TWEED Shire Councillors have given approval to the Pottsville and District Men's Shed to set up shop at Black Rocks sports field, ending months of heated and divisive debate.

The vote, made before a packed and noisy public gallery filled with koala activists and supporters of the Men's Shed, was passed by 4:3 with councillors Warren Polglase, James Owen and Pryce Allsop supporting Labor Cr Reece Byrnes' motion to grant the licence.

The motion gives the Men's Shed a five-year temporary licence to set up a demountable shed at Black Rocks sports field.

It was granted despite attempts by Mayor Katie Milne and Deputy Mayor Chris Cherry to defer the vote to allow more time to find an alternative site, which would not impact on koalas as feared by environmentalists.

A relieved PDMS president Michael Ryan said after the vote he was pleased with the outcome.

"Hopefully we can progress forward in a reasonable time and get this signed off and start construction," Mr Ryan said.

"Hopefully the community can come together.

"We are certainly hoping to put this behind us and move forward. As an organisation, we stand by our integrity that the actions we have taken were proper. They have been reviewed by the Australian Men's Shed and their solicitors. Hopefully we can just move forward now."

But Threatened Species Conservation Society president David Norris, who has led the fight against the Shed moving to Black Rocks, said he was disappointed in the decision.

"I'm very disappointed none of the sensible amendments were taken up," he said.

"They very possibly could have brought the community together. This has just exacerbated the community division."

Earlier, Mr Norris told councillors there was a lot of "misinformation" that there was no available land for a Men's Shed.

"There is plenty of Crown Land sites available, all the PDMS need to do is make a formal application to Crown Land - they have not," he said.

Speaking in support of the Men's Shed ahead of the vote, Pottsville resident Penny Hockings called on councillors to support the community and "douse the fire" of division the issue had caused.

She said the community had been falsely accused of not caring about the welfare of the koala and just wanted to be able to use their sports field "without being told they can't".

"The people of Pottsville have been left out of this issue for too long," Ms Hockings said.

"The community wants to be involved and not dictated to or held to ransom. Regardless of which side you sit on, it is hurting the people."