Rev Dr John Barrett OAM told council due process had not been followed.

He was speaking in the chamber for the first time in 20 years. Dr Barrett served as mayor for 12 months from September 1991.

He was addressing council as the foundation chair of St Columba Anglican School.

"Due process has not been followed as there are significant parts of this (investigation corridor) that have not been illuminated in community consultation," he said.

"We believe there is a denial of due process. Let's not make a mockery of community consultation. 

"SCAS believes this document (feasibility study) contains over 1200 pages. That will require further consultation with the community and more time for council to fully understand the major and significant impacts on SCAS school and community."

Dr Barrett said council and community should be locked into a 10 year framework.

He said the community wanted the elected representatives to control the process.

"I implore you to not lose control of this process," he said.

"There are alternatives available that do not impact significantly on the community and SCAS' community.

"There is a serious, profound financial hardship being placed on the community. The compensation will be incredible.

"We want to work with you, we want to enjoy a transparent process and have sufficient and adequate consultation," he said.

Another speaker, Tony Thorn addressed the council on behalf of landowners Jim and Gail Newton. He urged council to remember that the proposed Lake Road upgrade was identified as an option in relation to easing traffic.

"It is reasonable to ask why this option has not been undertaken," he said.

"Some of the issues we have noted include, a lack of progress of implementation of the previously optioned upgrade to Lake Road, the need for value management workshops, concerns over the Oxley Highway intersections and a reliance on multi-criteria analysis."

Fernhill Road resident Grant Mitchell was unimpressed with the feasibility study document.

"Feasibility studies are the backbone of any early development," he said.

"So, how did Fernhill end up on the most viable route?

"Some residents, who have not even been consulted, will be significantly impacted by the orbital road.

"Council needs to go back to the drawing board. It needs to engage all potentially affected property owners and business."

Peta Watters also addressed the chamber saying the residents of Greenmeadows and Sanctuary Springs Estate are strongly opposed to the planned orbital road. 

"As a collective group, we will passionately fight the council over the planned construction with specific mention of the east west Link. 

"There is no statistical evidence to support the fact that the actual route will resolve the traffic congestion in the LGA nor is it viable.

"I understand that there is a due process involved with infrastructure projects; but council has already admitted that in view of environmental legislation, revoking the Lake Innes Nature Reserve is virtually impossible to achieve.

"Yet millions of dollars in ratepayer funds are going to be spent to pursue a plan that could according to council’s own admission may never come to fruition."

Ms Watters said this money should be spent on real solutions to ease traffic congestion and not on a plan that at best could be achieved in 15 years, if all. 

There is also a strong desire to build a flood free zone to the airport when the airport road has only been flooded twice in 20 years, she added.

"At the last council meeting, Port Macquarie’s commuter situation was coined as 'catastrophic' and a 'traffic crisis', Ms Watters said.

"This terminology is deliberately designed to instil fear in our community and insinuates a paralysis where roads don’t function. 

"Port Macquarie does not a traffic crisis - we have peak traffic periods in the morning and afternoon. 

"This is a measure of modernity where we now need to adjust our ways; leave 5 to 10 minutes earlier, stagger our work hours, expand the use of public transport especially for schools and improve existing infrastructure - these were key recommendations in the 2015 UGMS (Urban Growth Management Strategy) report."

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