Chaired by Simon Waterworth, the hearing was attended by about 10 people, including Uncle Bud Marshall, Aunty Shaa Smith and Nathan Brennan, chief executive officer of the Coffs Harbour & District Local Aboriginal Land Council.

Initially, reclassifying the whole of the rough track from Bowraville Rd to the lookout from 'community' to 'operational' land had been proposed by council.

Related: Concerns about reclassifying land near Bellingen Lookout

Reclassifying the track would allow it to be gazetted as a road, so that the owner of an adjacent property could have the formal access required for his development application to proceed.

However, Banbarrajilin, as the lookout is known in Gumbaynggirr, has significant cultural heritage value for Indigenous people as a traditional walking route and communications point.

"We weren't award of the cultural values of the site at the time of proposing the reclassification," senior strategic planner with Bellingen Shire Council, Daniel Bennett, said at the public hearing.

Banbarrajilin is not formally listed as an Aboriginal place of special significance but Nathan Brennan said it may be in the future.

Council received 83 public submissions on the proposal during two exhibition periods, with people highlighting not only the Indigenous cultural values of the lookout but also how much it is cherished by residents as a place for fitness practices, quiet reflection and somewhere special to take visitors to show off the beauty of the area.

Another concern expressed was that formalising the access from a rough track to a proper road might lead to further degradation of the site due to vandalism and littering.

Council planners met twice with Indigenous community representatives and the compromise they reached was to limit the reclassification to the bottom half of the track, which would be sufficient to give the property owner access while leaving the steeper top section of the track in its current state.

Daniel noted that there would continue to be no restriction on access to the lookout.

A report will now be prepared for councillors, recommending they accept the amended planning proposal.