DRIVING along one of the city’s most iconic streets, you can’t help but notice its undeniable character – from the spectacularly-wide road to the Jacarandas in full bloom dotting the footpath.
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But residents who call White Street home are now seeing red.
Tamworth Regional Council revealed plans to reduce the street’s width by a hefty seven metres in a letterbox drop this week.
It is a move locals fear will rob the street of its heritage feel, characterised so uniquely by wide streets and gutters.
Residents are furious over the lack of consultation TRC provided before forging ahead with plans.
They argue that rates are higher in East Tamworth than in other areas of the local government area – and one of those reasons is because of its heritage and historic value.
The works are part of a road rehabilitation and water main replacement project, after the old main has caused the surface to become uneven.
Also on the agenda is the removal of trees.
It is a plan resident Mark Woodley insists will transform “one of the grandest streets in Tamworth to just a normal suburban street”.
Wide, sweeping streets aren’t something we see all that often these days. They take us on a walk down memory lane.
But the flip side is the road need upgrading.
Having a water main through the centre of a street causes significant problems to the road surface.
If anything were to go awry, TRC would likely be blamed for the bad state of the road.
Mayor Col Murray makes the point that the project comes at an ideal time to allow TRC to fix up several points of concern along the historic stretch.
The water main is old, needs upgrading and relocating.
Kerb and guttering need realigning, and various trees that pose a concern to some residents will also be uprooted.
While these changes will no doubt be a blow to the aesthetics of the historic street, they are probably necessary.
A more narrow street will not carry the same charm as its former wider self, but TRC insists it will not affect traffic flows. TRC has a job to do and staff are damned if they don’t act now and damned if they do. Residents will meet with council this week in an 11th-hour bid to retain the street’s heritage, but only time will tell of the fate of White Street.
