Latest news with #Stowe
Sydney Morning Herald
09-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Millions of visitors drive through this town every year. Some tell them to skip it
When Stowe shows the Herald the old postmaster's home, Froma Court, built in 1908, a warning blast tells us it is a restricted area, and 'Please move away'. On Lurline Street, the main road leading to Echo Point, some of the once-fabulous 1920s guest houses are restored. Others are falling apart. Further on, one of the area's oldest guesthouses, The Clarendon, is looking its age despite colourful awnings. It is the subject of an interim heritage order by the Blue Mountains City Council after unauthorised works. For Aaron White, a residential house painter, news of what happened to the Paragon was the 'last straw'. He's offered to paint Katoomba's buildings –free, if someone donates materials – to lift the mood and look of the town. 'Tourists bypass the town, and head to the scenery, and the businesses are missing out millions of dollars in revenue,' said White. Loading Resident Michael Hart said when something as significant as the Paragon closed, it had a ripple effect. When the Carrington closed in the late 1980s, other shops shut soon after. 'That stuff adds up. It affects a lot of people.' Some say Katoomba has always had booms and busts. Harriet McCready, the cofounder of Mountain Culture Beer Co. – operating in a restored heritage building – says the streetscape hasn't affected its business. Katoomba remained vibrant even if the buildings looked derelict, she said. More life in the shops would be a plus, but the town was such a gem and the landscape so special that it drew visitors interested in bush walks, rock climbing, the art and their beer. Who to blame depends on who you ask. Locals say the council is too slow to approve projects; others say absentee landlords and developers don't engage with the community; congestion on the main bridge into town, say many, while others point to heritage rules, COVID, and the economy. As a former regulator and head of NSW's Fair Trading, Stowe advocates an inquiry to separate facts from conjecture He also says enforcement action is the most effective way to achieve compliance with heritage laws. According to Destination NSW, the Blue Mountains is the most popular destination outside Sydney, attracting three million visitors a year. Katoomba was once the top place to stay, as much for its ornate architecture as for its natural attractions. It has more historic homes and properties identified as historic or heritage by local, state, federal government and the National Trust, than the rest of the Blue Mountains. Stowe said: 'It was where tourism, in many ways, started in NSW. It was a place where people got away from the humdrum, the smelly city and into the mountain air.' With its relatively intact shops and old boarding houses, Stowe says it could be the Australian version of NZ's Napier, famous for its vibrant Art Deco architecture. Michael Brischetto, a co-owner with Jarvis of Katoomba's heritage-listed Carrington Hotel, said the state of the town's heritage was an embarrassment that reflected poorly on all levels of government. Empty shops opposite the station, bought by Carrington, are scheduled for restoration but are facing delays in approval from the council and Heritage NSW. 'Every time one of these absentee owners wants to sell one of their buildings, the community or local business people should be buying them,' said Brischetto. 'Because we live here. We're the ones who are embarrassed. Let's start doing something about it, right?' Brischetto attributes some of the decline in state heritage listed properties to understaffing of Heritage NSW, saying it failed to inspect and identify projects at risk before they fail. His hotel has been visited only twice in 21 years. The decline of the historic properties deterred investors or businesses. 'They see the hoardings up around places like the Paragon and ours and ask, 'Why aren't people renting these shops?' ' The NSW auditor-general 2023 report on Heritage NSW found almost 90 per cent of items (1583) on the register did not include a physical condition rating. It noted improvements in turnaround on applications for works on listed assets. But it found about 35 per cent (625) of items lacked detailed physical descriptions, which made it hard for officers to pursue breaches. 'The state heritage people are very well-meaning, and I know they're under-resourced,' Brischetto said. For a laugh, he likes to read an old email from Heritage NSW sent a decade ago after he waited months for a response. It said: 'Applicants applying pressure on Ministers to get more resourcing to process their applications would have more effect than anything else. ' Brischetto said, 'The heritage system is broken. It's only when you're trying to do something, when you're trying to preserve or conserve or restore, that [Heritage] get involved.' Mayor Mark Greenhill said Katoomba remained an outstanding tourist destination, and visitor numbers were increasing, not falling. The council was committed to Katoomba thriving as a welcoming destination, but could only operate within its jurisdiction. Greenhill said the council had secured $7 million for improvements, including new street furniture, upgraded lighting and paving, outdoor dining areas and public art. Stowe showed what could be done when the community came together. The Treeline Lurline project is aiming to restore the grand boulevard of trees that once led to Echo Point. Some new trees have been planted and powerlines moved underground. In response to the Herald 's questions, a spokesperson for the Heritage Council and Heritage NSW said the owners of Mount St Marys had responded to representations from Heritage NSW and Blue Mountains City Council and were addressing urgent rectification works.
