Dear Sir/Madam,

Please find attached my formal objection to this proposed development.

With regards,

Jon Dee

Hello, I am a resident of Katoomba. I am firmly OPPOSED to the Narrowneck Road development project. Given that there is nothing stipulating that short-term accommodation will not be allowed (similar to airbnb etc), this development will NOT help solve the housing crisis in the upper mountains; if anything, it will lead to increased local prices, which will make things worse for struggling families. Moreover, Katoomba is in a national park. Any clearing of native trees for development projects should not be allowed. I believe this is a blatant money grab being pushed through by greedy private interests that have somehow convinced the (likely corrupt) state government to jump on board. We residents in the Blue Mountains are NOT okay with this project. Please cease and desist; take your greedy moneygrabbing plans out of our National Park. Thank you. Sincerely, David Post, resident of Katoomba (Rupert Street)

The Submission for residential flat buildings at 142-150 Narrowneck Rd, Katoomba is deeply unsuitable on a number of grounds:

1) Fire vulnerability: Narrowneck Rd is a narrow two-lane rd that is one of only two exit/entry ways into Katoomba from the Great Western Highway. Its Western side is only metres away from the West facing Escarpment, the most common approach of fires. As evidenced during the 2019 fires, once a fire starts in that vicinity the road is immediately filled with fire engines, making exit for residential vehicles only possible via the town centre, which is congested virtually every day anyway. The addition of such a large body of new residents would make escape by car impossible.

2) Overdevelopment: Continuing the fire scenario, there are already 40 new residences being built in the immediate vicinty on the new "Silvertop Boulevard" which comes off Stuarts rd and another 28 on the ressurected estate on the corner of Narrowneck rd and Stuarts Rd.
That is nearly 70 new residences ( and cars) already being inserted into this dangerous area., even without this disastrous proposal.

3) Insufficient transport: there is only one bus service operating near the proposed site and the walk into Katoomba CBD is at least 2 kilometres up and down steep hills. Consequently all residents and visitors will be using cars.

4) Inappropriate Height: The height of the proposed development will make it the most prominently visible object in Katoomba, thus disturbing the visual urban landscape.

5) Lack of Suitability; the housing crisis in the Blue Mountains calls for more affordable housing, not tourist accommodation. 15% is not sufficient to address the need here, particularly as that may be revoked after 15 years and revert back to market prices. This does not in any way address the real need here.

I implore you to deny this application as it is patently unsuitable on so many grounds.

Thank you

This project is inappropriate for the beautiful Blue Mountains due to the following reasons:
1. Inappropriate planning pathway - The HDA process overrides critical LEP protections that have been developed over 30 years to safeguard the Mountains’ environment and heritage.
2. Bushfire risk - High-density, multi-storey housing in an already high-risk bushfire zone increases evacuation challenges and puts lives at risk.
3. Environmental damage - Paving over pervious surfaces, increasing stormwater runoff and disrupts ecosystems, undermining the ecological values that underpin our World Heritage listing.
4. Loss of character - Dense, multi-storey blocks would irreversibly change the leafy character streetscapes and heritage character that make the Blue Mountains unique.
5. Economic consequences - Tourism relies on our natural environment and village character. If these are eroded, so too is the foundation of our local economy.
Please stop this development in its tracks.
Yours sincerely,
Penny

This project is not in keeping with the status of a national park. This is a proposal that is an ugly and unsustainable blight on a beautiful natural area. This proposal goes against the World Heritage criteria for the Blue Mountains inclusion and will open the floodgates for future inappropriate development. It will negatively impact all Katoomba residents and goes against the prescribed height limit of buildings in this area.

No point having projects like this, with housing for so many, when the infrastructure can't even cope with what we already have. Already there is too much traffic on the roads which are not up to carry such large numbers. Local Medical services can't cope, nor is there enough local tradespeople to cope with the extra maintenance, let alone water and electricity supply. More housing is needed of course, but infrastructure needs to properly be in place beforehand. This goes for the whole nation. Infrastructure has to be in place before hundreds of thousands of extra people are brought in each year. Everything has to be properly planned. This does not seem to be the case at all. The scale of this project is completely out of proprtion with what Katoomba can support. The saddest, most obscene thing about this all, is that the land was a gift to the people of Katoomba. Katoomba has been betrayed by council and by the state. Does integrity count for anything anymore or is everything done now to just feed the capitalist gods and hang the consequences ?

I object to this proposal for the following reasons:
- I reside within 1 km of the proposed development and have not received any notification about this proposal from the applicant.
- The proposed building exceeds the height and overall scale of any current development in the Blue Mountains and is approximately twice the height and floor space permitted under the Blue Mountains Local Environmental Plan 2015 for this location.
- The location is outside the Katoomba town centre and has limited access to public transport and essential services.
- The land is situated in an area identified as highly bushfire-prone, along a road that presents known challenges for evacuation during emergencies.
- Positioned close to the escarpment and the World Heritage Area, the development would be clearly visible from many vantage points across Katoomba and would create overshadowing impacts for nearby residents.
- The site sits at the head of the Katoomba Creek Falls catchment, creating a risk of notable environmental consequences for the downstream ecosystem.

The project fails to address a number of local issues.
The roads will not support the traffic needed, and the nature of the land there does not allow for expansion of the road without significant environmental impact and cost. Cliff rd is a great example of a road that has experienced significant issues and been closed for lengthy periods.

There’s no access to trains, and buses are not frequent, nor are there adequate bus stops.
The area come with an inherent bushfire risk and this development puts the occupants and surrounding residents at risk by causing a trap

There’s also inadequate schools and childcare facilities in the local area to service the additional residents.
The developer should have to contribute significant funds in the order of tens of millions to address all of these issues or the plan should be rejected.
The residents of BMCC should not have to foot the bill for the supporting infrastructure so that a developer can profit.

I am a resident who lives on Narrow Neck Rd. I object to the proposed development at 142-150 Narrow neck Rd, which looks to build 200 new residences. My objection reasons are below:

* Traffic and Safety: The development will significantly increase traffic on Narrow Neck Rd, creating safety risks for pedestrians and cyclists. There is no safe walkway on a large stretch of this road, and it would be difficult to build this given the environment. The road itself is quite narrow, and the traffic that goes along that street will significantly increase along a very narrow street with no walking paths.
* Noise and Amenity: Construction and ongoing use will cause excessive noise, impacting residents’ quality of life. The residents who have bought along this road did so with the intent of living in a quiet area of the suburb near the bushland, for 'serenity' so to speak. Adding 200 new residences will definitely take away from the serenity that we sought when moving onto this street.
* Environmental Impact: The removal of mature trees will reduce local biodiversity and shade. The waste runoff will also have nowhere to go except into the local river that then runs down into Katoomba falls. This will completely change the environment of this area, and reduce the water flow over the waterfall. Tourism will obviously be affected.
* Loss of Privacy: The building’s height and design will overlook neighbouring properties. There are no high rise properties within this area at all, and having a set of four together will be exceptionally imposing.
* Ambience: I purposely bought a home in this area so that I could enjoy the quiet ambience of the bush and quiet suburban area. This building will completely ruin the whole reason for me living in this street and suburb. I would rather sell my home and leave than to live across the road from a city feel set of high rise buildings. I moved from Sydney to get away from this feel of a suburb, and here we are with the same feel of a suburb being built across the road. You would cause me to have to sell my home and move away from a suburb that I love.

I am sure you can see that the development is not appropriate for the site it is earmarked for, and I strenuously object to it going ahead.