Redevelopment at Blackheath Golf Course

Posted byGLCGPosted inUncategorized

The Blackheath Golf Club is currently undertaking the development of new holes to enhance the appeal of the course.  This includes the removal of 46 mature native trees and substantial earth works.

The  course straddles Govetts Leap Brook which flows into the National Park then over Govetts Leap and into the World Heritage Area.  Upstream is a large area of Blue Mountains Swamp which is now in good condition following many years of hard work by bushcare volunteers.

Govetts Leap Catchment Group is very concerned about the impact of this development in this critical area of the catchment.  The tree removal will destroy valuable habitat for native species in an already degraded area and the earthworks may result in increased sedimentation of the Brook which is already suffering the impact increased sediment from upstream.

The Golf Club has already carried out plantings of native species to compensate for the tree removal but these will take many years to achieve maturity and may not receive the necessary care needed to do so.

A DA (X/898/2026) was advertised in the Gazette on 9th September for Tree Removal only.  Please look at this and make a submission by 23rd September:

  • By Email (Recommended): Send your submission to council@bmcc.nsw.gov.au. You must reference the specific DA Number in the email subject line.
  • By Mail: Address your letter to:

Chief Executive Officer / General Manager
Blue Mountains City Council
Locked Bag 1005, Katoomba NSW 2780

Key points are:

  • The proposal will remove a significant area of mature native trees in a sensitive and already degraded area.  It is non-compliant with DCP 2015: Part C1 (Biodiversity and Natural Resources) which explicitly mandates the preservation of mature vegetation and habitat trees.
  • There is no guarantee that new plantings will reach maturity and in any case this will take many years.
  • The DA is incomplete as it does not include earthworks associated with the redevelopment.
  • The hydrological impacts of the tree removal have not been evaluated.  The course is likely to have contained areas of swamp in the past and has ongoing drainage issues which may impact Govetts Leap Brook.