Report on Kings Tableland Wentworth Falls
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ENCLOSURE REPORT ON KINGS TABLELAND WENTWORTH FALLS Compiled by City Planning Branch November 2006 File:C07886 City Planning Branch - November 2006 Page 1 of 33 File: C07886 1. Background At the 21 March 2006 Council Meeting a Notice of Motion was put before the Council on the Kings Tableland Plateau, Wentworth Falls. As a result the Council resolved: That a report be submitted to Council on the Kings Tableland Plateau, Wentworth Falls, with particular reference to the Queen Victoria Hospital site, such report to address the following: • adequacy of zoning and other planning controls; • preservation of environmental and cultural values in this unique area • protection of the surrounding world heritage areas; • protection of nationally endangered and regionally significant Blue Mountains swamps and the identification of adequate buffer areas; • protection of significant communities and species (both flora and fauna); • protection of indigenous sites and values; • assessment of the heritage values of the Queen Victoria buildings; • assessment of bushfire history and the risk to existing and potential future development; and • consideration of suitable size and location of any future development on Kings Tableland. (Minute No. 517, 21/03/06) This Report (Report on Kings Tableland, Wentworth Falls) has been prepared in response to the above Council Resolution. The Report is structured into ten parts: 1. Background 2. Introduction to the Kings Tableland 3. Values of Kings Tableland including environmental, cultural, social and economic 4. Current land use in the Kings Tableland 5. Risks, including bushfire 6. Current threats to the values of Kings Tableland 7. Future development and the adequacy of current planning controls 8. Conclusion and Recommendations 9. Bibliography 10. Maps Limitations of the Report This Report and the attached Maps were developed internally using existing information such as already published material, previous heritage, environmental or planning reports prepared by the Council or information collected during past development assessment processes (see the Bibliography for details). No new studies were commissioned in the preparation of this Report. It is also important to note that no community consultation was undertaken in the preparation of the Report. If community consultation was undertaken additional issues such as further social, environmental, cultural and economic values of the Tableland may have come to light, as well as additional issues in terms of future development. Moreover, relevant external agencies such as government departments were also not consulted. City Planning Branch - November 2006 Page 2 of 33 File: C07886 While there are limitations to this Report, given no community or agency consultation was undertaken, it is not recommended that this Report is publicly exhibited to seek community comment at this time. The conclusions of the Report do not recommend any major changes to the current planning regime, and the issues identified in the Report will be more comprehensively addressed as part of the review of LEP 1991 which will include community consultation. Given the time lag until the review of LEP 1991, community consultation at this stage is not considered appropriate. Internal consultation was undertaken within the Council in preparing this Report, including consultation with specialist staff in Environmental Management, City Planning and Environmental and Customer Service. This Report only provides an overview of the issues in the Notice of Motion and does not constitute a comprehensive Local Environmental Study or Environmental Management Plan of the area. 2. Introduction Kings Tableland (the Tableland), Wentworth Falls is the major southerly spur of the main spine of the Blue Mountains Range and forms the beginning of the Southern Escarpment, an unbroken series of tall sandstone cliffs which fringes the Jamison, Megalong, Kanimbla and Hartley Valleys. On the western side of the Tableland, the massive cliffs of Kedumba Walls overlook the Jamison and Kedumba Valleys. On the eastern side of the Tableland the cliff edge is less steep and the area has been dissected by many creeks, some of which have formed deep gullies. From the western edge of the Tableland there are spectacular views across the Jamison and Kedumba Valley, while the eastern side affords views across the lower mountains and the Cumberland Plains to Sydney. The majority of land on the Tableland (from the former Queen Victoria Hospital site to the most southerly point at McMahons Lookout) is within Blue Mountains National Park, where all private development is excluded. Private land ownership occurs mainly at the northern end of the Tableland (from the