Katoomba Charrette Outcomes Report - Blue Mountains City Council

Katoomba Charrette Report & Town Centre Strategy
All facades of this development should be highly articulated, especially vertically, to reduce
their appearance of bulk, by means of:
- upstairs balconies,
- deeply recessed windows for strong shadow lines,
- varied and articulated cornice heights and roof lines,
- minor articulations in plan along facades (perhaps 150 mm) from grade to roof usually,
to cause vertical shadow lines;
- apparent building masses, windows and other openings (except vehicular access)
should generally appear taller than they are wide.
Action 10.1 - Implement a development that incorporates a high quality Cultural/Visitors
Centre in Town Centre, as per the Project Design Brief above.
10.2 Clarendon Contemporary Arts Gallery And Upstairs Residential
Accommodation
The Charrette proposed a privately owned Contemporary Arts Gallery building with upstairs short term
accommodation (or residential), on John Lekkus’s property behind the existing five small historical
Clarendon Shops on Katoomba Street, to complement the Cultural/Visitors Centre to its west (see
Section 10.1) and to contribute a sunlit active frontage to the Carrington Lawn. A sketch of this
proposal, as seen from the west along Parke Street, is in Section 10.1.1 (as the sketch also depicts the
Cultural/Visitors Centre explained in that sub-section).
John Lekkus expressed verbal interest in principle to this initiative, which would link the
Cultural/Visitors Centre with Katoomba Street.
10.2.1 Project Design Brief
The project should incorporate the following design and performance characteristics:
the image, scale, proportions and materials of the two-or three storey building should
respond to and respect the earlier Clarendon Hotel, which occupied the site in roughly the
same location, at the turn of the last century (see photo below);
the north-facing front of the street-level gallery or similar tourist-based business should
open directly to a footpath along the boundary with the Carrington Lawn, giving public
access all day and through the night will good lighting for pedestrians, connecting Froma
Lane to Katoomba Street;
car parking for the facility should be inconspicuous, either tucked away either behind
and/or underneath this building (or located nearby in shared parking development/s).
Action 10.2.1 - Implement this development as per the above Project Design Brief.
10.3 Carrington Artists Live/Work Studios
The historic two-storey Parke Street frontage of the Carrington, which is yet to be refurbished,
appears to be an ideal opportunity to develop live/work artists studios and/or galleries, which should
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