In 2015 Uralla Shire Council’s decision to move the VIC next door was met with strong opposition due to a lack of community consultation.

The move was postponed while Council ran a community survey that received more than 200 responses.

Out of 41 comments on the relocation of the VIC, 38 were against.

“Under no circumstances should these two services be amalgamated, an ill-thought and backward step by Council,” a respondent said.

“Keep the VIC in the current building and for a change listen to the stakeholders [and] you just might learn something about tourism.. This egotistical council has called meetings and wasted our time by not implementing any of our suggestions,” another respondent said.

“The lack of anything approaching management skills is breathtaking.”

The respondents in support of the move said the VIC could be put to better use as a restaurant. 

Uralla Shire Council councillor Isabel Strutt is on the survey sub-committee.

Ms Strutt said the amalgamation of the two services was put on hold as Council was aware the public weren’t in favour.

“We were getting quite a lot of feedback that people weren’t supportive of that particular idea and so we didn’t proceed with moving the two facilities into the one building at that point,” she said.

“We decided that what we needed to do was to get a survey across the community and get their feedback and ideas.

“It was an ideal opportunity to just stop and have a broader assessment of what would be acceptable to the community and amount to the best provision of services.”

Council will hold a meeting to discuss the relocation of the VIC to the library at 6pm on April 26 at Council chambers.