Councillors agreed on Monday night to place on exhibition its plan to introduce a 12-month trial of the CBD smoking ban and invite public comment on the proposal over a four-week period.

Once the submission period has closed, the issue will come back to council, along with public submissions, to go to a vote on whether to proceed with the trial.

A petition calling for council to abandon its plan to forge ahead with the ban, which had garnered around 300 signatures, was tabled at the meeting by councillor Paul Funnell.

Councillor Greg Conkey, who has been driving the push to ban smoking in Baylis and Fitzmaurice streets, along with Forsyth Street between Berry Street and Peter Street, doesn’t believe the petition shows there is significant opposition to the ban in the community.

“I’ve got no idea who organised it, but I do know a few business houses signed it and obviously they may be concerned about the effect on their business,” he said.

“I can’t see any effect whatsoever – you can’t smoke in the Marketplace or Sturt Mall and there’s heaps of business in those two places. Smoking has no effect on their turnover at all.”

Should the ban go ahead, Cr Conkey said he envisaged signing in the affected area would be erected and an education campaign conducted to inform people of the change.

Council rangers would have the power to fine people in breach of the smoking ban, but that would only be used as a “very last resort”, according to Cr Conkey.

“I’m not out to fine smokers,” he said.

“I would just like the education campaign and if the smokers understand it’s a smoke-free area, they’ll abide by that.”

However, Cr Funnell believes the potential impact on main street businesses would be significant, and council should not proceed with plans to introduce the ban.

“Prohibition didn’t work in the 1930s, so what makes you think it’s going to work now?” he said. “What this is going to do is potentially force customers into the suburban shopping centres or, heaven forbid, other towns.”

Some main street business owners have previously railed against the proposed smoking ban, sharing concerns the ban could push shoppers out of the CBD to other areas where smoking is permitted.