Council announces further support for bush fire preparation and recovery

Blue Mountains City Council has extended the free green waste drop off and will waive Council development application fees for people whose homes have been destroyed by the current bush fires.

Council will extend its current free green waste service at both Katoomba and Blaxland Waste Management facilities until Friday 31 January, 2020.

They will also waive development application fees for those whose homes have been lost or rendered uninhabitable in the current bush fire emergency including: pre-lodgement advice, development application fees, tree removal fees, Roads Act applications fees, pool inspection fees, relief on-site sewage systems and developer contributions.  

To match this initiative, Council will also ask the NSW Government to refund State development fees to support the community’s rebuilding process.

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said Council has been looking at ways to support our community since these fires began.

“Our aim is to support impacted communities and to make the journey through recovery as supportive and easy as possible. No recovery process is perfect, but we will not stop trying to do our best,” Mayor Greenhill said.

“We’ve introduced extra green bin services, extra free chipping services and we made the Waste Management Facilities available for free to residents clearing green waste off their blocks. 

“We’ve now extended that free service at our Waste Management Facilities until the end of January and Council is paying the State Government’s waste levy on behalf of our community because we want to make this as easy as possible.

“Council is also running the local community recovery process, which will ramp up over the coming weeks, and coordinating support for those impacted by these fires, directly and indirectly.

“The Blue Mountains Bush Fire Mayoral Relief Fund has been relaunched to support those most affected by the bush fires, and we have been present, and remain so, in communities where homes have been lost and damaged.

“We have supported our emergency services wherever we can and are actively participating in the NSW Government’s approach to recovery and will advocate for our community in that process,” he continued.

“This fire season is a long way from over and we will continue to do everything possible to help our residents prepare and support those who have been impacted.

“Local Government has limited resources, but we try to lead with compassion and if we do that, we are on the best path for people who have been impacted by these devastating fires”, he concluded.        

Photo: Mayor Mark Greenhill with members of the Bell RFS Brigade, community and Council Recovery Staff.