TUMBARUMBA mayor Ian Chaffey has urged caution over the shire's proposed rail trail after a number of residents voiced their opposition to the proposal.
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A meeting of 36 residents last Thursday saw the group - who have dubbed themselves the Anti-Tumbarumba to Rosewood Rail Trail Committee - condemn the proposal to create a public rail trail between the two towns.
Their concerns include the cost of the project and ongoing maintenance expenses, safety issues, disruption to farm management and a perceived lack of consultation over the proposal.
Cr Chaffey defended council's consultation process with the community over the project, with a public meeting held 12 months ago to discuss the proposal.
"I suppose it was attended by the majority of people who were in favour of the rail trail," he said.
"I don't think there was a dissenting voice raised there but that was probably because those who had misgivings about the rail trail felt they might be outgunned."
Following that meeting, Cr Chaffey, fellow councillors and Tumbarumba Shire general manager Kay Whitehead interviewed a number of landholders who would be affected by a rail trail from Tumbarumba to Rosewood.
The committee's objections to the proposal have been acknowleged by Cr Chaffey as "genuine and legitimate".
However, he warned that it would still be some time before any potential project got off the ground and questioned whether people were jumping the gun over the issue.
"I believe there's a lot of water to go under the bridge before we're in a position to say we're ready to go ahead with a rail trail in Tumbarumba," he said.
The project is still waiting on approval from the state government over whether to open up the state's disused railways for use as rail trails and it is still unknown if it will green-light the concept.
