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Lawson Town Centre Redevelopment, Blue Mountains City Council, NSW September 2006

SECTION 1

BACKGROUND AND SITE ANALYSIS


1.1.3 SCOPE OF WORK

This scope identifies processes conducted from the 2003 Master Plan that remain relevant, as well as additional items required for the Revised Concept Plan.

REVIEW EXISTING DCP PLAN, PREVIOUS STUDIES AND RELEVANT MATERIAL

• Review existing DCP Plan• Review specialist studies to inform the development of the existing DCP Plan

MANAGE STAKEHOLDERS INTERESTS

• Engage with State Government agencies and utilities•Liaise with the RTA•Engage with local community to achieve this active involvement.•Attend Lawson Township Advisory Committee•Liaise with the local business owners

RECOMMEND RETAIL AND COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES

Provide for retail and commercial opportunities of a scale layout and location that are consistent with:

• Lawson’s role in the Blue Mountains retail hierarchy• Highway service centre role• Local market conditions• Current and future retailing trends• Demand of existing trades who are seeking to re main in Lawson

DEVELOP A REVISED CONCEPT PLAN FOR THE VILLAGE CENTRE

Develop a Revised Concept Plan that demonstrates the following:

• Village form with high quality ar chitectural and urban design outcomes• Conservation of local heritage and character values• Excellent pedestrian amenity• Appropriately located parking• Integrated and themed streetscape

IDENTIFY PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE WORKS

• Identify all necessary public infrastructure and streetscape elements.• Develop staging plan for infrastructure delivery.

1.1.1 STUDY TEAM

ROLE CONSULTANT

Project Manager Blue Mountains City CouncilUrban Design+ Master Planning Complete Urban SolutionsTraffic and Transport Planning CUS, Transport & Urban PlanningWater Strategy CUS, Morse McVeyInfrastructure CUS, Tim Williams ArchitectsPlanning DOPT

1.1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this Revised Concept Plan is to further develop existing DCP Plan and complement the RTA’s proposed Great Western Highway widening project.

The Revised Concept Plan embodies the fol lowing objectives:

• To integrate the document as part of the RTA’s REF.

• To be consistent with the interest of the local community and other stakeholders.

• To achieve urban design outcomes of the highest quality.

• To provide retail opportunities consistent with that of Lawson’s role with the local retail hierarchy.

• To attract investment from developers and retailers.

• To identify opportunities and constraints so as to maximise benefits which may arise from development in Lawson Village whilst protecting and enhancing its natural and cultural features.

• To set out key strategies to guide the design of the main elements of urban structure within Lawson.

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Complete Urban Solutions was engaged by the Blue Mountains City Council in May 2006 to prepare a Revised Concept Plan for the Lawson Village Centre, as the township would be af-fected by the widening of the Great Western Highway. The company was briefed to further develop and review the existing DCP Plan.

Lawson has an approximate population of 3,500 people and is located in the mid mountains between Springwood and Katoomba neighbouring alongside Bullaburra and Ha-zelbrook.

The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) has planned for the widening of the Great Western Highway for the last 40 years. After a lengthy process that included specialist studies and community consultation, Council adopted an option preferred by RTA in 1999. The most significant features of this option were the provision of a service road for parking and the demolition of the highway frontage shops west of the Blue Mountains Hotel. Following this the Civitas Partnership team reviewed the option and attended several community forums. Civitas Partnership prepared a Master Plan, which was adopted by the Council in 2003

This Revised Concept Plan for the Lawson Village, was developed to address several perceived short comings with the 2003 version, but has where possible preserved strategies and controls that have since been integrated into the Lawson Village DCP.

Once adopted, the Revised Concept Plan will provide the basis for planning controls which will ensure that future development is managed and makes a positive impact to the essential physical and natural qualities, which give the area its distinct character, and maintains and strengthens the commercial and cultural life of the village.

1. BACKGROUND AND SITE ANALYSIS

BACKGROUND

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1.1.4 STUDY AREA

Lawson is located in the local government area of Blue Mountains City Council along the Great Western Highway. The township is situated 95km to the Northwest of the Sydney CBD and 13km east of Katoomba.

The Lawson Township extends on both sides of the Great Western Highway with majority of the public and retail uses located south of the Highway.

The study area for the master plan covered sections from the southern precinct that were both impacted by the widening of the highway and areas that can contribute to making a vital centre. The study area is bounded by Douglas Square/Honour Avenue to the east, Staples Street to the west the Service Road/Great Western Highway to the north and Benang Street/ Adelaide Street to the south.

