The village of Mt Victoria is struggling to survive post bushfires, floods and COVID pandemic and desperately needs new highway tourism signs to encourage people to stop and visit the village.
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Blue Mountains City Council Ward 1 Liberal Cr Kevin Schreiber expressed concerns for the village of Mt Victoria back in March at the council meeting. He understood only about three shops were now operating.
"We are on the verge of losing the village of Mt Victoria," he said.
"They have tried and lobbied to get signs on both sides of the highway to direct people to the village and have run into a problem with Transport for NSW.
"I do believe the Victoria and Albert [guesthouse] is for sale again, which will be another death blow for Mt Victoria. Here is an opportunity we can try to do something and write to them [Transport for NSW] to help."
Cr Schreiber said the matter was raised by a representative from a Mt Victoria business to the Mayoral Reference Group for Small Business.
Ward 1 Labor Cr Suzie van Opdorp said she was "pleased to support their move for signs".
"That's what we're elected for. There's a really big problem up there. The village is looking at a total demise. Any actions we can take are welcome. It's a beautiful village and I'm really concerned. Since the bushfires they have been seriously hit."
Sue Barclay, from Piccolo Deli, said what the villagers wanted were signs telling motorists that there were cafes, a cinema and shops just 100 metres away.
The problem is the current sign points to the "town centre", which was slightly misleading for the tiny village.
"People drive through - sometimes they're at Dargan and still looking for a town centre," Ms Barclay said.
She added the latest correspondence with TfNSW indicated they were happy to talk.
Council was successful in securing funding under the NSW Government Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program, including $889,116 for a redevelopment of tourism infrastructure in Mt Victoria, including footpath and carpark upgrades and new NSW accredited visitor information centre signage to improve visibility and access to tourism services. A council report said the works were expected for March 2024.
"We've got the funding, it's not a council responsibility for the signage... We've got to get [Transport for NSW] to allow this [the signs] to happen," Cr Schreiber said.
The mayor said he "agreed with everything" that Cr Schreiber said, but added that "we did get some funding three years after the fires".
"That's why businesses are dying in places like Mt Victoria. The [first] grants that went out in a timely fashion went to LNP [Liberal and National Party] seats," he said. He added the "CEO and I will take it up".
