Draft Heritage Contributions Mapping - Public Exhibition

Public Exhibition: 6 August – 3 September 2025

The character and heritage of the Blue Mountains are extensive and exceptional and help make the Blue Mountains a unique place to live and visit. Built heritage is the physical evidence of past people, social and cultural values, and ways of life, and includes the vast collections of dwellings that make up areas of our towns and villages.

Heritage properties and conservation areas are an important part of the Blue Mountains’ village character and are highly valued by the community as expressed in the Blue Mountains Community Strategic Plan 2035 and Community Survey.

The heritage provisions of LEP 2015 require Council to “to identify and conserve the cultural heritage of the Blue Mountains”. Council provides protections through the Blue Mountains Local Environmental Plan 2015 (LEP 2015) and Blue Mountains Development Control Plan 2015 (DCP 2015), which protect heritage properties through development objectives and controls. Heritage conservation areas are listed in the Schedule of the LEP and shown on the LEP Heritage Mapping.

Heritage inventory sheets are in place for each HCA and provide information about the history of the area, a description of the area, and an identification and assessment of the heritage values. The contributions of individual properties are generally not included in the inventory sheet. The Contributory Mapping project seeks to address this gap, providing more certainty for owners wishing to develop their property. There are three categories of contributions: contributory, neutral and uncharacteristic. Every property within an HCA has been attributed a draft contributions value.

To read about the heritage values of our heritage conservation areas see our webpage: https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/heritage/heritage-conservation-areas

Detailed heritage objectives and controls are contained within Part D of the Blue Mountains Development Control Plan 2015: https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/documents/dcp-2015-part-d-heritage-management

https://emapping.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/connect/analyst/mobile/#/main?mapcfg=Draft_DCP&lang=en-au

Why It Matters

• Identifying contributions values helps clarify the heritage contributions of individual properties in HCAs prior to planning development.
• Increased clarity supports informed planning and development decisions.
• Protecting heritage values helps conserve the heritage of the Blue Mountains.
• Seeking feedback encourages a shared understanding in shaping the future of the Blue Mountains’ unique heritage character.

You can make a written submission by one of the following methods:

1. Via the below submission form
2. Email to council@bmcc.nsw.gov.au
3. Mail to Chief Executive Officer, Blue Mountains City Council, Locked Bag 1005, Katoomba, NSW, 2780. Please include ‘Submission to Heritage Contributory Mapping’ in your subject heading.

Submissions will close on Wednesday 3 September 2025.

For further information, please contact the Built Heritage Team on 02 4780 5000.