A proposal to allow vehicles into the mall at night has been rejected by Armidale Regional Council.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The council voted on a recommendation to trial allowing cars, especially taxis, to be able to drop and collect people outside Tattersalls Hotel in the mall.
The council considered several recommendations by its Traffic Committee, which would have created a shared traffic zone in Armidale Mall.
The request was for traffic to enter the mall at the post office end, between between 5pm and 8.30am.
It would have required the removal of the permanent stage outside the post office, along with several other changes to create a driveway on the eastern side of the Mall.
The plan was only published on Friday and drew ire from Cr Debra O'Brien.
She started a petition against the trial on Monday, which drew more than 500 signatures.
At Wednesday's virtual council meeting Cr O'Brien was joined in defeating the plan by fellow councillors Peter Bailey, Jon Galletly, Andrew Murat, Margaret O'Connor, Dorothy Robinson, Ian Tiley and Brad Widders.
Only Mayor Simon Murray, deputy mayor Libby Martin and Diane Gray were in favour of the trial.
The plan was initially mooted last month at a meeting of the Traffic Advisory Committee, of which Cr Martin is chairwoman.
At the meeting, Cr O'Brien asked chief executive Susan Law who would bear the cost of signage, bollards and line marking needed for the trial.
Ms Law said it was standard practice for an organisation, or individual, to approach council with a request for trials and ideas and "this was no different from any other request".
But Cr O'Brien said "questions should be asked" regarding the beneficiary of the plan and also how it came to be council business.
Cr Murat agreed.
"There's already a public perception the only business that would benefit from this plan would be Tattersalls Hotel," he said.
"If they want any parking or access from the Mall, the owner would have to submit another development application, that's the process."