Refer to Figure 01 and 02.

Figure 01. REGIONAL CONTEXT MAP


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1.2 PLANNING CONTEXT

1.2.1 STATE GOVERNMENT

The State Government released in 1998 the planning document “Shaping our Cities” with the aim of shaping a sustainable future for the residents of the Sydney’s Metropolitan Region. The document sets guidance in how to manage development through a strong partnership between communities, councils and the state government agencies.

The key issues identified in this strategy include the need to improve and promote compact town centres, integrating land uses and transport and to encourage mixed uses centre.

Urban Design principles include:

• Shaping the distribution of land uses and designing developments to support viable alternatives to car use.

• Enhancing town centres by ensuring higher standards of des ign and a mix o f work ing, shopping, l i v ing, entertainment and services as well as encouraging reinvestment.

• Providing high quality living areas that are safe and secure but well integrated into lively neighborhoods with adequate services.

• Seeking excellence in design and efficiency in CBDs and employment areas to attract investment and help competitiveness.

• Relating new development to its built and natural context and providing attractive urban spaces.

• Providing convenient and pleasant pedestr ian environments made safe by community activity.

• Maintaining local character, cultural identity and continuity with responsive designs in centres, neighborhoods and heritage areas.

Figure 02. Study Context

Extent of study area


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Existing recreation


1.2.2 LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Under the adopted LEP2005 the study area is zoned as ei-ther Town Centre zone, Housing or General Living. The re-vised masterplan would form the basis of any locality man-agement provisions within the Blue Mountains Better Living DCP, Part I (Lawson) of 1 December 2005.Refer to Figure 03.

Figure 03. Zoning Map


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Regional transport corridor

Living - Town Centre

Living - Housing

Living - General

1 Number of buildingstoreyHard Surface Areas (Exclude Roads)

Footpath


1.3 COMMUNITY CONSULTATION

1.3.1 BACKGROUND

The development of major infrastructure has significant impacts on the communities concerned. The community of Lawson has been to a greater or lesser extent affected by the planned widening of the Great Western Highway for several decades. This has resulted in both uncertainty and divided opinion even among those who support road widening. Under the circumstances it has been difficult for the community to develop positive expectations of the future of their village. The process of working on the kind of urban revitalization strategies that might otherwise be appropriate for a village of this population has been limited. For this reason the capacity of the community to ‘face the village rather than the road’ was important to developing a workable concept for Lawson.

The principles of community participation and integrated planning are now part of both State government policy through Plan First and are also a requirement of the Local Government Act. This new focus supports the belief that early involvement of community members and stakeholders is not only an effective means of developing good local understanding but ultimately better overall planning outcomes. In the case of Lawson this process has been circuitous with the current project having acquired past agendas and expectations by default.

1.3.2 THE CONSULTATION PROCESS

The following activities were part of a communication strategy adopted by Civitas Partnership that was intended to inform people about the project as well as create a level of community interest and stakeholder discussion about the Village Centre:

• Communication Program• Stakeholder intervies • Business breakfast meeting• Lawson Village Centre warkshops• Street display

The 2003 Masterplan document details the full process and outcomes from this process. The masterplan was then developed to accommodate the consultation outcomes where considered appropriate and relevant. The Revised Concept Plan is then a refinement of the 2003 masterplan which continues to address the same consultation outcomes.Refer to Figure 04.

Figure 04. Community Counsultation Sketch


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1.4 NATURAL SETTING

Lawson is located in the Central Blue Mountains, on an undulating site with the highest point around Bellevue Park. The ground then falls away to the southeast and to a more gradual slope to the west.

The soil is typical of the Blue Mountains consisting of Hawkesbury and Narrabeen Sandstones producing sandy topsoil with clay sub soils.

Refer to Figure 05.

Figure 05 . TopographyExtent of study area


SITE ANALYSIS


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1.5 VIEWS

The main views within the village include:

• Honour Avenue and Douglas Square when viewed from the train station.

• The view of ‘Heatherbrae‘ and associated gardens from New Street.

• The distant views of the Blue Mountains from the rear of the existing shops.

