Bushfire-prone status lifted from Katoomba site one day after housing proposal fast-tracked

July 15, 2026 — 7:30pmThe NSW government declared a proposal to develop a Blue Mountains site as state significant, allowing it to be assessed under the Housing Delivery Authority pathway, despite knowing it was certified as bushfire-prone land. The day after the decision was made, that certification disappeared.However, the NSW Rural Fire Service, which is responsible for the categorisation of the land, said the reclassification was not related to the development proposal.The site of the proposed development in Katoomba.Wolter PeetersThe criteria for the Housing Delivery Authority states a proposal site is to be free of specific environmental hazards and constraints – including not being located on bushfire-prone land.How we got hereOn Monday, the Herald reported on the significant critic