After the October meeting, when councillors voted to adopt the land use strategy, albeit with deep reservations, Councillor Gai Wilson put forward a rescission motion. Her motion asked for the land use strategy to be recalled and passed with 20 new amendments dealing with dwelling entitlements and Tomingley becoming downgraded to a rural centre.

But by the time Cr Wilson’s rescission motion was passed at Tuesday’s meeting it had been seriously watered down with only three of the original 20 amendments remaining. None of these amendments reinstated the right to build homes on existing holdings however an amendment to retain Tomingley’s village status was included.

While councillors were eager to implement the amendments, with some speaking passionately about the changes, it was decided it was futile to adopt a land use strategy after costly changes were investigated, that would be flatly rejected by the NSW Department of Planning (DoP).

“(The DoP) are more powerful than us, they have more money than us... we are going to get knocked back and waste a lot of money,” Councillor George Mack said.

Councillors decided it would be expensive and probably unsuccessful to try and change the land use strategy after a meeting with the DoP.

Cr Wilson said she was “disappointed” with the result and the input from the planning department.

“We are all disappointed, the lot of us,” she said.

“Here we are trying to do what we were elected to do and every time we try and do it there seems to be more legislation.”

Cr Wilson said before the meeting with the DoP it was inferred “the briefing would not go ahead if the media or any of the public were involved’’.

“I find this deeply disturbing. This affects the public. Why shouldn’t they be there?” she said.

Councillor Bob Barnett said it was “pretty obvious they didn’t come here to listen to our side of the story, they came to tell us’’.