David Thurley was commenting after gardens neighbour Charlie Mitchell, in an address to Tuesday night's council meeting, raised the prospect of flooding if the concrete channel is changed into a more natural creek state.

The "rewilding" of the waterway is part of a botanic gardens master plan adopted on Tuesday night.

Mr Mitchell said the concrete channel had been an effective flood mitigation measure.

"I suggest that council not reduce the current flood mitigation already relied upon by the community as this will undoubtedly give rise to some properties potentially being unable to obtain flood insurance for houses that were afforded this safety net," he told councillors.

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In noting Mr Mitchell's submission, Cr Thurley said: "There's no doubt that before anything happens there, there's a lot more work to be done - hydrology, other studies.

"It's not just a matter of make it all rocks and weeds, this can increase the liability of flooding with debris washed down getting caught in natural features, so we need to be careful."

City planning chief Brad Ferris said naturalisation could take various forms and a feasibility study would involve input from a qualified hydrologist.

Councillor Daryl Betteridge said master plan feedback showed the high regard for the gardens and the need to proceed carefully.

Councillor Stuart Baker, the only other councillor to speak on the gardens blueprint, noted the avenue of elms which is facing lopping due to their condition.

""There's a great attraction and good feeling about them from the community, but I think also we've got to move forward on this and what was in the past can't always be the same in the future in the gardens," he said.

Meanwhile, a plan for a 198-lot subdivision along Kerr Road in northern Thurgoona was approved on Tuesday night after alterations to the original recommendation.

The changes centred on environmental conditions with all hollow-bearing trees now to be retained, two lots being merged to form a reserve and an open space previously flagged for stage six of the development brought into stage four.

They followed councillors raising concerns on Tuesday.

After noting fragmented development had hurt Thurgoona with areas that "roast in summer" because of tree removal, Greens councillor Ashley Edwards applauded the estate plan.

"This development, as conditioned, is a good outcome for future residents and our local biodiversity and I look forward to supporting more developments that meet both these important outcomes," she said.

Earlier Habitat Planning director David Hunter, representing developer Peter Bowen Homes, addressed councillors in a public forum before the meeting.

He said his client could accept the majority of tree retention proposed by councillors and switch the rollout of the reserve to stage four.

Mr Hunter said The Oaks estate on Kerr Road followed Peter Bowen Homes developing the adjacent Brooklyn Fields area.

He said the new lots would be much larger than Brooklyn Fields and the plan was to create something that would not mimic that estate.

Work on The Oaks is dependent on the construction of a Thurgoona Link Road to allow easy access.

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