More than 5000 sign petition opposing any Warrnambool Art Gallery at Cannon Hill

Petition organisers former mayor David Atkinson, businessman Brian Guyett and Ray Lougheed submitted the petition to the council offices on the understanding it would be presented to Monday's public council meeting.

Mr Guyett, who has been outspoken about the decision by the council to conduct a business case to potentially build a new art gallery at the scenic location, said he had collected 5012 signatures.

"All we're asking is to take Cannon Hill off the list. That's all we're asking," he said.

"We have no objection to the art gallery. In fact, we are very supportive of having an art gallery - but not on Cannon Hill."

Mr Lougheed said Cannon Hill was an iconic area and should not be touched.

"An analogy would be like King's Park in Perth. Beautiful viewing area, why ruin it?" he said.

"We're not against an art gallery per se - expand this one or build it somewhere else, but not on Cannon Hill."

Mr Atkinson said they had had a meeting with the four councillors who voted in favour of a business case at Cannon Hill, as well as others, about the proposal.

"We spoke to them for maybe an hour and it didn't achieve anything of any consequence, and so we said we'll continue with our petition, which we did," he said.

Mr Atkinson said he had been told the petition had to be given to the council chief executive officer five days before a public meeting, so that's why they handed it in on Wednesday.

"Because we want it heard before they have any in-depth assessment of the sites; we wanted to get in early," he said.

Mr Atkinson said he had asked the council if he could come along and present the petition at a public meeting, but was told under the Act it had to go through the CEO.

"The CEO presents the petition, we don't have the right to do that under the Local Government Act apparently," he said.

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