Lithgow City Council should be taking an active role in the tourism and environment protection initiative Destination Pagoda, councillors argued at their regular meeting on Monday, July 22.
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The plan, developed by the Gardens of Stone Alliance, recommends the transformation of the Gardens of Stone region into a State Conservation Area, with improvements to roads and infrastructure to encourage tourism. It could, the alliance argues, draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to its unique natural landscape.
Council voted to not report on Destination Pagoda and encourage the Gardens of Stone Alliance "to engage with all relevant government authorities and industry representatives in relation to the plan".
Cr Stephen Lesslie said council should have moved to support the creation of the Gardens of Stone Conservation Area and request funding assistance from the State Government to upgrade and develop new tourist facilities.
"This is such a slap in the face to the dreams and hopes of the many people who have worked tirelessly to help secure a future for the residents of the Lithgow local government area," he said.
"We need to look to the future. We need to ensure that we have a reason for visitors to come and stay in our region and we need to prepare for the inevitable day when the foreign coal mine owners say to our community 'Coal is no longer economical and here is your three weeks' notice'."
While he had reservations about the plan, Cr Steve Ring said council needed to be at the table for the discussions.
"We need to ensure that the needs of our community are met. That includes coal mining, that includes ensuring that there is a transport corridor," he said.
"We should be there discussing this and moving forward, not sitting on the sidelines allowing other people to make decisions which may adversely or positively impact on this community."
Cr Wayne McAndrew said the proposal as it stood raised "more questions than answers" in relation to who would be left with responsibility for roads and the future of coal mining in the area.
"In my view there's a lot of work to be done - not by this council," he said.
The Destination Pagoda proposes that, through this plan, some forms of mining could coexist with tourism in the unique landscape.
Speaking at council's public forum on Monday night, Gardens of Stone Alliance representative Thomas Ebersoll urged Lithgow City Council to support the proposal.
"Please let me point out that this is a proposal at this stage. Assumptions had to be made which can never be verified absolutely," he said.
"Things can change and assumptions can be thrown overboard - as Lithgow Council found out just recently with imposed cost shifting from state to council budgets.
"To start something, you have to make educated guesses and take it from there. You can kill any proposal by nit-picking at details which can't be established at this stage. Instead we are asking for a positive mind and the will to find solutions to obstacles along the way."
Mr Ebersoll also presented a petition supporting the creation of the Gardens of Stone Conservation Area to council.