Refer to Figure 06 and 07. Figure 06. Heatherbrae House and Garden

Figure 07. Honour Avenue and Douglas Square


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1.6 ACTIVITIES

1.6.1 RETAIL

The development of retail in Lawson’s southern precinct has been based on shops responding the to civic character of Douglas Square and to the passing traffic along the Great Western Highway. At present the only shop that does not have frontage to the Highway is the Mid Mountains Animal Centre, located on New Street .

Refer to Figure 08.

Refer to Table 01 and 02 for information on existing retail activities.

Table 01 and Figure09 illustrate the existing retail use.

RETAIL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT Hill PDA undertook in 1999 a Retail Impact Assessment, which considered the likely impact of the realignment of the Great Western Highway on existing retail businesses in Lawson.

The study looks at commercial opportunity, but also makes recommendations as to the appropriate method required to improve the relevance of the village centre to its constituents, and to expand the market for goods and service for village centre businesses.

The demand profiles that are provided by the Hill PDA report, give a basis for the utilitarian aspect of the retail service in the village. The urban design and architecture, the public domain focus on the retail activities, the loca-tion of key anchors and activities, plus the management of movement systems and car parking, are all instrumental in generating a sense of place.

Many of the existing users of the village enjoy the character of the place. The urban design strongly seeks to establish a new character, within the bounds of a redevelopment strategy.

Table 02. Gross floor area of the existing retail within the study area.Figure 08. Mid Mountains Animal Centre, New Street


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Street Address Shop Name Aream2

7a Honour Avenue Lawson Pharmacy 154.47 Honour Avenue 5 Star Supermarket 325.95 Honour Avenue Sure Slim 78.41 Honour Avenue Mountain Hardware 150.01 Honour Avenue Commercial Above Hardware 100.09 Honour Avenue Former Lawson Medical Centre 105.8286 Great Western Hwy Blue Mountains Pub & Bottle Shop 750.0TOTAL 1664.5

Street Address Shop Name Aream2

288 Great Western Hwy Former Deli Café 49.0289 Great Western Hwy Liquor Stop 208.3291 Great Western Hwy K & J Funerals of Care 186.2304a Great Western Hwy Mid Mountain First National 54.9304 Great Western Hwy Lawson Tyre Centre 137.22 New Street (not zoned retail presently) 96.2303B Great Western Hwy St Vincent De Paul 85.8303A Great Western Hwy Henry Lawson Take Away 73.5302 Great Western Hwy Lawson Cake Shop 29.4301 Great Western Hwy Klipz Hairdressor 29.4300 Great Western Hwy Mountain Magic Café 88.2298 Great Western Hwy Lawson Radio & Television 51.5297/1Great Western Hwy Mid Mountain Senior Co-operative Ltd 31.4297/3Great Western Hwy Century 21 70.6297/2Great Western Hwy Fins, Fur & Feather Pet Shop 41.2297/4Great Western Hwy Florist 41.2296 Great Western Hwy Lawson Butchery 68.6295 Great Western Hwy Raine & Horne Real Estate 47.0293b Great Western Hwy Lawson Pizza 68.6293 Great Western Hwy Taylor Made Hair 85.8292 Great Western Hwy Lawson Newsagent/Australia Post 210.0292 Great Western Hwy Lawson Australia Post 35.0TOTAL 1789.0

Table 01. Gross floor area of the existing retail outside the study area.


EXISTING DCP PLAN

Regarding activities, the existing DCP Plan proposed the following:

• Retail along the Great Western Highway

• Northern Extension to the Mid Mountains Community Centre

• Extension of the Supermarket

• Retail facing Community Centre and New Street

• Consideration for the future development of the Library

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on our findings and Hill PDA’s Retail Impact Assessment, other issues that need to be considered include:

• A need for good parking facilities in a ratio of at least 5 spaces per 100m2 of gross retail area.

• There is potential to have residential and commercial uses above retail.

• The existing supermarket has potential to expand between 1,000 m2 and 1,500 m2.

ROLE OF THE RETAIL

The primary role of the retail component of the village centre is as a convenience retail node. This is due to the influence of competition in the area as well as the layout and physical size of the site. A secondary role exists for the centre to act as a food and beverage service destination.

The Village Centre will have a number of activity inspirers:

• The existing or a new supermarket

• Post Office

• The Great Western Highway frontage (the movement economy)

• A Civic Plaza

• The Community Centre.