The Age
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
Millions of visitors drive through this town every year. Some tell them to skip it
When Stowe shows the Herald the old postmaster's home, Froma Court, built in 1908, a warning blast tells us it is a restricted area, and 'Please move away'. On Lurline Street, the main road leading to Echo Point, some of the once-fabulous 1920s guest houses are restored. Others are falling apart. Further on, one of the area's oldest guesthouses, The Clarendon, is looking its age despite colourful awnings. It is the subject of an interim heritage order by the Blue Mountains City Council after unauthorised works. For Aaron White, a residential house painter, news of what happened to the Paragon was the 'last straw'. He's offered to paint Katoomba's buildings –free, if someone donates materials – to lift the mood and look of the town. 'Tourists bypass the town, and head to the scenery, and the businesses are missing out millions of dollars in revenue,' said White. Loading Resident Michael Hart said when something as significant as the Paragon closed, it had a ripple effect. When the Carrington closed in the late 1980s, other shops shut soon after. 'That stuff adds up. It affects a lot of people.' Some say Katoomba has always had booms and busts. Harriet McCready, the cofounder of Mountain Culture Beer Co. – operating in a restored heritage building – says the streetscape hasn't affected its business. Katoomba remained vibrant even if the buildings looked derelict, she said. More life in the shops would be a plus, but the town was such a gem and the landscape so special that it drew visitors interested in bush walks, rock climbing, the art and their beer. Who to blame depends on who you ask. Locals say the council is too slow to approve projects; others say absentee landlords and developers don't engage with the community; congestion on the main bridge into town, say many, while others point to heritage rules, COVID, and the economy. As a former regulator and head of NSW's Fair Trading, Stowe advocates an inquiry to separate facts from conjecture He also says enforcement action is the most effective way to achieve compliance with heritage laws. According to Destination NSW, the Blue Mountains is the most popular destination outside Sydney, attracting three million visitors a year. Katoomba was once the top place to stay, as much for its ornate architecture as for its natural attractions. It has more historic homes and properties identified as historic or heritage by local, state, federal government and the National Trust, than the rest of the Blue Mountains. Stowe said: 'It was where tourism, in many ways, started in NSW. It was a place where people got away from the humdrum, the smelly city and into the mountain air.' With its relatively intact shops and old boarding houses, Stowe says it could be the Australian version of NZ's Napier, famous for its vibrant Art Deco architecture. Michael Brischetto, a co-owner with Jarvis of Katoomba's heritage-listed Carrington Hotel, said the state of the town's heritage was an embarrassment that reflected poorly on all levels of government. Empty shops opposite the station, bought by Carrington, are scheduled for restoration but are facing delays in approval from the council and Heritage NSW. 'Every time one of these absentee owners wants to sell one of their buildings, the community or local business people should be buying them,' said Brischetto. 'Because we live here. We're the ones who are embarrassed. Let's start doing something about it, right?' Brischetto attributes some of the decline in state heritage listed properties to understaffing of Heritage NSW, saying it failed to inspect and identify projects at risk before they fail. His hotel has been visited only twice in 21 years. The decline of the historic properties deterred investors or businesses. 'They see the hoardings up around places like the Paragon and ours and ask, 'Why aren't people renting these shops?' ' The NSW auditor-general 2023 report on Heritage NSW found almost 90 per cent of items (1583) on the register did not include a physical condition rating. It noted improvements in turnaround on applications for works on listed assets. But it found about 35 per cent (625) of items lacked detailed physical descriptions, which made it hard for officers to pursue breaches. 'The state heritage people are very well-meaning, and I know they're under-resourced,' Brischetto said. For a laugh, he likes to read an old email from Heritage NSW sent a decade ago after he waited months for a response. It said: 'Applicants applying pressure on Ministers to get more resourcing to process their applications would have more effect than anything else. ' Brischetto said, 'The heritage system is broken. It's only when you're trying to do something, when you're trying to preserve or conserve or restore, that [Heritage] get involved.' Mayor Mark Greenhill said Katoomba remained an outstanding tourist destination, and visitor numbers were increasing, not falling. The council was committed to Katoomba thriving as a welcoming destination, but could only operate within its jurisdiction. Greenhill said the council had secured $7 million for improvements, including new street furniture, upgraded lighting and paving, outdoor dining areas and public art. Stowe showed what could be done when the community came together. The Treeline Lurline project is aiming to restore the grand boulevard of trees that once led to Echo Point. Some new trees have been planted and powerlines moved underground. In response to the Herald 's questions, a spokesperson for the Heritage Council and Heritage NSW said the owners of Mount St Marys had responded to representations from Heritage NSW and Blue Mountains City Council and were addressing urgent rectification works.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Who is Henry Pollock? England's one-cap sensation selected for British and Irish Lions
