Developers have been mercilessly mocked over a 'ridiculous' CGI planning picture that makes a 'bird-poo covered' canal look like the Med, features Inception-style errors and 'children in need of social services'.
Paul Smith, the managing director of a land promotion company, thought the image was so funny he shared it on Twitter last weekend where dozens of people poked fun at it.
The 42-year-old pointed out there is 'no way' anyone would be putting their feet in Manchester's Bridgewater Canal, as the image shows a woman 'idly' dipping her toes in the 'bird muck-covered' water.
The planning picture of Stretford's new waterside development by Bruntwood and Trafford Council was ridiculed for showing 'psychotic' geese calmly eating from a 'Tracey Emin-lookalike's hand'.
Other social media users poked fun at how the café sign was printed backwards, making it look like something from Christopher Nolan's mind-bending movie Inception.
Meanwhile, one commenter pointed out that two children appeared to be walking on their own by the water's edge, suggesting that 'social services need to be called'.
Another joked that someone might catch the potentially-deadly weil's disease if they were to take a dip in the water like the lady in the image.
Paul suggested that the image could even be the result of an 'office competition' to produce the 'most ridiculous' computer-generated person in the image they can get away with.
Paul, from Sale, Manchester, said: "You always look at the CGIs because that's the only information you've got to go off and that girl sat with her feet idly dangled in the water, as though she's on some Mediterranean beach just made me laugh.
"I cycle down that stretch of the towpath sometimes when coming into the office so I know exactly what it's like. It's brown water covered in bird muck.
"The last I can remember was cycling down there in summer coming into the office and there was genuinely a sunk boat underneath that bridge with three people with ropes trying to pull it out of the water.
"I'm not sitting with my feet in there thank you.
"It's not a pleasant environment there at the minute and I can't imagine it ever being pleasant enough to put your feet in to be honest."
The keen cyclist, who has worked in the development industry for two decades, claims 3D drawings often make it easier for people to understand development plans - but questioned if the artist had used some 'artistic license'.
In his tweet, Paul wrote: "As amazing as these plans for Stretford look, there’s *no way* anyone is going to sit like this with their feet in the canal."
Paul said: "Working in the development industry it can be very difficult for laypeople to interpret development plans and 2D drawings. I've spent 20 years looking at them and I find it hard enough.
"Sometimes you have to stop and squint and think 'okay, how is that going to look in reality?' I understand why they do that.
"You see stuff like this on CGIs a lot and sometimes I don't know if it's accidental and it's just artistic license. There's no doubt there are incredibly creative people who do these things and they don't understand the reality of the site.
"Part of me does wonder if they do these things deliberately and it's a tongue-in-cheek joke.
"You can almost imagine a competition in the office for the most ridiculous computer-generated person they can get in an image.
"There was a spate a few years ago where everyone in Manchester had somebody playing tennis on [their plans]. Even if it was just one person with a tennis racquet in the middle of a public square.
"I noticed someone said the person feeding the goose looked like Tracey Emin."
Paul has praised the 'brilliant' plans and admits he thinks the proposals by Bruntwood and Trafford Council look 'fantastic', admitting the picture 'just made him smile'.
Paul said: "Don't get me wrong, the plans are brilliant. It's amazing what they're doing down there and the council have done a great job with bringing in other land ownerships to make it possible.
"It's a fantastic proposal and all credit to the council for trying to make it work, but it just made me smile.
"There was another set of images realised for this scheme that weren't CGIs. They were stylised oil colour painting type things.
"I thought they looked brilliant and gave you a feel for what it was going to be like. They're obviously more of an impressionistic thing."
Paul's post on Twitter has since attracted more than 480 likes, with others racing to offer a light-hearted comment about the bold image.
Urban designer Vicky Payne said: "There's no way anyone is going to look that nonchalant while feeding waterfowl."
In response to two lone children walking by the water's edge, Graeme Baumber said: "Who is responsible for these two? Social services need to be called."
Andy Washington said: "Not a safety railing in site nor any lifesaving equipment. Those kids will drown."
Barrister Jonathan Easton pointed out that the name of the 'café' was written backwards and said: "It's a Christopher Nolan mindbender of a rendering."
An anonymous Urmston commuter said: "That goose would be psychotically attacking everyone in the bar/restaurant."
Another account named 'Just an ordinary bloke' said: "For as long as I have used a narrow boat Weil's disease has been prevalent in most UK canals, falling in was never a voluntary option! Person who drew that needs to get out more."
Bruntwood and Trafford Council were contacted for comment.
