Quality of Life Mayoral Reference Group to be expanded and extended to December 2022

The Quality of Life Mayoral Reference Group was first established by Blue Mountains City Council in March 2016 to provide a platform for the community to engage with Council on the proposed Western Sydney Airport.

In January 2019 it was expanded to include the issue of the proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam Wall.

The elected Council have now decided to extend the life of the existing Quality of Life Mayoral Reference Group until 31 December 2022. Its terms of reference will also be expanded to consider impacts from other major State and Commonwealth Government policy proposals that would significantly impact on Blue Mountains communities and the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.

This includes the Great Western Sydney Highway expansion project.

The NSW State Government has announced that the flight paths for Western Sydney Airport will be publicly released in mid-2022. These flight paths will be critical in determining the impacts of the airport on Blue Mountains residents as well as on the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.

There are also ongoing environmental concerns about the raising of the Warragamba Dam, and the potentially disruptive impacts that could result from the Great Western Highway Upgrade project on towns such as Blackheath.

Mayor Mark Greenhill said: “With several major State and Commonwealth proposals currently posing serious environmental and liveability impacts for our residents and on the future of our World Heritage Area, the Quality of Life Mayoral Reference Group continues to be a crucial platform for us to inform and engage with our community on matters of such grave importance.

“As always, we continue to welcome and work with all members of our community on these issues.”