RESIDENTS have taken the fight to save the grandeur of an East Tamworth street into their own hands.
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More than a dozen homeowners converged on White Street on Tuesday afternoon to rally against plans to upgrade the road, which they say will dramatically alter the iconic streetscape.
Tamworth Regional Council revealed in a letterbox drop plans to reduce the width of the street from 20 to 13 metres as part of a broader project to replace an ageing water main that runs through the centre of the road.
Residents argue the wide street, traditional deep gutters and established trees define White Street as one of the oldest in the city.
In a stand against TRC’s plans, they met on the White and Upper streets corner to offer fiery exchanges over how the plans will rob the stretch of its heritage charm and character.
Some believed narrowing an already busy thoroughfare by seven metres would dramatically exacerbate traffic movement.
Others questioned why heritage-listed homes along White Street had to adhere to stringent rules when it comes to renovations, yet TRC was allowed to undertake such dramatic changes along the same stretch.
The group argued homeowners paid higher rates to live along White Street and that TRC should honour that by retaining its heritage feel.
Standing together in a fight to preserve the stretch as it has stood since 1850, ratepayers took to foot and letterbox dropped notes across East Tamworth homes over the weekend.
“Do you like our beautiful wide heritage streets with the traditional nice deep gutters we have come to love in East Tamworth?” the note read.
“Are you aware that White Street is about t o reduced to a thin road with small guttering and the removal of 13 trees?”
The note urged residents to take up concerns with TRC out of fears the project could set a precedent for other East Tamworth streets.
Their legwork seems to already be gaining momentum with Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson making an appearance at the informal meeting on Tuesday.
TRC will hold an information session for residents on Thursday night. Some have called White Street home for more than five decades. It is only fair they are privy to all information before any decision is made.
