I strongly object to the project.

1. It is totally out of keeping with the streetscape, the world heritage site to which it is adjacent, and the nature of the Blue Mountains as an area different to the city

2. Environmentally - it will dramatically impact upon the heritage area in so many ways - visually , drainage, fauna, pollution etc

3. 218 dwellings and 52 dwellings will mean at the very least 270 more vehicles on the roads of Katoomba which is at peak capacity as is. It is 3kms from the village and the railway station walking so those areas is not likely - where are these cars going to park? Access to and from the Great Western Highway is already a huge traffic problem to which this project will add considerably

4. Narrow Neck Road has been zoned flame zone and suddenly it is not . This smacks of some kind of manipulation of the system which is not right and not fair to all the people who live here and have had to comply with expensive building codes for a very sensible reason - to reduce the risk of fires consuming their buildings. Suddenly that is not a consideration?

5. Who is going to reside in these buildings? if the development is piggy backing on the state government's need to provide more housing for first home buyers this project has no relevance. There aren't the employment opportunities for working couples in this upper Blue Mountains Area and it is a 2 hour train journey to the city where jobs are more plentiful. So who is going to live there.

I object to this over development of a space of natural bushland. The height of the buildings is not in keeping with the blue mountains current LEP. The beauty of the natural areas of katoomba are the reason its the premier tourist attraction in Nsw (7.5 million in 2025). This type of over development could affect the world heritage listing in the future. It also sets a precedent for more developments of this nature in the future. Once the LEP has been ignored by state planning the sky will be the limit.
The residents of the blue mountains chose to live here because it was beautiful and peaceful and also an escape from high density living of the city sprawl. The argument about not being recognised a a fire risk area is totally ridiculous to anyone who has lived here a long time and seen fires go places that have never burnt before. No where is bushfire safe once the fire moves up the walls of the valleys it goes pretty quickly wherever the landscape leads it. Besides all of these issues transport is not developed enough to cope with the influx of population, water supply,sewerage and local traffic of that magnitude of new residents. This whole development has not had enough exposure yet to the majority of residents to voice their opinion. I only found out myself this week just before the closing date. This should be extended to allow more people to undetstand the ramifications of this development.

The scale of the project will bring a high number of people and vehicles to the area with already narrow roads, poor road quality, poor public transport and a fragile ecosystem - the number of residential units means so may more people in the Katoomba area without additional infrustructire and services to support them . The building itself is so large it does not work with the natural curve of the land and will be an eyesore - the size of the structure and associated landclearing will impact heavily on the existing topography and change the water flow and impact the wildlife of the area. The attraction of the a lie mountains to residents and tourists is the charm and natural beauty of the mountains and vegetation away from the city scape harsh lines and masses of people - this development will open the flood gates for future multilevel and structures that will not be sensitive to the specialised environment of the UNESCO World Heritage Blue Mountains - it will gradually destroy the very ambiance that creates such a special place - numbers of people in this area needs to be carefully managed. There is also the fire danger in this area and adding a small site with 100s more people on the side of the ridge is placing them in a fire danger - evacuation of the site when a fire is looming will be impossible with so many people and so few and narrow access roads . I object to this proposal in the interests of the special amenity of the Blue mountains

Apartments located 100km from Sydney's CBD overlooking a UNESCO world heritage area of the Blue Mountains is not a sustainable way to deliver affordable housing for Sydney's residents. I support high rise development though close to the CBD and on major train lines. This concept does not fit with the community of Katoomba, is a future fire risk, has no or limited connection to country and does nothing to ease the cost of housing in Sydney. It will further result in traffic congestion and should not be listed as a state significant project as it is not benefiting the state rather disadvantaging it as the community does not have the infrastructure to deal with this. I object to this proposal as it does not align with the targeted government objectives other than achieving 15% affordable housing 100km from the CBD.

See attachment for details of my objections.

We need more residential housing for people and workers in the Katoomba area. The retail will also create employment. It will also encourage and stimulate population growth. Hopefully we will see more infrastructure development with roads and public transport.

As a Blue Mountains resident for 16 years who greatly values the natural environment, I oppose the proposed development at 142-150 Narrow Neck Road, Katoomba. This is primarily on the basis of the detrimental impact that the proposal will have on the natural environment. I also greatly value the character of the built environment in the upper Blue Mountains, with low density housing that is sympathetic to the natural environment, as as such I oppose the proposal due to the inappropriate scale and zoning of the development.

