Cabonne Council is planning to lease out the land alongside Canowindra’s Swinging Bridge and new Belubula River Walk for agricultural use.
Councillors backed the decision to seek expressions of interest to lease the 1.6 hectares of land after receiving a report from staff at their March meeting.
Council needed to purchase a 10-metre strip of land adjoining the river when they were building the footpath along the river – and negotiations resulted in the council purchasing a small block of land.
With the project complete in December, they now have a 1.6ha block that takes town presentation staff about three hours a fortnight to maintain.
Council staff presented councillors with several options for the block, including the potential for an off-leash dog area ancillary to the walking track.
Councillors voted to lease the area for agricultural purposes, authorising the general manager to seek expressions of interest from the public.
PATH PRIORITIES
Cabonne Council has added a new path to its future planning for Canowindra, with the vision to connect the Candlebark / Bluebell subdivision with other paths and ultimately town amenities.
The plan is to connect to the end of Candlebark Close along the drainage reserve on the western boundary, then along McDonald Lane to Tilga Street.
The 1050m long path, which could be built up to 2.5m wide, will then go south past the sports oval to join the existing footpath at the intersection of Tilga and Ross streets.
With staff estimating the cost at $670,000 they suggest the proposal could be done in two stages: Tilga Street to McDonald Lane; and along McDonald Lane to Candlebark Close.
This would be included in the revision of the council's Pedestrian Access Mobility Plan which is due to be undertaken in the 2026/27 Financial Year.
The council is seeking funding for paths already in the plan: a funding application is currently being assessed for the construction of a footpath along Ross Street and up Browns Street past the high school to the hospital.
