I strongly support the project on Narrow Neck Road.
As a young first home buyer who has recently bought in Blaxland, I know just how hard it is to get into the market. For this reason I support increased density throughout the Blue Mountains, making it easier for young people to get their foot in the door. The Blue Mountains has an aging population and needs to do more to attract young people into the area lest it continue to age with young people being force out.

I find the development attractive and find the proposed landscape plans to be visually quite pleasing, and note that despite the number of storeys, the profile of the complex doesn't impose on the views around Katoomba.

I think we should support this development as a community to do our part to help alleviate the housing crisis.

Inappropriate planning pathway - The HDA process overrides critical LEP protections that have been developed over 30 years to safeguard the Mountains’ environment and heritage.
Bushfire risk - High-density, multi-storey housing in an already high-risk bushfire zone increases evacuation challenges and puts lives at risk.
Environmental damage - Paving over pervious surfaces, increasing stormwater runoff and disrupts ecosystems, undermining the ecological values that underpin our World Heritage listing.
Loss of character - Dense, multi-storey blocks would irreversibly change the leafy character streetscapes and heritage character that make the Blue Mountains unique.
Economic consequences - Tourism relies on our natural environment and village character. If these are eroded, so too is the foundation of our local economy.
This is not just about one development. If the HDA pathway is allowed to proceed in the Blue Mountains, it opens the door for similar high-density projects across our towns - potentially changing the region forever.
I am calling for this development not to be approved, and that the Blue Mountains Local Government Area to be excluded from the HDA pathway.
It's also hideous, miles from town with flimsy roads, completely senseless and inappropriate, and barely supplies any affordable housing. Clearly being done by an offshore developer who wants to make money with no regard for this beautiful, fragile area. Just an affront, and insult, disgraceful, and whoever approved this in the state government, we won't be voting for you again, corruption!

I’ve lived in Katoomba for 32 years and know the town well-it is only a small town in a world heritage National Park and this needs to be considered when allowing developments to take place-the problem of traffic in the town is already and issue and cramming more people into the town is inappropriate for this area. Over the years there have been a number of fire alerts coming from the Jamison and Kanimbla Valler and houses have been lost along Cliff Drive. This proposed project along Narrow Neck Road would cause terrible traffic congestion and would place peoples lives at risk from potential fires. It would denigrate the character of the town and is unwanted by the locals who have to live nearby. It would trash the town and become an eyesore which the locals don’t want to live with. In summary this project is a money grab for greedy developers with little thought for its impact on the town. Please listen to the elected local council and follow their local knowledge and listen to the will of the people.

Can I start by saying I am not anti-development or anti-apartment/units and I am not a NIMBY.
NSW clearly has a housing crisis as a result of successive coalition and labor governments following the same housing and tax policies (State and Federal).
It is therefore clearly going to take a mix of types of housing and political courage to get us out of this mess.
This development is within 200m of a National Park with a higher bushfire danger therefore an assessment should be done by the Rural Fire Service and NSW Fire, in light of the 2019/2020 bushfires.
This development is in a significant water catchment area and the scale of the development will adversely affect the waterflow.
The scale and height of the development will be seen from within our world heritage National Park and from Katoomba township. Katoomba is one of only two towns in the world where people live and work surrounded by world heritage National Park – Banff, Canada, being the other one. Do you think that the 7.8million tourists that visited the Blue Mountains National park over the last 2 years wanted to come here and spend their money to look at a cluster of unit blocks on a hilltop?
Katoomba township has two large 4-level buildings that have been empty for years, both within 200-300metres walking distance of the train station. These buildings could be knocked down and replaced by well designed unit blocks. Along with granny-flats, tiny houses, etc, there is plenty of scope for increasing housing in the Blue Mountains.
My street has 9 houses in it, 3 of them are air BnB’s without permanent residents. My wife and I are empty nesters in a 5-bedroom house but if we downsize we would have to pay significant tax on the sale and more tax to buy again. The new owners would probably be Sydney-based investors and it would become another air BnB.
Some lateral thinking and political courage would help the housing crisis, not inappropriately located, over-scale developments of this nature.

I wish to lodge a submission in opposition to the proposed development at 142-150 Narrow Neck Road Katoomba. I support the view held by the Blue Mountains City Council that this development is not appropriate for the Blue Mountains for the reasons given to the NSW Government outlined in its Mayoral Minute of 31 March 2026.

I object to the proposed State Significant Development at Narrow Neck Road, Katoomba Key, on the basis that it presents unacceptable risks and impacts that have not been adequately addressed. The proposal would introduce additional traffic to an already constrained and environmentally sensitive road network with limited capacity, raising serious concerns about safety, congestion, and access for emergency and service vehicles. The development also risks significant visual impacts on a highly scenic and environmentally significant ridgeline landscape that contributes strongly to the character and tourism value of the Blue Mountains, with insufficient justification that built form and associated infrastructure can be satisfactorily screened or integrated. Of particular concern is the site’s exposure to extreme bushfire risk and the reliance on Narrow Neck Road as a sole or primary access and evacuation route; increased population or activity at the site has the potential to compromise evacuation efficiency for existing users and residents during bushfire events, contrary to established bushfire planning and risk‑mitigation principles. Given the cumulative impacts on traffic safety, landscape values, and bushfire evacuation capacity, the proposal does not demonstrate that it can operate safely or sustainably within this location and should not proceed without substantial redesign, further assessment, or reconsideration of site suitability.

