A stand-off over access to a long-closed park in Blaxland is delaying plans to reopen the site to the public.
Located between the Great Western Highway and railway line at Wilson Way, Blaxland War Memorial Park has been closed to the public for many years.
Blue Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill said the RMS needs to fix the access issues caused by the park's location before council can look at reopening it.
"Late last year I wrote to the RMS seeking their support and, as with other attempts, that support has not yet been forthcoming," he said. "It should be noted that creating a safe access point from the highway would come at a significant cost and, as the highway sits under the jurisdiction of the state government, their support is required.
"Due to significant costs, extremely poor pedestrian access and safety concerns surrounding the highway and the busy Wilson Way intersection, the park could not be developed without the state government agreeing to access from the highway that is both safe and practical."
Ward 4 Liberal Party Cr Brendan Christie agreed that support from the RMS was "crucial" to moving forward with the park plan. "We can't apply for the funds necessary to develop the park unless we can have safe access to and from the highway," he said.
Transport for NSW Western Director Alistair Lunn confirmed the organisation had recently met with Blue Mountains City Council on the issue and said it "will continue to work closely with council to investigate funding opportunities for improving access to the park".
NSW Upper House Liberal MP Shayne Mallard said he would raise the issue with the transport minister but that council needed to lift its game over the matter.
"Clearly it's not satisfactory that the council has let this significant and historic community space languish and deteriorate over the last decade," he said.
"Local residents are so disappointed with the council that they have even gone to the trouble to exhibit their own master plan for the site," he said.
Mr Mallard and Cr Christie viewed these plans, and toured the park with local residents, on March 7.
Mr Mallard said he would also ask the transport minister "why signalised pedestrian crossings can not be incorporated into the intersection of Wilson Way and the Great Western Highway". "This could immediately improve safety for the community to access this large parkland as pedestrians," he said.
"Vehicle access is obviously more complex and should be considered if needed as part of a plan of management along with other proposed community facilities."
When the issue was raised four years ago, a council staff report put the cost of fixing pedestrian access to the park between $140,000 to $185,000. This report stated the RMS required the work to be funded by council.
Blue Mountains City Council voted this February to prepare a plan of management for the park by mid-2021.
