News of council's proposal to sell, subdivide or dedicate some parks and reserves in the Manning Valley recently reached the community and served as a catalyst for people to rally to seek more information and protest council's proposed plan.

Momentum is building in community protest campaigns for Ruprecht Park, Craiglea Close Reserve and Bangalow Place Reserve in Taree and Shelley Close Reserve in Wallabi Point.

A common theme emerging from the community groups is dissatisfaction with the process by which council consulted the community. Residents contend they were unaware of the plan and its proposed impact on their communities and many voice confusion and a lack of confidence with how to participate in the process of expressing their objection to council.

Council is welcoming of community comment and extended the deadline for submissions by 30 days to enable more consultation, and as of yesterday, 350 written responses, 130 surveys and 220 written submission had been received.

Councillors kicked off the community consultation process late last year at the November 19 meeting of council when they unanimously voted to place the "draft Open Space Improvement Plan on public exhibition ... to seek community feedback" and that "consultation be undertaken in accordance with the Community Engagement Strategy."

The nuts and bolts of that strategy, as revealed by council's senior leader planning and environment Richard Pamplin, is community engagement "via media releases, interviews on radio and television, resident update direct to people neighbouring parks, website information including the draft plan and survey, display in council's administration foyer and the plan and survey available at libraries."

"The current consultation process was endorsed by all councillors on November 19 after a six-month period of familiarity with the plan through councillor workshops," Mr Pamplin explained.

However a few months on, Councillor Peter Epov has chosen to speak to the issue of council's community consultation in relation to the plan. He defends his November 19 vote to support council's plan to exhibit the Open Space Improvement Plan and its related Community Engagement Strategy.

"I voted for it at the time because at that stage there was no other reasonable action to take," Cr Epov said.

"I was content for the community to see what was going on, for it to go on exhibition, for the people to see what could transpire."

He is now calling for a rethink of how council undertakes community engagement as he is "disheartened over the misguided and clumsy form of so-called community consultation." He wants a new approach, for council to "speak to people about their opinions, thoughts and ideas before the introduction of a plan."

Cr Epov says the proposed Open Space Improvement Plan is "ill-conceived, poorly managed and supported by a group of people who are sadly out of touch with community sentiment and practical public needs.

"When this scheme was first raised at a councillor workshop last year, I cautioned the need to have community consultation with each individual and specific community affected prior to any advancement of the proposition," Cr Epov said.

"As recently as last week, I again urged in a councillor workshop that there should be a process of consultation with each specific community.

"This plan demonstrates that some of the people in charge do not understand the community and its needs. There is a total disconnect from what people in the community value and the direction of the administration."

Cr Epov says he will be "calling on all my fellow councillors to immediately abandon this current plan."

"The suggestion that the community is now being consulted through the exhibition process borders on being offensive and the community sees through this," Cr Epov said.

"Claims that this current exhibition period is the community consultation process are just a clumsy retro-fit aimed at appeasing mass adverse public opinion and a demonstration of a lack of expertise."

Greater Taree City Council mayor Paul Hogan is welcoming of the community feedback and discussion about the use of parks and reserves in the Manning Valley.

He says the "plan is not about selling parks to put the proceeds elsewhere, it is about a long term plan to deliver better community outcomes to all the people of our valley.

"The community is well aware that we have a roads and bridges problem in the Manning Valley and council has been focusing on that issue at the behest of the community," Cr Hogan said.

"There has been no funds free to improve open space, to upgrade playgrounds, to add shade structures, to replace outdated failing toilets or add new barbecues.

"Before money was invested in the foreshore, that open space languished and an opportunity was lost for decades. Many of our suburban parks are the same. This plan suggests we reduce our maintained open space by 2.5 per cent and invest 100 per cent of the proceeds into better park facilities for all the community."