Maddie Lemonjian loves to ride her bay mare around North Katoomba.
The 13-year-old welcomed her part-Arab horse Mill into the family in 2021.
"I feel so lucky that I can keep her so close to home and it's quiet enough that I can ride her around the streets of Katoomba," she said.
But she and her neighbours fear that may not be the case for much longer. They see the quiet, tree-lined laneways so characteristic of the area under threat.
A development application before council would see a bush block on Whitton Street, at the heart of the old laneway area in North Katoomba, turned into six dwellings including one two-storey and two dual occupancies. Sixty-four trees have been proposed to be removed.
The DA received 48 objections from concerned local residents.
One, Victoria Carey, said: "We are living in a highly sensitive environment nestled in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area yet we are still seeing proposals like this which will do untold damage to the local birdlife and other fauna of the area."
The property faces Whitton and backs onto Jubilee Street, a laneway so narrow that it was once one-way, while Rupert Street, which is even narrower, runs alongside. It is impossible for cars to pass without one being forced to pull over onto the verge.
Residents, who have formed an action group KSOUL (Katoomba - Save Our Unique Laneways), also fear that the development will interfere with the drainage into the valley below Whitton Street and into the much-loved organic community gardens at Harold Hodgson Park.
"If it does go ahead, it will soon shatter the peace and quiet of the area," said Ms Carey. "These narrow streets are just not suitable for heavy traffic. This is supposed to be a low-density residential zone.
"North Katoomba is really one of the last remnants of what life has long been up here. One of my neighbours has a flock of Dorper sheep to keep the grass down, Maddie has her horse down the road and many of us have chickens in the backyard. It would be a pity to see the rural nature of this area spoilt."