The development will increase runoff and pollutants from entering precious Blue Mountains Swamps (a threatened ecological community) as well as the critically endangered Dwarf Mountain pine, both of which will be further threatened by the degrading effects of these increased urban impacts. These are under threat from current pressures and do not need any more threats to tip them over the edge towards extinction.

The proposed development is significantly larger than anything currently permitted in the Blue Mountains Local Government Area and does not comply with the current R3 Medium Density zoning under the Blue Mountains LEP (Local Environment Plan). The LEP reflects years of expert planning and community consultation and is tailored to the Mountains’ unique environmental context and includes strong environmental provisions to ensure that any new development is appropriately designed, scaled and sited. The developer's intent to seek rezoning to allow for the proposed high density development will undermine local planning and democracy and threatens the unique character of the Blue Mountains built environment that the expert planners and community have worked so hard to retain through the LEP. Therefore, I also oppose the use of the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) pathway in the Blue Mountains.

Thank you for considering my response.

Yours sincerely,
Stephanie Chew
Wentworth Falls

I am a local resident and consider myself a caretaker of this beautiful Indigenous land I get to call home. I oppose the proposed development at 142–150 Narrow Neck Road, and I oppose the use of the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) pathway in the Blue Mountains.

I chose to raise my family in the Blue Mountains because I want my children to grow up with a strong connection to and respect of nature. Moving to a place where the community upholds these values and aims to be stewards of the natural world, working in connection with, not in greed against it.

I have lived here for 5 years now, and before that I spent my weekends exploring the natural landscapes with my partner. We spend a lot of time in Katoomba and beyond as a family, its where my partner works and we maintain very wonderful, close minded friends

What matters most to me is that we acknowledge how we and the environment are part of the one ecosystem. This development disrupts the balance between natural and man-made ecosystems, affecting local diversity. It prioritises greed and overpopulation over ensuring that the character of the Blue Mountains is maintained; a close-knit community that lives in unison with the environment. A community that prioritises spaciousness in both physical and emotional ways. A community that prioritises and supports individuality, creative expression, and spiritual connection.

This project does not address the affordability crisis or provide people with a lifestyle that is in connection with these values, undermining the thriving culture we get to experience in the Blue Mountains today.

I really wanted to support this project - we need more housing and more people to support our local businesses, and Blue Mountains city council seems to rubber stamp any sort of development NO. But it's huge and has the potential to really change the area it is in. Nobody seems to adhere to the speed limits on Narrow Neck Rd and more traffic is going to make that even more dangerous. It's not just more housing that we need - it's more footpaths - especially along Narrow Neck Road, and more ways to get in and out of Katoomba especially on long weekends, holidays, and of course during bushfires. The fact that this land is already cleared makes me more inclined to support a project there, but would love to see this one downsized and traffic/footpath adjustments made.

As a 21 year resident of this locality I am aware of what should be acceptable and non-acceptable development, and this is clearly not acceptable for many reasons.
I believe this project has been submitted as State Significant by using the Housing Delivery Authority's objectives of increasing much needed housing. However, the planning submission clearly states that many of the apartments will be serviced and the inclusion of restaurants and other facilities clearly indicates that this development is, in effect, a hotel/apartment complex. Using the Housing Delivery Authority as a vehicle is therefore not in the spirit of building more housing to address a shortage, but is using the Authority to create tourist and weekender accommodation. That is not State Significant.
The surrounding area is currently being developed for more housing which is welcomed by locals given the current crisis. The difference being, however, that the new housing is being built under Blue Mountains City Council's rigorous development process and is not taking a planning short-cut.
My belief is that the proposed developer has not been up-front with locals. We have never received written notification of the DA and only learned of its fast-tracking thanks to vigilant locals who are as concerned as I am. Therefore trust in the process has been eroded.
Finally, the actual development itself. The proportions of the proposed buildings are outrageous for this area. There is little sympathy for the adjacent National Park and there is no development of this size anywhere within the Blue Mountains villages. Within Sydney, the Housing Delivery Authority has committed to delivering high density housing around railway lines and stations to sensibly enable a sustainable population increase. This development is 3 kilometres from Katoomba Railway Station with minimal public transport available. I seriously can't see how this fits into the HDA's purview, and even less how this could be classed as State Significant. It is basically a tourist development which will degrade the very environment the tourists are visiting to enjoy.