Image of development from the EIS
142–150 Narrow Neck Road, Katoomba
You only have until 5:00 pm 30 April to lodge your submission.
You can view the EIS here.To lodge your submission, select "Make a submission" and follow the instructions. You can type directly into the portal or upload a document.
Please note: postal submissions will not be accepted.
We strongly encourage all members and supporters to make a submission.
You can review our fact sheets and submission guide here
You don’t need to be an expert - write in your own words and focus on what matters most to you and the Blue Mountains. Thoughtful, individual submissions make a difference.
This is a critical moment. Please take the time to have your say.
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The Blue Mountains is a place of outstanding natural beauty. Our National Park is World Heritage-listed, our townships have a unique character, and our communities have worked tirelessly for decades to protect the environment, through careful local planning.
Now, an unprecedented planning shortcut threatens to override critical environmental protections and permanently change the Blue Mountains as we know it.The NSW Government’s new Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) is being used to fast-track housing developments. For the first time in the Blue Mountains, a developer is seeking approval under this pathway for a large-scale, high-density project at 142–150 Narrow Neck Road, Katoomba - a proposal that far exceeds the limits set in the Local Environmental Plan (LEP) and Development Control Plan (DCP).
Image from submitted EIS
- 9 x four-storey residential buildings containing 214 residential apartments
- 52 serviced apartments
- three restaurants and an internet cafe
- a wellness and arts hub incorporating a wellness centre
- conference facilities and an art gallery
- considerable on-site parking.
This was approved as a State Significant Development and the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure issued its Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) in June 2025. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is currently being prepared but will only be on exhibition for 14 days.
Key concerns include:
- 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.
We are calling for this development not to be approved, and that the Blue Mountains Local Government Area to be excluded from the HDA pathway.
Grose Valley (Lyndall Sullivan)
Grose Valley from Valhalla Head area (Lyndall Sullivan)
Minnehaha Falls 2013 (Lyndall Sullivan)
Together, we can ensure that the Blue Mountains remains a unique and protected area - not another suburb of Sydney.
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We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land
the Darug and Gundungurra people
and pay respect to their Elders past and present.