location for a whale watching platform,” he said.
Mr Jarvis said the whale watching platform would be low visability and a low impact to the environment as well as being wheelchair accessible.
City of Busselton environmental services manager Greg Simpson said the disabled fishing platform was not supported because of aesthetic reasons.
“Previous discussions relating to the construction of a disabled fishing platform at this location were not supported because the platform would have needed to be quite a high structure and set closer to the waterline with balustrading for safety,” he said.
Mr Simpson said the whale watching platform was part of the Coastal Nodes Master Plan which had been developed over 18 months and in close consultation with the Meelup Regional Park Committee.
“The whale watching platform will be a low structure and well set back. There will be no need for balustrading and it will be barely noticeable in the landscape,” Mr Simpson said.