Blue Mountains News

At the heart of “sustainable Blue Mountains” is ensuring the Blue Mountains has a healthy community, local economy and natural environment all supporting our unique position as a City within a World Heritage environment.

Council is asking residents to tell us what they think the key achievements for our City have been over the past 25 years and what the key priorities are going forward to help shape the future vision for the City to 2050.

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said: “Reflecting on what we have achieved and planning for our future are some of the most important things we can do. Good decisions are best made when we learn from the past and have a strong community endorsed vision of what we want to achieve.”

There have been many positive milestones in our community in the past 25 years – from the listing of the Greater Blue Mountains as a World Heritage Area to the environmental management focus and the many upgrades to specific infrastructure including the opening of world-class cultural facilities in Katoomba and Springwood. But of course, there has also been many challenges for our community, including fires, floods and storms.

Having a long term strategic vision and plan can support the Blue Mountains in influencing the allocation of resources by other levels of government and agencies, especially for major infrastructure, health and other facilities, improved accessibility and liveability outcomes, environmental management and disaster risk mitigation. Such a long term vision and plan would be reviewed every four years in close consultation with community.

The campaign to develop the new long term community vision was launched this week and asks residents to identify what they believe are the greatest achievements in the Blue Mountains over the past 25 years and their priorities for the future – socially, economically and environmentally.

CEO Dr Rosemary Dillon said: “Nearly 25 years ago, our community came together and developed a national award-winning Community Vision and Map for Action for a More Sustainable Blue Mountains 2000-2025 that has been successfully implemented over time and has resulted in many major achievements.

“This vision still guides the Council’s planning and decision making in the City of Blue Mountains. It has formed the basis of our Blue Mountains Community Strategic Plan - the highest-level long-term plan for the city.”

It is now time to update the plan and recheck the community vision for our unique City.  Residents can participate online or by visiting Blue Mountains Leisure Centres and Blue Mountains Libraries before Tuesday 5 December.

The campaign includes a survey, an online ‘tell us your story’ activity, and a photography competition with participants going into a prize draw.

In looking back over this period, we are recognising the progress made by community, Council, other organisations and levels of government all working together, and asking the community for their views on key achievements and important priorities going forward to achieve improved social, economic and environmental outcomes for our community.

For further information and to learn about future opportunities to participate in this project visit:yoursay.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/bluemountains2050