Deputy mayor Glenn Taylor has slammed Orange City Council's major Future City project, saying "I'm over the incompetence".
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Future City is aimed at revitalising the CBD, and includes new lighting on Summer and Anson streets, the relocation of the taxi rank on Lords Place, enhancements to make McNamara Street safer and more appealing, and making the CBD and surrounds "more walkable".
The council has put aside $10 million to fund the first two years of the implementation plan.
Councillor Taylor's ire was raised by what he said was a lack of action on replacing seats along Summer Street and elsewhere that were removed to make way for new footpath lighting.
"This Future City - I'm over the incompetency: the proposal to knock down trees [on Anson Street]; the removal of the cab rank; the nose-in parking.
"The implementation is becoming a joke."
He said he raised the issue in council months ago, and added "I'm so bloody angry with the lack of action".
"I'll give bouquets when they deserve it, and I'll throw bricks at the bastards when our priorities seem to be totally wrong.
"We're not looking after people - you don't pull seats out of a genuine business district and just forget about them; that's a decision made by a younger, able-bodied person."
He said that as chairman of the council's Disability Access committee for 16 years he and other committee members were "extremely proactive" during that time.
"This is a big issue for some people - it's important for older people and people with a disability.
"People have got to have somewhere to sit and rest."
While the seating will ultimately be replaced, which Cr Taylor said was "all well and good", he said "you can't expect people to wait until Anson and Summer streets are upgraded, with little or no seating".
"Put something in place in the interim for people; put the old seats back, put in cheap ones until the new ones are put in."
Councillor Taylor said he had been approached by community members complaining about the lack of seating.
Asked if he would raise the matter at the next council meeting, he said: "I'll raise it alright; I alerted them to this issue and it should've been acted on".
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