Designing Leura Village

In 2019, Pathways Residences acquired the Ritz Estate at 203-223 Leura Mall with the specific purpose of rejuvenating the heritage listed property into a luxurious residential aged care facility supported by a wellness centre and allied healthcare services.

A team of architects, heritage conservation specialists, landscape architects and urban planners worked closely with Blue Mountains City Council to prepare a development application for a 123 bed residential aged care facility on the site.

The development application, for a regionally significant development, was lodged with Blue Mountains City Council on 10 September 2021.

While the application was refused, the Sydney Western City Planning Panel agreed the proposal had overall merit, and that if the presentation of the development to Wascoe Street and its transition to neighbouring development including an adjacent heritage listed cottage could be better resolved, and the treatment of heritage fabric within the listed item, could be better refined, then the scheme would likely warrant approval.

The Panel also noted that there is a recognised need for nursing home places which is particularly pressing in the Blue Mountains region with a significant retired population and limited residential care infrastructure, and that the creation of a nursing home on the site would have a major public benefit for that reason.

An appeal of the decision was lodged with the Land and Environment Court. The impact on the heritage, design excellence and the extent of demolition remained unresolved at that time, and the appeal was dismissed in early 2024.