Tamworth mayor Russell Webb calls car park decision a 'misunderstanding'

A spokesperson for Tamworth Regional Council has confirmed no consultation with business owners on Plain Street took place before a recommendation was presented, and approved by council, to remove 23 car parks on the busy road.

Councillors unanimously voted to push forward with the removal, despite senior staff not being able to provide a clear answer on how much consultation had taken place.

The spokesperson said funding had only been secured for the design and investigation of the project, but not construction costs.

"As a result, consultation with businesses has not yet taken place," they said.

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"If the project does receive funding for construction, Tamworth Regional Council will ensure nearby businesses are informed well in advance of any works taking place."

But the minutes of a meeting of the Local Traffic Committee, the body which put the recommendation forward, state "businesses directly affected by the works" would be "communicated" with after the report was considered by the committee, and before it was put before council.

Business owners near the Plain and Avro street intersection said they had no idea about the changes until they read about the decision in the Leader.

They told the Leader they feared removing the parks would drive business away.

Mayor Russell Webb has promised no physical works will take place without in-depth consultation.

"There's no question about the fact that we will be consulting with those affected businesses before any further works get carried out," he said.

"There's quite a bit of time for that to happen and no plans for that work to start any time soon."

Cr Webb said he believes there was a "misunderstanding" between councillors as to exactly what they were voting on at Tuesday night's meeting.

"It was about accepting that we've got the money just to do a design before anything happens out there," he said.

Despite the potential confusion, Cr Webb said he didn't think the decision needed to go back to council to be voted upon again.

The proposed works will include the removal of 23 car parks, painting new linemarkings and installing larger 'Give Way' signs.

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