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THE soon-to-open Wolgan Valley Ritz-Carlton is facing resistance from Blue Mountains residents over its plan to operate 50 helicopter flights a week for arriving and departing guests. Around 100 submissions have been lodged with the NSW Department of Planning regarding the proposal, which would close-to quadruple the current cap of...
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THE soon-to-open Wolgan Valley Ritz-Carlton is facing resistance from Blue Mountains residents over its plan to operate 50 helicopter flights a week for arriving and departing guests.
Around 100 submissions have been lodged with the NSW Department of Planning regarding the proposal, which would close-to quadruple the current cap of 14 flights a week.
The majority of submissions have lodged concerns about noise pollution that may be caused by the ramping up of guest flights, with the Blue Mountains Council also describing the proposal as a “radical transformation”.
“The proposal essentially creates a fly-in, fly-out resort, with the potential for ongoing impacts across the Blue Mountains,” council chief executive Rosemary Dillon said.
However, a spokesperson for the luxury property told TD that working with the local community on plans is central to its ethos.
“From its very inception, Emirates Wolgan Valley has been developed and managed with deep respect for the environment and for the community – these principles remain unchanged.
“Our recent application for expanded helicopter flights had factored in projected, longer-term requirements from our target guest segments and helicopter access is important for the resort’s smooth operations.”
The resort added that if the proposal were to be rejected, it would not be a “showstopper” for the property’s transport plans, stating that it would work closely with the valley community and National Parks on the final flight paths and flight frequency.
“We will re-evaluate our application accordingly.”
The Donkey Steps will be the primary access route to Emirates Wolgan Valley when it re-opens, with the property operating a fleet of luxury four-wheel drive vehicles to chauffeur guests.
The former One&Only Wolgan Valley was rebranded to Wolgan Valley Ritz-Carlton under a deal between owner Emirates and the hotelier in Jan (TD 28 Jan 2026).
The One&Only agreement came to an end after the property was closed in Jun 2023 (TD 08 Jun 2023) due to road access. AB
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