Blue Mountains News

Twenty-five years ago, Council and the Blue Mountains community came together to identify priorities for the future and develop a vision for a more sustainable City and community.

This resulted in the development of a 25-year City Vision and Map for Action – Towards A More Sustainable Blue Mountains, that has continued to be a major focus guiding the Council’s planning and service delivery in the City of Blue Mountains to the current time.

Subsequent reports have helped Council track progress towards our Sustainable Blue Mountains goals, and the 2024 edition endorsed at the 29 October Council meeting outlines some significant achievements.

The Blue Mountains community has reduced the amount of material going to landfill over the last 20 years, from more than 800kg per person in 2000/01 to 322kg per person in 2022/23 – a decrease of 60 per cent.

Regular water quality monitoring over more than 20 years has provided a better understanding of the condition of local waterways, better enabling prioritised and targeted action.

Council’s commitment to sustainability has been reflected in the establishment of the Blue Mountains Planetary Health initiative in 2020, supporting and restoring planetary health with a “think global, act local” framework.

This commitment was also reflected in 2023 when the Blue Mountains achieved ECO Destination certification, recognising our region’s commitment to sustainable practices and a lighter footprint on our World Heritage environment.

New facilities including the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre and Katoomba Library (2012), Springwood Theatre and Community Hub (2015), Glenbrook Visitor Information Centre (2018) and Springwood Library (2023) have also been established over the past 25 years.

And from one wheelchair-accessible train station in the year 2000 – Springwood – the Blue Mountains now has 10 accessible stations with upgrades planned at three more in coming years.

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said: “This report reflects on the significant progress we have made together over the past 25 years, as well as articulating the challenges and opportunities we face socially, environmentally and economically into the future.

“It paves the way for further conversations about our aspirations for the City of the Blue Mountains in the future, and how we can put plans in place to help achieve those goals.”

Blue Mountains City Council CEO Rosemary Dillion said: “The State of the City Report 2024 provides an important update on our progress as a city towards achieving our shared vision of a more sustainable Blue Mountains - environmentally, socially, economically, and in terms of our civic leadership.

“Council is committed to improving the well-being of our community and surrounding World Heritage environment, and I am extremely proud of what we have achieved alongside the community and our partners over the past 25 years.

“There is always more work to be done, and I look forward to continuing to work together to build a sustainable and successful future for the Blue Mountains in the coming years.”

The Blue Mountains State of the City 2024 report can be downloaded from the BMCC website at here