Blackheath Village Centre Upgrade

We had a fantastic response from the community to the Blackheath Village upgrade survey.

Almost 15% of the community completed the survey, and over 130 residents attended the drop in sessions, held in February 2020.

What you told us:

• You love the shops and village, and most of you are looking forward to the improvements identified in the Masterplan.
• There was a favourable response to a town square with residents loving the idea of more seating, gardens and water refill stations, as well as occasional events like markets, music and pop-up stalls in the village centre.
• The roundabout and better and safer access for pedestrians was at the top of the list of improvements you want to see in Blackheath.
• You want to see more efficient parking because it’s essential to the functioning and connection of the village.
• Traffic flow and access in the Sutton Lane carpark is also really important to you.

Safety and connectivity

Based on the results of the survey and consultation with the Blackheath community, we will start to prepare for the important works that will improve safety, flow and connectivity in and around the village. These safety and connectivity upgrades will include:

• Improving sections of the footpath on Great Western Highway and along Wentworth Street, from Blackheath Gardens to the school.
• Improving access outside the community hall with a loading bay and new kerbs
• Formalising parking on Station Street and improving the corner of Bundarra Street.
• Adding a new roundabout at the intersection of Govetts Leap Road and Wentworth Street.
• Introducing pedestrian crossings leading up to the new roundabout.
• Enhancing pedestrian safety at the entrance to the Sutton Lane carpark from Wentworth Street.
• Re-configuring of the Sutton Lane carpark with additional parking at the eastern end.
• Revitalising Neate Park with feature and safety lighting.

We will come back to you once we have some more detailed designs showing what the roundabout and corners of the Govetts Leap Road and Wentworth Street intersection look like.

We expect to start work on these improvements in 2021-22.

Town square

The biggest proposed change is the creation of a town square and there was a favourable response to this concept. We will continue to work with Blackheath businesses and residents to finalise how this space will work for everyone.

As the new town square is such a large project, and so important to get right, it’s likely this part of the upgrade will be delivered separately to the safety and connectivity improvements.

These are Council’s proposals, based on previous feedback from the Blackheath community, and evidence-based design. We believe that getting the community’s feedback on this next stage is vital, so we can make the right plans for Blackheath village centre. We are gathering that feedback now, and it will inform the final decision about what the upgrade looks like.

• Enhance the entry to the village
  • Provide a sense of night time arrival with lighting of the Neate Park footpath and new pedestrian pavement.
  • Plantings and custom design balustrades at Govetts Leap Road intersection.
  • Renewing footpaths and improving the passage of the Great Blue Mountains Trail.
• Provide traffic calming devices on Govetts Leap Road
  • Install a pedestrian crossing where the footpath widens to reduce crossing distances as well as providing space for additional street tree planting.
• Create an integrated a town square
  • Create a town square by closing the northern centre of the carpark and the Govetts Leap Road entry/exit. Note: See our Comparison chart (in the document library) for more information on the no vehicle access or one way vehicle access options at this area.
  • Redesign of the existing carpark so there is no loss of car spaces.
• Improve street frontage and access to the Community Hall on Gardiner Crescent
  • Improve street frontage to hall including new kerbs and a designated loading bay.
  • Review and renew footpaths leading to the hall.
• Add a roundabout to the intersection of Wentworth and Govetts Leap Roads
  • Install a roundabout and provide new kerbs, garden beds and custom design balustrades to reduce road width and to guide safe and practical movement in and around the area.

The town square was identified as something the community would benefit from in the Blackheath Masterplan. A town square provides a central open space, somewhere to meet with friends, rest and relax while out in the village and enjoy occasional markets and events.

It is the social heart of the village, and provides a safe and vibrant place for the community and visitors to gather and enjoy Blackheath village. The town square may include seating, shade planting, gardens and even facilities like internet access, as well as providing a place for local businesses to activate and enhance their presence.

No. There will be no loss of parking spaces in Blackheath as a result of the upgrade. The proposal does include rearranging some areas of Sutton Lane Carpark to make better use of space so there will not be any loss of parking.

The Blackheath Pedestrian and Traffic Study Future Modelling Report, prepared by Cardno,looked at existing transport issues in Blackheath Town Centre. It identifies current and potential safety and flow issues, and risks related to pedestrians and cyclists. The report also developed possible future scenarios, assessing the traffic impacts of each option.

The report is now available to view in the document library in the right hand column of this page. The report included vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, and:

• identified existing transport issues/risks in Blackheath Town Centre
• developed future model scenarios
• assessed the traffic impact of each scenario

One of the recommendations of this report is the introduction of the proposed formalised pedestrian crossing in the village centre, which would remove the entry point to the Sutton Rd Carpark. The report says this would provide significant benefit for pedestrians, including better safety, reduced walking delays, and revitalisation of the public space. It also showed a negligible increase in travel times and delays for vehicles.

The Blackheath Village Centre Public Domain Masterplan (available in the document library in the right hand column of this page) was adopted at the Council Meeting on 19 September 2017. The Masterplan included significant input from the community, which we received between 2014 and 2017 through information sessions, workshops and public exhibitions. The outcome of that consultation and the Masterplan, was to focus on:

• boosting business vitality
• improving the public experience
• facilitating social activity
• raising mobility and pedestrian safety
• improving the village’s appeal

You can read all about the Masterplan on the Masterplan project page.

Blackheath was prioritised for a Masterplan because it has not had one before. With such a strong sense of community, and a diverse and substantial tourism industry showing signs of growth, now is the perfect time to use this funding to provide improvements for local residents and visitors.