Dubbo Regional Council has responded to allegations made by a member of the Dubbo Show society claiming there was a lack of community consultation in the decision to dismantle the communities animal nursery.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Show society member Anne Moston said not only was there a lack of consultation, but the decision to replace the animal nursery with a toilet block was a "waste of money" and not suitable for that location as "food stores would also not be allowed to be placed within the area of a toilet block."
Council's regional events manager Kim Hague said council had engaged the services of consultants @Leisure to carry out an "extensive consultation with the community, including the show society, from February 2019 to June 2019."
"This consultation was done as part of the development of the Dubbo Showground Masterplan, where all decisions were made in consultation and discussion with the society," Ms Hague said.
"There was an extensive exhibition period for the Dubbo Showground Masterplan, which included workshops, submissions and stakeholder group meetings, where the show society was included.
"During this consultation process, all stakeholders worked constructively together to identify the best way to achieve the desired future development of the site, while also finding solutions for any facilities that would be impacted by future changes - including the pavilion primarily used for council storage - which the show society agreed could be relocated elsewhere.
"The pavilion, which was previously used as the animal nursery for three days of the year during the annual Dubbo Show, was in desperate need of upgrading, and as part of Dubbo Regional Council's commitment to providing the community with easy access to amenities, it was decided, after consultation with the community and show society, that an amenities block would be located in that area.
"Further to this, inspections carried out as part of the development of the showground masterplan found that that particular storage shed has a limited lifespan, as it was aging infrastructure.
"The location of food vendors and other stall holders is at the discretion of the Dubbo Show Society who hire the Dubbo Showground each year to conduct the annual show."