A decision on what to do with two problematic Warilla laneways has been deferred by Shellharbour City councillors pending further consultation with nearby residents.
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The two laneways link Bradman Avenue and McCabe Street and date back to when the then Housing Commission subdivided the area in the 1960s.
The two laneways have become a magnet for antisocial behaviour, with a recent NSW Police audit finding the southern laneway had "a 90 per cent risk of crime" and was unsafe.
Residents neighbouring the laneways have complained of trespass, theft and drug and alcohol use in the laneways at all hours.
Police recommended closing the southern laneway altogether, but in a report presented to the council on Tuesday night, staff recommended upgrades for both laneways that would involve closing them at night.
Some residents questioned the merit of having 1.8-metre high gates, when the fences at the front of properties were just 1.2 metres. Residents argued people would just use their properties to continue to access the laneways whether for taking a short cut or to loiter.
The idea of selling or leasing the laneways to neighbours will also be further considered.
Shellharbour councillor Peter Moran said he was sympathetic to the impacts the laneways were having on neighbouring residents but said the laneways provided real connectivity for the community.
He would like them to remain in public hands.
Cr Kellie Marsh said she was "very, very disappointed" the council didn't have "an old-fashioned door-knock" to canvass views of residents in the first place.