• The Heatherbrae House and Garden, and

• The Village Park

Notwithstanding, the village centre is likely to have a number of dedicated users of the retail component including:

• Nearby and catchment area residents

• Travellers on the Great Western Highway

• Workers in the village

• Parents and children of the school

LAWSON TRADE AREA

Hill PDA established a trade area based on shopper surveys, number plate survey, access and a competitive assessment. The “primary” trade area for Lawson included the Lawson and Bullaburra postcodes and was assessed at 4,078 persons in 1996. Hill PDA used an average assumed growth rate for the Mid Mountains area of 3.5% as the basis for projecting the 2006 population. This would mean that the def ined catchment area would increase to 5,960 by 2006.

This growth rate was affirmed by Hill PDA in their 2003 study utilising subsequent data from the 2001 Census. In essence, the size of catchment confirms that the centre is suitable as a local convenience and service centre for locals and passing trade.

RETAIL PERFORMANCE

The performance of village retail and commercial activities is a function of a three main factors:

• The ability of businesses to attract customers and provide an appropriate level of service to a selected target market.

• The catchment for the goods or services provided in the village. This is a function of access, market size and competition.

• The place or environment created by design. This is a function of public domain quality and relationships between buildings and uses.

To support these three factors, recommendations regarding urban design are made in order to give effect to an optimum village condition. Whilst it is important to determine the market conditions affecting all activities in the village, it is essential that village becomes a pleasant place, not simply a utilitarian service mechanism for retail goods and services.

A consequence of this approach is a more attractive physical environment, focused on the public domain. This generates a stronger social aspect to village life, in tandem with improved commercial performance. In other words a nexus should exist between social activity and a desire to be in the village (as it is a great place to be) and business.

In this way we can make a place-based case for retail activity as an inspirer of centre-style activities, promoting a more sustainable environment and improved social and economic performance. This approach requires a much stronger emphasis on design, not simply on the rationalist aspect of market assessments.

Retail is therefore considered in two dimensions, as a utilitarian service (i.e. providing goods and services) and as an inspirer of active and attractive public domain, promoting mixed use activity and strong social interaction.


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1.6.2 COMMUNITY FACILITIES

The Mid Mountains Community Centre (MMCC), located in the southern part of the study area between Adelaide Street and New Street, is the most important centre for the mid mountains. Elton Consultants in their report “Mid Mountains Community Facilities project” identified the following issues with regards to community facilities:

• The need to expand the MMCC to cater for additional Home and Community Care (HACC) services.

• The acquisition of the Heatherbrae by Council to locate community uses (Mid Mountains Neighborhood Centre).

• The possibility of having a new library close to the MMCC with an area of around 450 m2.

Since this report was prepared, Council have increased the expectations for community facilities. As a result, the Heatherbrae property is considered too small to adequately support the community facilities required.

Refer to Figure 09.

1.6.3 EXISTING DCP PLAN ACTIVITIES AND AREAS

The table below illustrates the existing DCP Plan activities and uses.

DEVELOPMENT TYPE GROUND FLOOR AREA

Total Retail Buildings 4,610 m2Mid Mountains CC extension 189 m2Library 450 m2TOTAL 5,249 m2

Figure 09. Existing Building Activities Plan

LEGEND

Retail/Commercial

Community

Residential

Public Open Space

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1.7 ACCESSES AND MOVEMENT

Council engaged Complete Urban Solutions in May 2006 to conduct a traffic study of the entire suburb. This study also specifically reviewed the town center and provided direction to shortcomings in the Masterplan.

1.7.1 ROAD NETWORK

Currently, Honour Avenue, New Street and Staples Street intersect with the Great Western Highway. There are no signalised intersections in those streets and right hand turns into the highway are both difficult and dangerous.

Benang Street is a narrow street connecting Honour Avenue with New Street and Blind Street.

Key issues arising form the proposed widening of the highway include:

• The closure of Honour Avenue to traffic exiting to the Great Western Highway.

• New Street will have a signalised intersection and become the main traff ic road. This provides the opportunity for the street to become one of the village’s main transport gateway while providing a safe exit to the Great Western Highway.

Refer to Figure 10.

Figure 10. Existing Access and Movement Plan


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Pedestrian movement

LEGEND

Vehicular movement

Taxi Rank

Bus Stop


1.7.4 PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE MOVEMENT

The pedestrian link between the station and Douglas Square through the tunnel was not modified in the existing DCP Plan. The existing DCP Plan presented the following issues regarding pedestrian and bicycle movement:

• The main pedestrian flow was along the highway, with two narrow passages linking with the Town Square.

