A "PEACEFUL sit-in" held in Chandos Street this morning ended in a heated community meeting.
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About 100 people attended the protest to speak out against Gunnedah Shire Council work to make part of Chandos Street one-way.
The work has followed a controversial council decision to relocate the Visitor Information Centre to the Mooki Room at the Civic Centre.
People started to gather in Chandos Street from 6am.
Gunnedah Shire Mayor Owen Hasler and general manager Eric Groth attended the protest to hear the views of the crowd, followed by a meeting for residents north of Cohens Bridge who will lose direct access to town via Chandos Street.
Cr Hasler and Mr Groth faced a hostile crowd who asked why there had been no community consultation about the changes to Chandos Street.
Cr Hasler said the roadworks were adopted as part of the decision to relocate the information centre, and had been clearly spelled out in the consultant's report.
He said there had been extensive community consultation about the information centre issue, and if councillors were not aware they were voting on the street changes as part of the decision, then ratepayers should be asking questions of those councillors.
A person in the crowd called on council to hold a meeting to specifically address the issues surrounding Chandos Street.
"If you are not prepared to take a special meeting, then I have lost my confidence in you, Mr Mayor," the speaker said.
The comment was met with cheers and applause.
Cr Hasler said the decision had been made, but council would look at surrounding safety issues, including the possibility of a roundabout in the next two to four years at the corner of Chandos and Bloomfield streets.
