Taylors Lane residents are angry after Shoalhaven councillors went against the community's wishes when deciding how it would upgrade the Cambewarra lane.
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Councillors were presented with two main options at the strategy and assets meeting on May 12.
Option 4, which was recommended by council staff, involved widening the current lane on both sides and would result in the destruction of over 300 mature trees.
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The residents preferred option 2, which involved building a wider lane adjacent to the current one with only a small number of trees needing to be removed.
A council report outlined option 2 would cost $1,135,000 where option 4 would cost $930,000.
The small section of the lane being upgraded is part of the Far North Collector Road project and is also located in an urban release area.
Taylors Lane resident Tony Enright said the decision has made him lose faith in council.
"Council has voted now to knock down 317 mature trees in a lousy 419 metre upgrade of a dead-end country lane," he said.
"Why? Because some developer at some stage in the future might be disadvantaged?
"There's no development application, there's no known layout of what the blocks are, therefore you are knocking down 317 trees because someone might need to knock them down anyway.
"It's not a convincing argument."
Councillors will have the opportunity to change or affirm their decision on Taylors Lane at the next ordinary meeting on May 26.
For: Crs Guile, Watson, Pakes, White, Wells, Gash, Kitchener.
Against: Crs: Findley, Digiglio, Alldrick, Levett, Proudfoot.
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Stuart Thomson
Journalist at the South Coast Register.
Journalist at the South Coast Register.
