Katoomba Charrette Outcomes Report - Blue Mountains City Council

Katoomba Charrette Report & Town Centre Strategy
public. Because the property is fenced and boarded up at present due to ongoing
construction, it also acts as a gap or hole in the urban continuity of Parke Street. That all could
change in time (see Section 10.4).
The Savoy
The Savoy Theatre/Trocadero on Katoomba Street, with its extraordinary complex of
entertainment and performance facilities, was once a glory to Katoomba and should be again.
But now it is a ‘hole’ in Katoomba Street. The Charrette learned that the Savoy’s
redevelopment was recently denied due to its inability to comply with on-site parking
requirements for its projected uses. The facility is in tatters but appears to be restorable, if its
redevelopment (refurbishment) were permissible and if it could prove viable in terms of
financial feasibility (see Section 8.4 Car Parking and Section 10).
State Rail Authority (SRA) Goods Yard
The State Rail Authority (SRA) Goods Yard, between the station and Main Street, contains some
important historic rail-related buildings and an old crane structure, but is mostly a vacant and
dusty hole in the urban fabric. Safety there at night is a concern, and the Goods Yard is hardly
used in the daytime. This was a key site the Charrette Team was contracted to deal with (see
Section 9.1).
SRA Depot (North) and Highway Frontage of the Gearin’s Hotel
These two sites flank the top of Katoomba Street at the Great Western Highway, marking the
‘front door’ to Katoomba with a less than inspired image at present.
The State Rail Authority (SRA) Depot site, on the southeast corner of the Great Western
Highway and Katoomba Street, is potentially a brilliant site for a signature development which
reflects Katoomba’s assets and character, but it presently functions as a ‘hole’ with a vacant lot
near Katoomba Street with a limited use for car parking, and the now under-utilised depot
itself further to the east. The SRA has indicated that this property is available for
redevelopment, and the Charrette Team was contracted to deal with it (see Section 9.3).
While the historic Gearin’s Hotel at the top of Katoomba Street on the corner with the Great
Western Highway is a treasure, its frontage to the highway is not. Its north face is a blank
brick wall with an empty space about 5 metres wide stretching to its rear, between the elevated
highway retaining wall and the building itself. This unfortunate frontage to the highway may
came about as a result of the highway construction. This blank wall and empty space function
as a ‘hole’ or missing face of this key corner of Katoomba’s Town entry at Katoomba Street
(see Section 9 for proposals).
Goldsmiths Site
The Goldsmith’s Hardware site, just north of the station and west of the Gearin’s Hotel, is set
about 7 metres below the grade of the adjoining highway, at the base of a vertical retaining
wall. The hardware store is operating, but the owners would like the property to be redeveloped,
and the property acts effectively as a ‘hole’ in the urban fabric, at least compared to
its potential.
This site, especially if built above its retaining wall to address the highway, would be quite
valuable due to its exposure to passing trade, and it has been the focus of concerns about a
McDonalds or other fast food restaurant moving into the Blue Mountains. See Section 9.2 for
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