Katoomba Charrette Outcomes Report - Blue Mountains City Council

Katoomba Charrette Report & Town Centre Strategy
Access into undeveloped lands within the centre of this street block should be shared
among such developments, wherever physically feasible, to minimise unnecessary multiple
driveways and to increase the permeability of this street block to encourage walkability,
especially north-south across it to and from the Town Centre.
11.2.3 Proposed Charrette Design
Bible College Increased Use
The relatively under-utilised Bible College is proposed to be converted to an accommodation
for the elderly, or perhaps a backpacker accommodation. Whatever the new use, it should
increase the diversity of accommodation and vitality of the Town Centre.
Service Station
The existing service station is proposed to be re-used, at least temporarily, as a business
incubator operation, or some other ‘holding use’ until real estate values rise to the point of
justifying a much higher and mixed use development for this site, again in compliance with the
above Project Design Brief.
Cascade Street Medium-Density
Medium-density residential is proposed for the several empty or under-utilised lots on
Cascade Street. These smaller dwellings are perhaps two storeys, some are dual-occupancies,
and they should all be compatible with their neighbours and surrounding context in terms of
privacy and architecture.
Intra-Block Medium-Density Infill Development/s
Two types of development are shown for the undeveloped mid-block lands. The more
intensive options involve consolidation, using the existing private driveway serving the new
strip of business premises off Katoomba Street is extended to serve a number of small
dwellings at the rear of the properties fronting Waratah and Edwards Street. This scheme
would need cooperation from the various affected owners, either through a joint venture or by
purchasing and assembling the land and creating a new street.
The alternate approach development/s is based on adding new access driveways beside
existing buildings on Edwards Street to enable medium-density development in rear yards.
This development does not require assembly of adjoining properties, and could be done
incrementally, as various owners choose to develop their rear properties.
One Way of Perhaps Many to Develop in Compliance with the Project Design Brief
This design indicates only two of perhaps many ways to comply with the Project Design Brief,
and hopefully to affect win/wins both for the existing owners and for the Town Centre.
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