The draft master plan for Gunnedah's cultural precinct has drawn heavy criticism from the community.
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Gunnedah Shire Council has received more than 50 submissions concerning the plan and it was also the focus of two presentations at a council meeting on Wednesday.
Community members cited issues with access, storage space and the location of the new Smithurst Theatre, library and visitor information centre.
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Gunnedah Eisteddfod Society and cultural precinct advisory member, Marg Amos, called for the council to "scrap the existing plans" because there were "many problems" and the master plan "does not improve functionality".
Mrs Amos questioned why the library needed to move and said it was "a central feature" of the plan, taking up a "very large space" and "forcing other stakeholders into dysfunctional positions or even not regarded at all".
She also argued that the Smithurst Theatre should be on the ground floor to enable better access and that it would be both inconvenient and unsafe for the movement of performers and instruments if it remained on the top floor in the plan.
Mrs Amos also cited concerns about the size of the stage area, lack of storage space for the eisteddfod society, and the visitor information centre should be moved back to South Street.
Chair of the Gunnedah Conservatorium board, Ben Hennessy, said he shared Mrs Amos' concerns and urged councillors to defer a decision on the master plan - as recommended by general manager Eric Groth in the motion - because more consultation was needed from key stakeholders.
The conservatorium leases space in the Gunnedah Town Hall and plans to expand.
Mr Hennessy said the music education business would continue to grow and the town needed to "actively be competitive to make sure Gunnedah is the destination of choice".
"A vibrant, creative community is part of the social fabric of our town ... I've had many people come up to me... talking about what an incredible lift it was to see a live production in our town and for a fleeting moment, forget about the drought and their worries that exist outside the performance.
"That's the gift we give to our children as well - we encourage them to get into music and creative pursuits.
"It really is an incredible draw card for families moving to our town and we have to realise we are competing in a regional sense."
A vibrant, creative community is part of the social fabric of our town.
- Ben Hennessy, Gunnedah Conservatorium
When Cr Murray O'Keefe raised the commercial nature of the conservatorium's relationship with the council at the precinct, Mr Hennessy said the business would be "quite happy to expand our commercial holdings and lease hold of the building as part of any re-visioning of the cultural precinct".
"I'd like to think there can be opportunities for the conservatorium to be a very active participant in lobbying for funding and really be a significant part and stakeholder in the redevelopment of precinct.
"We're invested in the area, we want to stay there, it's the perfect spot for us to roll out its service to the town and we'd like to be part of that into the future."
Councillors voted to defer adopting the draft master plan so further consultation could be carried out with the Cultural Precinct Advisory Group and other community stakeholders.