Related: Landmark public art proposed as a gift for Dorrigo

Nicholas Wright's intention was to revitalise the town centre and promote cultural tourism via a landmark piece of contemporary public art, but the community consultation process uncovered a range of problems.

There has been heated debate about the appropriateness of the sculpture and its proposed location elevated above one of the town's main streets.

Over 1000 people contributed their views via the Create portal, petitions and letters.

There was a large petition with 648 valid signatures opposing the sculpture and another 332 letters, petitions and proformas with 230 people against and 102 people in favour.

A report from council staff detailing the feedback noted that some information on the proformas was incomplete or incorrect.

Of the 182 responses on Create, 80 per cent were against, with most of those indicating they felt the sculpture was too out of character with the historic/small country town feel of Dorrigo.

However, at Wednesday's council meeting, the only people who stood up to present their views were visual artist Richard Rees and sculptor Sandra Pitkin, both speaking in favour.

They highlighted the experience and expertise of public artist Stuart Green, the positive impact the sculpture would have on tourism, and the relevance of an artwork referencing waterfalls, rainforests and clouds on the Dorrigo Plateau.

"For a small town to be the beneficiary of a major artwork by an international artist is an unprecedented and rare opportunity," Sandra said.

Apart from the public feedback, the issues that councillors referred back to the philanthropist for a detailed response also included concerns relating to Essential Energy powerlines and road safety, as well as ongoing maintenance costs.

At the instigation of Cr Jennie Fenton, a request for "a model or further visual presentations" to give a better idea of what the sculpture would actually look like in context was added to the list.

Support for the motion was unanimous and several councillors spoke of the generosity of the gift.

"I thank the donor for giving us the opportunity to accept this exceptional piece of artwork. I know he will work with council to get this proposal and all the requirements completed," Cr Desmae Harrison said.

In response to the concerns about the sculpture's compliance, Nicholas Wright said the next step of design development would involve the artist working with council, the RMS and traffic engineers to meet all safety standards and maintenance requirements.

He also said he hoped that his gift to Dorrigo would inspire further generosity, and be just the start of making Dorrigo known for its sculptures.

"'Water Cloud' is a brave and eye-catching contemporary work and will encourage visitors to stop and explore the town. The beneficiaries of having an artwork of international standards I hope are cultural tourism, local businesses and town pride."

The director of the arts consultancy engaged by Mr Wright to manage the project, Rebecca Townsend, said they still thought there was considerable support for the sculpture and that a lot of the negative responses came from misinformation.

She said that as Cr Desmae Harrison pointed out during the meeting, the designs for the Sydney Opera House and the Eiffel Tower received a negative reaction initially but they have since become beloved icons.

"The Pyramid in front of the Louvre shows that you can put contemporary against heritage and it works," Rebecca said. "Public art is meant to be arresting - that's the point."

She said that in her opinion, locating the artwork anywhere other than Hickory St would not meet the main objective of town activation.

"If the site and the artwork are a deal-breaker, maybe the project won't proceed," she said. "It's Nick's gift but there's a purpose to it."

Asked about the Byron Bay sculpture debacle, she said that was an example of poor process and limited funding, with a public Expression of Interest - "which generally doesn't get the best results" - and artists not being paid for their concept designs.

The Byron project had a budget of $50,000 Rebecca said, whereas this one has more than $300,000 behind it.