FAQs – Everglades House & Gardens Development Application (DA)

How long is the DA on exhibition?

The DA has been lodged (5 December 2024) and notification letters have been sent out to neighbours. The exhibition period is until 7 February 2025. Blue Mountains City Council have agreed that they will include any submissions received before the start of the exhibition period and will continue to include any late submissions up until the time the report is finalised.

The National Trust requested an extended exhibition period, which council have agreed to. This ensures everyone has an opportunity to feedback. The National Trust understands that the community appreciates the longer review period at this time of year.

If you would like to support the DA we encourage you to make a submission. To make a submission please email Blue Mountains City Council: council@bmcc.nsw.gov.au (Everglades DA X/1470/2024). We also welcome feedback or questions.

Where can the documents lodged as part of the DA be viewed?

Documents can be viewed on the Blue Mountains City Council’s website. A copy of each document will also be available at the council offices for viewing only. There will also be a copy of the documents available for viewing at Everglades House & Gardens, from Wednesday 11 December 2024. Please enquire at Everglades House & Gardens visitor reception and shop for access to view these.

How is the DA different to that lodged in 2023?

In response to community feedback, the proposed temporary activities have been reduced in frequency and patron capacity, as outlined in the table below.

The 2024 updates are in italicised text, compared to the 2023 proposal in strikethrough text.

Table 1. The 2024 proposed development updated in response to submissions in 2023

How will the National Trust ensure operations do not affect the amenity of the neighbourhood?

An Operational Plan (OP) accompanies the DA. The OP facilitates adaptive management which continues to respond to community feedback and changes in local conditions.

The OP adopts environmental and amenity criteria and management and mitigation measures for the temporary activities. These were recommended by specialist technical reports for sound, traffic, parking and bushfire risk. Specifically, the OP adopts:

• Conservation policies contained in the Conservation Management Plan and additional project specific conservation policies recommended by the Heritage Impact Statement
• Environmental criteria and mitigation recommendations from the noise impact, bushfire assessment and traffic and parking impact assessments that also accompany the DA
• The current adaptive management approach which will continue to prioritise that temporary activities occur without adverse impacts on the site, its setting or the amenity of the neighbours and locality.

For many years the site has offered a range of similar public events, functions and performances in the display garden and the outdoor garden theatre. These have included open days and wedding ceremonies in tandem with general admissions and group bookings. This historic and current use of the site demonstrates the baseline capacity of the:

• Local environment to accommodate proposed development without significant adverse impacts; and
• Everglades House & Gardens management team to respond to local issues complaints and concerns of residents and neighbours if and when they arise in a proactive and adaptive manner.

A condition of consent is recommended to ensure that this is managed in accordance with the OP. This will help ensure that the proposed development will not give rise to adverse impacts with regard to noise, parking, traffic or amenity.

How do the temporary activities help conservation and public access?

The proposed development enables the continued conservation of Everglades House & Gardens as well as public access to the site. The proposed temporary activities will ensure that Everglades House & Gardens continues to be a viable adaptive reuse of a State Heritage listed site. Consequently, consent is sought pursuant to Clause 5.10 of Blue Mountains LEP 2015, Conservation Incentives.

The proposed temporary activities facilitate public access to the site. They also contribute towards the financial sustainability of Everglades House & Gardens and will thereby directly assist the National Trust to protect and manage a place with very special cultural and aesthetic values.

The proposed development will support the local visitor economy, the social and cultural development of the community and will provide local employment and volunteering opportunities with flow on community participation benefits.

The proposed temporary activities are part of a mix of uses that occur on the site, because the house and gardens are a destination and attraction to prospective visitors for a range of reasons.

Small activities will only occur in parts of the site and public access will be maintained around them, while they occur. No permanent structures are proposed.

Figure 1: Everglades House & Gardens Activation Area (Source: Graphic/Dimensional 2024)

Why does the National Trust (NSW) own and operate Everglades House & Gardens?

