.jpg)
.jpg)
BREAKING: Councillors vote to rip up Lords Place
October 3, 2023
By David Fitzsimons
Orange’s controversial Lords Place South redevelopment will be ripped up after a landslide vote at council on Tuesday night said the expensive scheme had failed.
Orange City Council voted 9-2 to remove the "pedestrian-friendly" development that included dining decks, large pots and the removal of 23 car parking spots, and was a key part of the town’s Future City program.
New trees installed as part of the plan that saw existing mature trees removed will be retained.
Two dining decks outside the Nimrods and Crema coffee shops will also be considered to remain, but everything else is set to go.
The vote followed a lengthy debate in which councillors said the council had made mistakes, got the planning wrong and had not listened to businesses opposing the redevelopment.
Several councillors said it had led to businesses closing, cost others much of their trade and led to personal health problems for business owners.
The key problem was the removal of car parking spaces which several councillors said had led to shoppers abandoning businesses in the street and shopping elsewhere.
Earlier in the night a motion at the last council meeting to approve a scheme for the pot plants in the street to be painted by local school children and Indigenous artists was rescinded.
And a motion to create a working party with local businesses to examine how the current scheme could be improved was also defeated.
Council staff will now work to provide a detailed report about how and when the removal can occur.
No costs, or source of funding for the removal, was discussed.
We will have a more detailed report on this extraordinary meeting on Wednesday.
READ MORE ABOUT LORDS PLACE HERE
The Orange News Examiner needs your support so we can keep informing our city. You can make a one-off donation or a small monthly pledge at Patreon or PayPal.
Or you can ...
Comments