Blue Mountains News

Currently in the planning and scoping phase, the upgrades are anticipated to be completed by 2027 and will include:

• Improved street furniture;
• New outdoor public dining facilities;
• Improved outdoor public event spaces;
• Street tree plantings and landscaping;
• The continuation and completion of street paving, kerbing and guttering upgrades;
• Public art and treatments for cultural, environmental and heritage interpretation; and,
• A new Wayfinding Strategy for the town centre and improved directional signage.

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said: “Katoomba is an iconic place, loved by residents, and visited by millions of people from all around the world annually.

“In recent years, Council and the community worked together to create a vision for Katoomba that is sustainable, inclusive and that celebrates and preserves the town’s rich heritage and unique identity. Now Council is committed to working with the community to realise this vision.”

Council recently held an information stall in the town centre to discuss the planned upgrades with the community, and to hear about people’s experiences of the Katoomba Street precinct.

Interested community members are also invited to share their experience through an online survey until 5pm, Friday 13 December. Responses to the survey will help inform the delivery and future evaluation of the upgrade program.

The Katoomba Masterplan was endorsed in November 2023 and provides along-term visionto guide sustainable revitalisation, development, and investment within Katoomba.  

Council worked with the community and key stakeholders to develop the Katoomba Masterplan from 2020, and the process involved significant consultation to understand what people value about living, working, and playing in Katoomba. 

The draft masterplan was exhibited at the end of 2022 and received a high level of community support.

Council was awarded funding for the upgrades to Katoomba Street via the NSW Government’s Western Sydney Infrastructure Grants program. This is in addition to funding for improvements at Glenbrook, Blaxland and Hazelbrook town centres.

Member for Blue Mountains Trish Doyle said: “I am pleased and proud that the NSW Government is supporting Council and our community to undertake this significant, exciting, and necessary revamp of Katoomba for locals, businesses, and tourists alike.

“These substantial improvements will highlight the fabulous place that Katoomba is.”

The Katoomba Town Centre Upgrade program follows a recently completed program of works at the Katoomba Civic Centre Arcade precinct that delivered a new central Visitor Information Centre for Katoomba, and a range of upgrades to improve accessibility and comfort for visitors, including redesigned outdoor spaces for events and community activities.

For further information and project updates visit: here

To share your experience of Katoomba town centre visit: here

To view the Katoomba Masterplan visit: here