Janet Mays

Our 27 villages face an unprecedented development surge, with our 100km ridgeline being targeted for both residential and commercial development. Some development is being driven by the widening of the highway; some by a perceived need to revitalise villages and some it seems, is just good old fashioned development.
I am not anti-development. Well considered development that is sustainable, takes into account the interests and needs of the community; and will add long term value to village life is important.

What I am questioning is the amount of development in the Mountains; the absence of meaningful community consultation and the cost of each development from both a social and financial perspective.

By my reckoning, the following villages are currently facing serious development issues. In some villages, there are multiple developments on the table. I apologise if I have left any village off the list.

* Springwood
* Wentworth Falls
* Lawson
* Leura
* Katoomba
* Blackheath

At a practical level, I wonder how Council can possibly manage so many developments at once. Obviously they don’t manage well when we witness such lengthy delays between enquiry, application and decision. At a community level, I wonder what impact these developments will have on our quality of life (i.e. water usage up, traffic flows up, waste up).

I can’t help but think that development is being seen by Council as the panacea to our fiscal ills. Medium density housing equals more rate income and developers buying community land equals a financial injection into Council’s coffers. We need truthful answers on this matter and we need them now.

Letter published in the Blue Mountains Gazette 4 July 2007