A new Katoomba RSL Club will be partly clad with sandstone to reflect the sandstone cliffs of the Blue Mountains.
The development application for the new club has been lodged with council and is now on public display.
The plans, drawn up by Balmain-based Axil Architects, shift the entrance from Lurline Street to the northern side facing the carpark. It will feature a covered drop-off area.
The single storey building will be larger than the old one, stretching on to land at 4 Merriwa Street which the club recently bought. It will also expand on to the area previously occupied by the RSL eternal flame memorial and cannon.
The memorial and cannon, as well as the potted Lone Pine tree, will be moved to an area in front of the new entry.
This means that commemorations such as Anzac Day centred on the memorial can be held entirely on the site, rather than spilling over into Lurline Street.
A statement of environmental effects, prepared by Axil Architects, noted: “The sandstone and form of the building is also reminiscent of a memorial, cenotaph or temple and therefore remembrance, encapsulating the ethos of the Returned & Services League movement.”
The existing carpark will remain but include two central landscape planters to break up the bitumen area. The existing mature trees to the north and east side of the car park will be kept.
The architects said: “The club has been designed and configured to have a minimal impact on the neighbours and surrounding area. The proposed new club will enhance and offer a high level of amenity to the club members, staff and community.”
The theme of remembrance and the ethos of the RSL movement will be reinforced through plantings, which will include Gallipoli Rosemary, Gallipoli Centenary Rose (Kortutu) and French Lavender.
The plans include a green wall on the outside of the new north-east outdoor terrace, facing Katoomba Primary School. The school has been consulted and is supportive of the green wall and also a new mural to the eastern side of the club, which will be a joint project between the school and club.
The proposed new club will enhance and offer a high level of amenity to the club members, staff and the community.
The estimated cost of the project is nearly $12 million.