A green space for play and activity could replace a grey expanse of empty footpath on The Square between Main St and Broadway Ave.

Palmerston North central city retailers have criticised plans to get rid of 205 on-street car parks and give greater priority to buses.

They turned up for an extraordinary planning and policy committee meeting on Monday at which councillors endorsed the concept of a $26.6 million city centre streetscape design that went public on Saturday.

The presentation, comments and debate took place amid criticism that the plan was being rushed through.

Broadway Ave jeweller Susie Barr said it under-estimated how important parking was for central city retailers.

READ MORE: $26.6 million master plan for Palmerston North central city makeover

"Our clients like to be able to park at the door," said Barr.

"It's human nature. We are still a small town. We don't have the Auckland way of thinking."

Cafe owner Adrian Hawley said his patrons found parking was already an issue for them.

He said taking away car parks would not necessarily mean more pedestrians.

Coffee Club owner Vern Wilson said the part of the plan that involved increasing the number of buses leaving from Main St East through The Square would not help to create a safe environment for people walking.

City planner David Murphy said it was not that staff did not understand the concern of retailers about parking and buses.

It was just that they did not agree.

Councillors struggled to make time to debate the plan on a day with three meetings scheduled.

Chairwoman Annette Nixon intended to prevent councillors from asking questions of the public speakers, but was challenged.

And when she proposed to adjourn to enable an unfinished finance and performance committee meeting to resume, Cr Vaughan Dennison and mayor Grant Smith objected.

Dennison said he did not understand why an extraordinary meeting had to be called to receive and consider the plan in the first place.

City Future general manager Sheryl Bryant said the timing of councillor workshops had prevented the item going on the regular committee agenda.

It was a project from the Long Term Plan that had to be finished by the end of June.

Dennison said it was disappointing and unfortunate it had to be rushed.

Murphy said council endorsement of the plan to inform future decision-making did not commit it to spending $26.6m and completing every element.

It meant that as projects already signalled in the Long Term Plan came up for review, their priority could be considered in the context of other financial demands at the time.

Each project would be carried out in a style that would help build towards an integrated whole.

Cr Jim Jefferies said he welcomed the long-term vision for a more vibrant central business district after a decade of putting off decisions.

He said proposed investments in the plan would be weighed up against other priorities as they arose.

Cr Rachel Bowen said the plan was "ambitious", which made her nervous, and Cr Susan Baty said although the cost nearly gave her a heart attack, the vision would stop the council making inappropriate ad-hoc decisions.