• A signalised pedestrian intersection was proposed for New Street and the Great Western Highway.

• A public lift was incorporated into a narrow passage between the buildings.

• Pedestrian crossings were provided at New Street, Benang Street and Staples Street.

• No formalised bicycle links were proposed for Laswon Village.

Refer to Figure 10.

1.7.2 BUS AND TAXI SERVICES

There is an existing bus service connecting all the townships along the highway. The bus stops will remain in Douglas Square and adjacent to the pedestrian ramp exiting the train station on the northern side of the highway.

Two taxi ranks are located within the Douglas Square for the convenience of travelers exiting from the station tunnel and close to the Supermarket, which will remain close to its current location. An additional two taxi ranks will be provided at Unnamed Street.

1.7.3 TRAFFIC

Although there is a consensus that the signalised intersection at New Street will provide an easy right hand turn into the highway, there has been community concern with respect to the increase in traffic volume to this main street.

The Lawson Traffic Study 2006 determined that the intersection of New St and the Great Western Highway will perform to a Class A level of service (the best possible) even allowing for the possible future development in the town.

The existing DCP Plan proposed an extension to Benang Street, which creates a concern for the traffic being able to develop high speeds and create pedestrian hazard.


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1.7.5 PARKING

In regards to parking, the existing DCP Plan proposed 32 parking spaces in the Great Western Highway service road. The following comparison table illustrates the existing parking provision and the existing DCP Plan.

Table 03. Parking Provision

The recommended parking for retail centres with good public transport access is 5 spaces for every 100 m2 of Gross Floor Area. As noted in the table above, the existing DCP Plan does not provide a good ratio of parking spaces per gross retail area. Proposed carparks are also consum-ing a large portion of Village land. The visual implications of the proposed carparks will greatly disadvantage the overall character of the Village.

Refer to Figure 11 for existing parking and servicing provisions.

Figure 11. Existing Parking & Servicing

LEGEND

Car parking space & no. of bays

Access to carpark

Tourist bus drop-off bay

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Table 03. Parking Provision


1.8 HERITAGE

The recorded history of the Lawson settlement dates as far back as 1817 with the main development of the town occurring after the construction of the railway line and the establishment of the Blue Mountains train station at the township. The location was important for the development of the train line and the town as it provided a good source of water.

The township became a popular holiday destination in the 1860s and grew with early commercial and retail uses locating themselves along the Great Western Highway to capture highway customers.

The Heritage Impact Assessment prepared by Biosis indicates that the shops proposed to be demolished by the existing DCP Plan do not have significant heritage characteristics that would require their retention.

The demolition of the shops along the highway is the most controversial issue concerning the local community. Some parts of the community see it as the loss of important buildings and the heritage character of Lawson. Others see no heritage value in the shops and prefer the demolition of the buildings and the creation of a viable centre that provides sufficient services and a better and safer environment for the local community.

Godden Mackay Logan has prepared the Heritage Recommendation Report as part of the existing DCP Plan. Key issues and recommendations include:

• Maintaining the historic transport corridor relationship with the village centre

• Providing a heritage gateway to the village centre

• Providing guidelines so that new infill development interprets and maintains the existing village character.

• Supporting development setback from the highway so that it complements surrounding uses.

The following sections summarise key recommendations of the Godden Mackey Logan report.

Refer to Figure 12.

Figure 12. Existing Heritage Elements

LEGEND

Heritage items to be retained and conserved

Conservation of shop corridoralong Great Western Highway

Heritage landscape & built elementsto be conserved.

Identified site of archaelogical

significance

Buildings to be removed

Blue Mountains Hotel to be conserved and frontage to be reconstructed


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• Maintain and enhance pedestrian through-routes from Douglas Square and Honour Avenue past and/or around the retained heritage buildings to the proposed new town centre facilities to the rear/south of the hotel and highway.

• Generally retain, conserve and interpret identified significant items along Honour Avenue including early cottages and the church.

1.8.3 COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE HIGHWAY

• The character of new infill/development may choose to model itself on, or reinterpret in a modern idiom, the simple Inter-war forms of the significant buildings in the existing shopping precinct. Whatever the design character, however, the scale, massing, form and detailing should be sympathetic to the retained elements to ensure a compatible integration of old and new. Some re-use of significant fabric such as early shop-fronts may also be possible within new structures.