Listed on the NSW State Heritage Register, Everglades House & Gardens is a stunning Art Deco landmark and features Australia’s most spectacular inter-war period garden. The current use of the site for conservation, public access and enjoyment as well as performances, small activities and occasional open days has been established since the 1960s when Everglades House & Gardens came under ownership of the National Trust.

The National Trust charter includes conservation and interpretation of its properties for the public benefit and education. In fulfilment of these objectives the National Trust develops a range of special programs for visitors, including guided tours, lectures, exhibitions and special events.

Heritage conservation is not undertaken solely to maintain the property, but for the public benefit – which means enriching the cultural life of the broader community through their experience of the conserved place and exposing the site to new audiences. This is done in a variety of ways including:

• Publications
• Public access through general admissions and group bookings
• Arts, cultural, social and heritage interpretation, programs and exhibitions
• Open days, performance and small activities

Everglades Garden Theatre has been used as a venue for community entertainment since 1938 and is the trademark of the property. The first known public performance was a charity fundraiser by members of the Russian Ballet in 1938. This was followed with performances in the 1940s, which included military bands. Public performances of Shakespearian plays also have a long pedigree.

The Business as Usual (BAU) or day-to-day activities of the house museum and public (display) garden include heritage interpretation and visitation alongside small activities. These small activities encourage new audiences and provide new experiences for existing audiences and local residents. Examples include sketching workshops and historical and horticultural workshops or tours, which have all been offered previously.

BAU operations include:

Monday – Sunday including public holidays

Back of House and Operations – daily 7am to 7pm, including management and operations gardening, maintenance, conservation and volunteer activities.

General Admissions Everglades House & Gardens – daily, 9am to 7pm (daylight hours) Everglades House and Gardens are open to the public and activation can include house and garden tours and group bookings.

Ancillary Food and Beverage includes operation of the approved tearoom and catering in accordance with Food Safety and Responsible Service of Alcohol requirements and other relevant standards.

Does the National Trust pay council rates?

Yes, the National Trust pays council rates for Everglades House & Gardens.

Can visitors still access Everglades House & Gardens when activities, such as wedding ceremonies, are taking place?

Yes, during opening hours visitors can move freely throughout Everglades House & Gardens while activities are taking place.

Why has the DA for Everglades House & Gardens been submitted so close to the end of the year?

The DA is subject to conventional planning process. The new DA has been submitted at this time as the previous DA is expiring. In response to community feedback, the National Trust has requested an extended exhibition period so that submissions can be made until the end of January. The extended exhibition period allows everyone in the community more time to review the DA and feed into the process.

Does revenue from Everglades House & Gardens fund other National Trust properties?

The cost of maintaining Everglades House & Gardens is greater than its income. Activities provide an important source of funds to help care for Everglades House & Gardens, however revenue from the activities proposed in the DA will only partly fund the ongoing operation and heritage conservation of Everglades House & Gardens. The future operation and preservation of this historic place still requires funding from fundraising and the generosity of supporters.

Would it not be better to close Everglades House & Gardens to visitors to ensure its preservation?

The best way to conserve the heritage significance of a historic site like Everglades House & Gardens is to maintain the uses for which it was originally designed. Everglades House & Gardens predates much development in the local area. It was designed by Belgian-born businessman Henri Van de Velde as a weekender for gatherings of family and friends, performances in the dedicated outdoor garden theatre, and arts, social and cultural activities in the gardens designed by Paul Sorensen. The DA enables public access to the site in line with the activities Everglades House & Gardens was initially designed for.

The community raised concerns about parking – how is the National Trust taking this into account?

The National Trust is exploring options to address parking issues raised through community consultation. Traffic wardens, plus on-site parking for volunteers and staff to free up street parking bays are current options being considered. We are also in the process of updating signage to ensure clear delineation of parking and will highlight public transport and carpooling for visitors travelling to and from Everglades House & Gardens. Submissions made during public exhibition of the DA will inform the review of parking and we will also be liaising with Blue Mountains City Council.