Katoomba Charrette – Chapter 2: Katoomba townsfolk’s initiative for Town Planning
So, in 1998 a number of wise established townsfolk locals of Katoomba (residents and business people alike) with a passionate interest in improving Katoomba, initiated a town planning project themselves. They came together and established a working group to this end, The Katoomba/Echo Point Planning Advisory Committee.
Their underlying principle was for Katoomba’s town centre revitalisation, and the famous nearby attraction Echo Point lookout (about 2km to the south) was one of the key feature sites included for revitalisation.
The spirit of this grassroots initiative was that the concept planning process be inspired and driven out of direct community consultation. Council was invited to participate.
This was at a time that was on the cusp of the new 21st century. The local community spirit was enthusiastic to shape the future of Katoomba’s town centre. There was a sense of gratitude that locals would have a say in putting forward ideas toward the urban planning of their town centre.
