THURGOONA will have its first drive-through bottlo, but debate on its approval saw councillor Darren Cameron accuse Albury deputy mayor Amanda Cohn of being "classist" by opposing it.
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The store will be built on Diamond Drive in a commercial precinct anchored by a BP service station.
Cr Cohn said she opposed the bottle shop because it did not accord to plans for the subdivision to have a shared car park to ensure it was a community and pedestrian friendly commercial area.
"I think it's completely inconsistent with what we were trying to achieve with the Thurgoona-Wirlinga precinct structure plan major neighbourhood centre to have a drive-through because obviously that's a large number of cars coming in and off of that road," Cr Cohn said.
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"It really is going to detract from the amenity and from pedestrian accessibility to those shops and I don't think it is the right location for a drive-through facility."
Cr Cameron claimed the argument used by Cr Cohn was condescending and the convenience offered to outdoor workers by a drive-in was not appreciated.
"To tell these people that they are somehow lesser beings...because of some high-falutin' ideas that are held by certain people within this council that it doesn't match the amenity or the appearance of an area, that those people have to forgo the simple pleasures, that the rest of us get to enjoy, is simply just classest in my view and just appalling," Cr Cameron said.
Councillor Henk van de Ven asked rhetorically whether Albury needed another bottle shop without providing further comment to his point.
Councillor Alice Glachan, who had moved the motion on Monday night to approve the project, said she appreciated Cr Cohn's concerns but suggested there was not any difference between a drive-through or walk-in alcohol store.
Cr Cohn was the only councillor to vote against the shop which will open from 9am to 9pm seven days a week and have 288 square metres of retail area.