A proposal to share part of the Beardy Street Mall with traffic will be discussed this week.
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When Armidale Regional Council meet, it will consider several recommendations by Council's Traffic Committee, chaired by deputy mayor Libby Martin, which aim to create a shared traffic zone in Armidale Mall.
The move would enable traffic to enter the mall at the post office end, between between 5pm and 8.30am.
Council will consider five recommendations at its meeting on Wednesday that, if approved, will see the permanent stage removed, and several other changes required to create a driveway on the eastern side of the Mall.
Mayor Simon Murray said the request had come from Tattersalls Hotel so taxis could drop customers off outside the premises.
"The only other access is Cinders Lane," Cr Murray said. "It's at a quiet time and it won't infringe on pedestrians."
But Cr Debra O'Brien has come out in opposition to the motion calling it a sneaky attack on the goodwill of the community.
"This proposal features no real plan, no mapping, no costings, and worst of all - no public consultation," Cr O'Brien said.
"It has been snuck in through the backdoor of a committee report by the deputy mayor, which is why I have spent the last few days ensuring the community is aware - including the launch of a petition."
The petition, started by O'Brien on Sunday night, had already gained more than125 signatures by Monday morning.
"Each paver in that Mall represents the blood sweat and tears of many hardworking local tradesmen, labourers, and general hard working locals who have put everything into building that Mall, to see it become a driveway and possibly a main traffic thoroughfare would be an insincere attack on our community's legacy - an absolute attack on the goodwill of our community."
And Cr Dorothy Robinson has attacked the lack of detail provided to councillors.
She received the business paper for the meeting late on Friday, and said there were no plans or drawings to show what the proposed layout would look like.
"There were no reports of community consultation, nor how it would affect the ideas and suggestions in the MasterPlan that councillors were told was intended to link the Mall and CBD with the Creeklands," Cr Robinson said.
"All we know is that Mr Piorkowski discussed the proposal with the Traffic Committee on March 3. Is it reasonable to expect councillors to make an informed decision based on this limited information?"
She also said the cost of the project needed to be made available and the community needed to be consulted.
"The middle of a Covid-19 pandemic isn't the time to rush through decisions about remodelling the Mall, while keeping decision-makers in the dark about important details such as the proposed layout," Cr Robinson said.
While the plan says it could be done at no cost to council, Cr Murray said he had not been told who would pay for the works. Asked if it could be the Tattersalls Hotel, he said all he knew was that it wasn't council.