Objection on the basis of the following:
Bushfire risk - the area of our Blue Mountains is in constant risk of bush fire. Evacuation of current population is precarious given the “string” nature of our communities (or one road only entry and exit). Increased population exacerbates this risk. Current development brings in hundreds more people thus increasing danger of safe evacuation.

Environmental damage - Blue Mountains are world gritage listed. The environment is delicate and adversely impacted by treatment of people living here. Already we have had water concerns and increased population increases this pressure.

Economic consequences - thr economy of the upper mountains relies on visitors to an area of history and natural beauty. To build a suburban and soulless set of huge apartments takes away from that and endanger s the character of Katoomba.


Finally, there was little awareness of these plans. Local residents were not informed.

I do not support this development for the following reasons:
1. Katoomba is in The Blue Mountains world heritage area. Optimisation of the environmental and cultural value of the site to encourage tourism should be a priority. The proposed development is detrimental to this aim.
2. The infrastructure including the Great Western Highway and the Parke Street access to the township are not fit for purpose at current population.
3. Anzac Memorial Hospital is Level 3 and there is no private hospital. The proposal will lead to an increase in population that cannot be adequately served and which will increase load on Nepean Hospital that is already in bed block. The requirement to transport critically ill patients to either Nepean or Lithgow (once you fix Victoria Pass…) is not in the public’s best interest.
4. The degradation of cultural built heritage, for example Mt Saint Marys and The Paragon, and the run down state of the town are priorities for the community. Katoomba street is in rapid decline. The argument that increased population will assist is spurious and negated by the success of Leura.
5. The golf course development has reduced public amenity and reduced the unique environment that the Blue Mountains provides for both residents and tourists. Further generic medium and high density development 2 hours from Sydney will make a special place, for which the Government is a custodian, less special.
6. There are very limited employment opportunities in Katoomba. Increased commuters on the sub-standard Great Western Highway will increase the risk of road fatalities.
7. Poor employment opportunities locally threaten to further exacerbate the already poor socio-economic status of Katoomba.
8. Fire risk remains significant. The red portable fire carts sort of give it away. The Government cannot guarantee effective evacuation strategies and fire response.
9. The community of the Blue Mountains and the Western Plains feel abandoned by a Sydney-centric government. Poorly considered and poorly designed future ghettos, seeking to solve a housing crisis in major cities, will be interpreted as further evidence of this neglect.

I object to the Narrow Neck Rd Katoomba development on a number of grounds:
1. The EIS does not consider the impact of the development on the critically endangered Dwarf Mountain Pine which grows on Katoomba Falls. Stromwater run off from the major development drains into the Katoomba Creek catchment. The EIS states that stornwater will be contained by the pondages below the development, however these will overflow during a major rainfall event, and the increased hard surfaces and localised polltution associated with the complex will exacerbate high flows and pollutants over the water during storm events impacting the critically endangered species. The population at Wentworth Falls suffered significant mortality after severe floods in 2022, and compounding increase in flows into Katoomba catchment may cause similar mortality of the Katoomba Falls population. Katoomba Creek is already one of the drainages in the local area with long term water quality issues and this develpoment will only add to these issues.
2. The development is not close to town amenities so not suitable for high density multistorey development - it is an hours walk to train station and shops
3. The development is close to the western escarpment of Katoomba, making it at high risk of bushfire from the west, the direction of the prevailing winds in Katoomba. Bushfires from the west travel rapidly up the escarpment and the major fires of 2019-20 have shown the community how fast wildfires can spread in catastrophic conditions, engulfing all properties in their path. The number of people and cars that would be associated with the Narrow Neck development would trap people on site and gridlock the single road in and out of the area.
4. It does not consider local planning regulation which is designed to protect the world heritage values of the Blue Mountains

I object to this proposal for the following reasons:
• It is a highly urbanized development that is not consistent with surrounding areas of housing, which is low to medium density single dwellings or two storey townhouses. It is located 3 km from the nearest urban centre of Katoomba.
• It is surrounded on all side by land, valleys and escarpments that are extremely bushfire prone. It is estimated that 500+ people will be living there. All those people (with cars), will have to be evacuated in the event of a very possible bushfire, causing chaos on a very narrow exit road.
• NSW Fire & Rescue will have to respond to any fires threatening this development. The nearest fire station to respond does not possess an appliance capable of reaching 16 metres in height.
• This is a State Significant Development to provide needed housing; however it would make more sense located nearer the inner city of Sydney or Parramatta. It is 20 minutes by local bus to the nearest train station at Katoomba then 2 hours by rail to Sydney CBD
(4 hours 40 mins of travel per day for workers)
• This urban development will be located within a World Heritage Area. The only other city in the world similarly located is Banff in Canada. This is a unique area of Australia and a development up to 15.6 metres in height with such high population density, with 8 buildings only 3-4 metres apart, is entirely undesirable.