Cr Mack said the council had received several comments from the public, but not as many as it had expected.

There has been an outcry about a proposal in the draft plan for the cultural precinct to remove three semi-mature Chinese Elms and a large 30-year-old plane tree on the eastern side of the square.

The deadline to tell the council what you think of its plans has been extended, because of the holiday period, to February 2.

“I wouldn’t go chaining yourself to those trees yet,” Cr Mack said.

“Essentially, there’s the master plan and consultation.

“We will listen and we will assess.

“When the report comes to council we will make the decision then.

“The feedback I have received has been mostly on Facebook.

“There has been a mixture of both the positive and negative.

“I think people want to see a modernised square but they don’t want to lose the shade.”

Submissions to the council will form part of a final report that will help inform councillors when making their decision.

The results of a Border Mail poll over whether the trees should be removed. 

Cr Mack said no matter which way the vote went, there would still be shade in the square.

“If we were to remove the trees — just suggesting that if we were — we would replace them with mature shade trees which will be consistent with the master plan.

“People are getting a little bit overzealous about this notion that we are taking down their precious trees.

“Essentially, we are not going to take the shade away.

“We are not about promoting skin cancer, we’re not about promoting an environment where people are exposed to the elements.

“We are about providing a better experience, more shade and a more linear square design.

“Once the youth centre and the art gallery are online, the whole thing pulls together.

“You don’t build a house and not put fresh paint on it, I think that’s important, we need to make it look better.”

A draft of plans for the square  can be found at the council’s website and feedback can be sent to jhemsley@alburycity.nsw.gov.au.