An alternative plan to revamp the Armidale Mall will be unveiled on Thursday evening.
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Following two months of gathering ideas from the community, much of it from a small shop in the mall, Adriana Hegney McClenaghan will reveal the alt.proposal at their shop at 160 Beardy Street.
Ms McClenaghan, who is a resident of the mall, said their plan was an alternative to the design by Armidale Regional Council’s consultants, King & Campbell, which had sparked a lot of debate, and saw hundreds attend a rally on Saturday, February 3.
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“This is how community works, which is the keystone of this proposal,” Ms McClenaghan said of the new alt.proposal and the local residents who participated.
“(They) have all contributed amazing ideas, and I would like to share these before it is finalised and submitted.”
Friday is the closing date for submissions, which is when the alt.proposal will be handed to the council.
Ms McClenaghan began the alt.proposal consultation after conducting a survey with most of the mall’s businesses.
She said opposition to the King & Campbell plans was so strong that members of the community assisted in turning an empty shop into a community space where local residents could provide valuable input to the alternative plans.
Councillors and council staff have also been invited to inspect the community group’s plans.
“I will be pulling out all stops to speak on this in ‘have your say’ time at the first 2018 council meeting on February 28,” Ms McClenaghan said.
Thursday night’s unveiling of the plans starts at 6pm.
“Like an old-fashioned picnic, albeit in a mall shop, bring a plate and a drink for all to enjoy and share,” Ms McClenaghan said.