• The use of suspended, traditional steel box-section awnings over the footpaths is generally recommended as a visually and functionally appropriate element on shops fronting the highway, allowing these to link back to the earlier, significant Inter-war character of the towncentre as well as retained buildings. These elements may be adapted/detailed to reflect modern design idioms and technologies.

• Landscaping along the highway frontage should be of appropriate species and located so as not to block key views to and from the shopping precinct and retained heritage buildings in particular.

• Reference to the species and planting layouts shown in early photographs is recommended. In particular, these early views show trees located away from the front of the shops and clustered in groups in Douglas Square, Honour Avenue, the various side streets and to the side and rear of buildings.

1.8.2 HERITAGE GATEWAY TO THE VILLAGE CENTRE

The strategic location of Douglas Square and associated landscape features such as Honour Avenue and Bellevue Park at the eastern end of the town centre, together with adjacent heritage buildings, provide the most significant opportunity for substantial and effective conservation of Lawson’s heritage character and fabric.

Recommended measures to achieve this are set out below.

• Retain and conserve the Blue Mountains Hotel and reinstate the street-fronting facades to their to c1910 configuration to provide a notable landmark building, which demonstrate the early history of the town. This will also provide a distinctive ‘gateway’and identification/marker for the town. Historic photographs of this area demonstrate its potential.Refer to Figure 14.

• Retain and conserve Honour Avenue and the War Memorial and upgrade and interpret the Douglas Square precinct to provide an appropriate and attractive set ting for the retained ‘landmark’ buildings and mark the entrance to the Lawson town centre.Refer to Figure 14.

• Retain and conserve the group of shops fronting Honour Avenue reinstating these buildings to their early twentieth century configuration with adaptation as appropriate for new commercial uses.Refer to Figure 14.

• Retain and interpret the former site of the Grand Hotel on northeast corner of Honour Avenue as part of Douglas Square precinct. Maintain/enhance with appropriate landscaping and provide access for recreational use if required as part of the precinct conservat ion and upgrading.

• Retain/conserve and interpret Bellevue Park as part of the setting for the ‘gateway’ to the town centre. This includes retaining as much as possible of the significant landscaping, informal layout and rock outcrop and relocating features (such as the memorial lamp and entry arch) to appropriate loca tions similar to the existing as necessary.

1.8.1 TRANSPORT CORRIDOR AND RELATIONSHIP TO VIL-LAGE CENTRE

The redevelopment should aim to retain and positively ex-ploit its historic role as a ‘transport corridor’ (which includes both the highway and railway line) and its close visual and functional relationship to the town centre and commercial activity.

The parallel alignment and close functional relationship of main road and railway line is older than most of the current building stock and is of great historical significance. Maintaining the road and rail alignment and their functional interre-lationships and continuing to serve passing traffic(vehicular and pedestrian) from street fronting buildings which address the main road is of primary importance rather than saving all (or even most) of the buildings which currently line the highway. The individual buildings have been altered and replaced over time while the function of the highway and its presentation of activity to passing traffic has remained. This evolution shapes the ongoing treatment of the precinct, allowing new development, with some of the older elements retained (as discussed below), to continue the significant functions of the existing shopping precinct.

Measures to achieve this include:

• Retain the presentation of the town centre to the highway by designing new and/or planning for existing shops/ commercial buildings and associated activities to be seen and accessed directly from this frontage by pedestrians and vehicles.

• New development along the highway should share a common alignment parallel to the main thoroughfare.

• Shops should be grouped in small rows as existing, to give visual interest rather than a uniform structure.

• Large retail outlets or mall type developments should not be built directly onto the highway.

• Open views between development on the highway and Douglas Square and the rai lway station should be maintained.

• Functional links to the railway station should be maintained and upgraded as necessary.


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1.10 OPEN SPACES

The most significant open spaces in Lawson are in the vicinity of Douglas Square and Honour Avenue. This street with the War Memorial in the front and the backdrop of mature trees in the median is of considerable importance. Bellevue Park is located east of Douglas Square.At the moment, the rear of the shops and New Street are dominated by parking areas with no intimate or pedestrian friendly spaces.

With regards to the public domain, the existing DCP Plan presented the following issues:

• There is no strong relationship between community facilities within the Village.

• Open areas are being dominated with public carparks.

• Public toilets are being located in the most visually exposed area.

The community would like to have a special place, in the form of a village park and/ or a village square with seating and children playgrounds. Heatherbrae, known by the local community as Barrett House, provides a central and landscaped place suitable for such a public space. No detailed assessment of the property or the gardens has been prepared to date.

