Sixteen years after it closed, the future of the old Lawson golf course is reaching master plan stage.
Community workshops are planned for Saturday, March 24 and again on April 7.
The plan will also cover Lawson cemetery and Lawson oval and BMX track. All are Crown lands managed by council.
Council first began looking at uses for the land in 2004, after the nine-hole golf course closed in 2002. Three options were publicly exhibited.
They all included a mixture of open space, room for organised sports, areas of potential low-rise development for educational or community uses, and retained vegetation.
While people supported elements of each option, no option received majority support.
The submissions report of February 2007 was put on public display but there the matter rested until 2016, when council resolved to start the master plan process.
A background paper prepared for council notes: “The site is a valuable resource for the local community, who use it for recreation, sport, walking and access to the adjacent bush trails.
“Some enjoy the site just for the amenity provided through views and the landscape.
“The site is popular with the wider Blue Mountains community, particularly for dog walkers, bushwalkers and the sporting clubs that play at the Lawson Oval.
“While not as well known for hiking as some of the Blue Mountains natural areas, the walking tracks adjacent to the site could attract visitors from a wider area.”
The workshops will be held at the Lawson Mechanics Institute. At the first, a community design workshop on March 24 between 1 and 4pm, people can drop in and talk to council officers and each other about their hopes for the site and any issues they have with its future use.
People will also be able to book in to take part in the concept study (this will take the full three hours) and will be led by a landscape design consultant. The concept study will allow the community to engage fully, understand options and provide feedback.
The aim is to develop options for layout of uses and facilities on the site.
The second workshop, on April 7, will be a community review session, where conceptual sketch plans will be presented and people will be able to discuss the draft plans with the landscape design consultant and provide feedback.
The outcome of this engagement will be a preferred concept, which will form the basis for the draft master plan.
Book online at bluemountainshaveyousay.com.au/lawson or call 4780 5609.
