As the three entities stare down the barrel of amalgamation, the two smaller councils are feeling frozen out of a process that could have an impact on their communities’ prosperity should Local Government Minister Paul Toole let them stand alone.

The airport’s passenger numbers have been declining for some time, due to a combination of fly-in, fly-outs ceasing from Cadia and, arguably, a lack of competition in airlines.

A healthy 60,000 a couple of years ago is expected to fall to 40,000 this year. As a result, Orange City Council has been looking at ways to diversify operations and the proposed industrial business park was one strategy to ensure the best use was made of the facilities.

However, the airport is on Cabonne’s boundary and the three councils partnered eight years ago to decide where industrial development should go.

Things may have changed since then, but the smaller councils, concerned about the flow-on impacts on their own industrial sites, are standing by the original land use strategy.

The rezoning proposal has been described as dipping a toe in the water - the Department of Planning would look at it and determine what additional information was needed.

But what this has meant is, rather than seeing upfront plans, Cabonne and Blayney councillors have found out more over time through concerned residents and the media and when finally consulted on the industrial strategy, at the request of the department, they have been asked to endorse a review they have had no part of.

Perhaps their opposition would not have been so staunch had all sites across Orange, Cabonne and Blayney been considered together. The impact on trust between the councils this issue has caused could create a hurdle for an amalgamated council before it has even begun.