former Queen Victoria Hospital site to the Great Western Highway), and is confined along the main road (Tableland Rd) and some smaller roads leading off Tableland Rd (these include on the western side of Tableland Rd: Shortland St, Yester Rd, Maple Grove, Chester Rd, Hordern Rd, Coronation Drive, Little Switzerland Drive and on the eastern side: John St, Miller St, Daintrey St, Bodington Drive and Queen Elizabeth Drive). The Blue Mountains National Park surrounds and borders nearly all the private land at the northern end of the Tableland (see Map 1: Land Ownership and Heritage). All of the Blue Mountains National Park, including the areas bordering Kings Tableland, forms part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and therefore has international significance in terms of its natural values. Except for an isolated parcel in private ownership (outside of the City boundary) all land south of the former Queen Victoria Hospital site is National Park (in addition some areas of National Park are also within the Water Catchment Special Area). Tableland Rd continues through the Blue Mountains National Park and terminates at the most southern end of the Tableland at McMahons Lookout. The southern boundary of the City of Blue Mountains is located just beyond the former Queen Victoria Hospital site. City Planning Branch - November 2006 Page 3 of 33 File: C07886 This Report examines the values, threats, land planning controls and development potential of the northern portion of Kings Tableland only where the vast majority of privately held land on the Kings Tableland exists. The Report area, from north to south, encompasses land along Tableland Rd (and subsidiary roads) from the Great Western Highway to the former Queen Victoria Hospital site, and all the land up to the National Park which borders the Tableland to the east, west and south. The Report primarily examines issues associated with private land, excluding National Park estate. However, as the area covered by the Report is surrounded by National Park estate, the importance of maintaining the natural and cultural values of the National Park and World Heritage Area is also covered. 3. Values of the Kings Tableland Area The Southern Escarpment, including Kings Tableland, has previously been identified has having particular significance to the City of the Blue Mountains (BMCC 1989, p52-54) due to the: • unique and varied ecosystems created in a relatively small area; • presence of a relatively high proportion of environmentally sensitive vegetation communities, including heaths and hanging swamps; • the many waterfalls and cascades; • relatively pristine downstream catchments due to limited development impacts; • the very high intrinsic visual quality of the escarpment itself; • the views from the escarpment; • the significant recreational and tourism opportunities the escarpment offers; and • the Aboriginal and European cultural sites and history of the Southern Escarpment. In addition, the Tableland has considerable social and economic value. A brief overview of the values of the Tableland is outlined below. 3.1 Natural Values of the Kings Tableland Area Soils and climate The Tableland is dominated by the sandy skeletal soils of the Hawkesbury series (BMCC, 1984, p4). The soils are shallow, particularly close to the cliffs. Deeper soils occur in isolated pockets and creek gullies. Soils on the Tableland have a low pH value, are generally infertile and erode rapidly if disturbed (ibid). The shallow soils of the Tableland mean that small lots are generally inadequate to cater for full on-site effluent disposal. Agricultural activities such as grazing and any activity which involves large scale clearing is not suitable for the Tableland given the thin and sandy nature of the soils (ibid, p20). This is evident on the site of the former Deer Park off Hordern Rd, which is still environmentally degraded from the impacts of grazing despite the Deer Park being closed for a number of years. Kings Tableland, given its exposed location, is well known for the frequent high winds it experiences which have contributed to the development of the heath vegetation. High winds City Planning Branch - November 2006 Page 4 of 33 File: C07886 have also contributed to erosion issues and have caused problems during construction of dwellings. The Tableland is particularly exposed on the western boundary. Watercourses and groundwater Three minor creeks on the western side of Tableland Rd above Hordern Rd run directly into Jamison Creek, and therefore contribute to the flow and water quality of Jamison Creek and Wentworth Falls (see Map 2: Significant vegetation and watercourses). The Falls are habitat for the threatened plant Micostrobus fitzgeraldii which is impacted by poor water quality and changes to natural flow regimes (Smith