Other issues raised by the community regarding the public domain include:

• Provision of an information board for the village that can include a guide to the local bushwalks.

• Provision of public toilets in a central location.

1.9 BUILT FORM

Lawson is characterised by having two storey buildings fronting Douglas Square and one-storey shops along the highway. The form and finishes of the buildings are generally modest and simple, reflecting the working class character of Lawson. Issues generated by the existing DCP Plan are:

• Three buildings proposed along the Great Western Highway west of New Street with narrow passages in between raise a concern of safety and overshadowing.

• The proposed location of the buildings behind the Great Western Highway excludes the possibility of having a conviniently located road to support the retail.

• Public spaces are fragmented by the layout of the buildings.

• Proposed extensions to the existing Community Centre have a weak relationship with the existing buildings and the rest of the Village.

With regards to the built form the main issues encountered during the community consultation were:

• New buildings should maintain a pattern similar to what exists in Lawson and other townships in the Blue Moutains. Elements and proportions of the interwar period would be easy to replicate.

• Minimise the impact that a two- storey building facing the highway would have when viewed from the internal part of the town.

• There is the opportunity to provide further extensions to the Library building to accommodate increasing demands for community uses.

Refer to Figure 13.

1.8.4 DEVELOPMENT SET BACK FROM HIGHWAY

• New development behind the commercial strip fronting the highway should support new and existing shops by providing access, parking and service facilities.

• Accessible outdoor areas should be provided to the rear of the retained hotel and integrated with the conservation and adaptation of this and adjacent heritage buildings to allow outdoor eating/drinking/ gathering spaces.

• Location options for a public gathering area (‘civic plaza’) are basically constrained by the ‘dissection’ of the town centre by the main cross roads. Options which should be investigated include northeast of the Community Centre (though this is away from retail functions), south of the proposed new highway fronting development (constrained by the area available and bounded by access roads) and east of New Street.

• Pedestrian links should be provided from existing and pro-posed community and retail buildings to the new ‘civic plaza’ as well as links to bus stops and the railway station.

• Heatherbrae (Mrs Barrett’s House) at 4 Benang Street should be retained and appropriately used and interpreted. The house and garden should be conserved as a whole with the garden setting being an integral part of the item. The site should continue to be appropriately enclosed (with fencing and retained planting) though the present paling fence may be replaced with more open fencing to open up views.Low impact functions such as community / retail uses maybe considered and/or part of the gardens made available for passive recreational use.

Figure 13. Existing Built Form Condition


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1.11 LANDSCAPE

The planting layout of Lawson as seen from earlier photos shows trees located away from the front of shops and clustered in groups around Douglas Square, Honour Avenue and side streets and to the side and rear of buildings.

Refer to Figure 14. Today’s planting is similar, also of significance is Heatherbrae House Gardens, which has a Victorian style planting of Azaleas, Agapanthus, Hostas, Rhododendrons, Camellias, Tree ferns, Magnolias, Quercus and Prunus species. There are no uniform rows of street trees existing. Honour Avenue has a more continuous planting of mixed species. This general mixture consists of indigenous natives as well as a planting of Lophostemon confertus ‘Brush Box’ and deciduous exotic species.

Also existing are the tree planings at the rear of the Blue Mountians Hotel consisting of Pinis, Liquidambar and and Betula. These trees will be removed due to the proposed change of levels.

Due to the widening of the Great Western Highway the established Eucalyptus currently growing along the highway and the Willow towards the rear of the shops, near to Staples Street will have to be removed.

Refer to Figure 15 and 16.

Figure 15. Existing landscape condition

Figure 14. Lawson Village (c-1920s)


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1.12 LAND OWNERSHIP

The land ownership in the village is represented by:

• Blue Mountains City Council owns the Mid Mountains Community Centre, the land used for parking off New Street and two parcels of land in Benang Street.

• After the adoption of the existing DCP Plan, council has expressed its intentions to acquire other land east of the New Street car park, west of the Mid Mountains community Centre, and along the northern boundary of Benang Street.

• The RTA owns two sites fronting the Great Western Highway.

• Other properties are privately owned.

Figure 16. Site Analysis Plan


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LEGEND

Existing trees to be removed

Existing trees to be retained

Existing Buildings

Potential Noise Source

Study Area Boundary

Grassed Area (Water permeable area)

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