The home of Ampthill RUFC, Dillingham Park, is gloriously quaint, flanked on all sides by the forests of rural Bedfordshire. A visit to the Championship club requires the players of both teams to make their way out among the oak trees that cloak the glade of pitches, trudging through the mud out into an anachronistic arena for elite sport. And so it was at this somewhat unlikely location where on 22 December 2023, when much of the rest of the United Kingdom were entering their festive stupor, that a gloriously-gifted teenage back row announced his arrival on the senior stage; an acorn soon to grow to great things falling in the forest and producing a try heard around the world. Those inside rugby already had passing familiarity with the schoolboy exploits of Henry Pollock, a star at Stowe and an England Under-18 captain. But having been granted an opportunity to impress in his first year out of Northampton's academy on loan with the Bedford Blues, the openside flanker burst into the consciousness of the rugby public with a searing 75-metre score, in the process rounding two backs and holding off another with pace and power belying his tender years. British and Irish Lions squad LIVE: Andy Farrell reveals selection for 2025 tour And so began a rapid rise through the ranks of English rugby union. Mere months later, Pollock was a key part of England's U20 side as they secured the Six Nations title, bouncing back from a tough outing against Ireland to star against France in a febrile atmosphere in Pau. Come the summer, Pollock was the star of the side that secured World Rugby U20 Championship triumph in South Africa, England's first for eight years. So far, so good for a flanker clearly of huge talent – but recent history is littered with age-group stars who took time to make the grade at senior level. Ben Earl was a similar schoolboy sensation who had to toil to earn his first international opportunity, the Saracen taking time to realise his potential with England. But those who know felt there was something different about Pollock – and he quickly proved them right. When the British and Irish Lions squad was named by Andy Farrell on Thursday, the 20-year-old with one senior cap received the biggest cheer of the day when he was selected among the back row unit to take on the Wallabies. A couple of bumps there may have been along the way but this season has gone better even than Pollock's biggest backers might have thought. With the departures of Lewis Ludlam and Courtney Lawes freeing up space in Northampton's back row, the coaching hierarchy at Saints figured it best to take a patient approach, knowing that the time would come for their academy prospect to step in. But having left him out of the squad for the first two games of the Premiership season after a gruelling summer, Pollock has been virtually ever-present ever since. 'He doesn't need protecting,' director of rugby Phil Dowson said recently. 'I'm trying to protect everybody else. He's mad for it. That's what's great. Often, if not always, you'd have 18-, 19-year-olds who might be overawed whereas he actually feeds off that and that's just because he's a slightly different character.' The confidence that Pollock carries is clear on and off the field. Some teammates have found it difficult to adjust to how cocksure and conceited the youngster can seem. Where in the past more reserved figures have been favoured, there is a cross-sport trend of a new generation of athletes highly confident in their abilities and prepared to be brash and bold in their proclamations. Pollock is a shining example. But where other highly-rated young players have come into the England environment and shrunk or struggled, the Northampton openside has backed his words up. His debut at the end of the Six Nations in Cardiff came with the complete confidence of the coaching staff; a sparky two-try cameo against Wales was just a glimpse of what they had seen in training. 'He just comes on and wants to win,' head coach Steve Borthwick said in the immediacy of that win. 'He comes on and wants the ball. And if there's something I could change and develop with this team through this whole next generation, it is for them to be energised by the shirt, bring you all your personality, bring all your skill, and he did that today.' There are plenty who have tried to take Pollock down a peg, including Lawes in Northampton training. The big performances have kept on coming, though. His showing against Leinster in the Investec Champions Cup semi-final was another landmark moment, out-shining even a very good Josh van der Flier on the opposite side. 18 tackles, 21 defensive rucks hit, and another sensational solo score in which he cut between RG Snyman and Andrew Porter before rounding Sam Prendergast with effortless ease showcased his skillset in full. To reach for a lofty comparison, there are shades of All Black Ardie Savea to the way an elite athlete moves in space. 'Virtually every single game, he's doing something that would be a special moment in any other player's season,' Jason Sivil, a member of Northampton's strength and conditioning team, told The Telegraph recently. 'I've been working in this field for 20 years and there are very, very few players as gifted as Henry is. 'If Henry was in South Africa, he'd be an outlier. There are people physically put together like him, but not a lot of them. It wouldn't matter where Henry is in the world, he would be a stand-out.' Clearly there is refinement required. Pollock, like most scavenging sevens, can have a tendency to draw the referee's whistle; a student of the dark arts will at times fall foul of the lawbook. Competition for back row places was fierce – it is worth remembering that Pollock probably began the Six Nations as England's fourth-choice openside even with Sam Underhill injured and Jack Willis unavailable. There is nothing that Tom Curry, Ben Curry and Earl have done since to knock them down the pecking order. It may have been that Pollock was instead heading for Argentina with Borthwick's side. But that will have to wait after the Lions came calling.
The Independent
08-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Who is Henry Pollock? England's one-cap sensation selected for British and Irish Lions
The home of Ampthill RUFC, Dillingham Park, is gloriously quaint, flanked on all sides by the forests of rural Bedfordshire. A visit to the Championship club requires the players of both teams to make their way out among the oak trees that cloak the glade of pitches, trudging through the mud out into an anachronistic arena for elite sport. And so it was at this somewhat unlikely location where on 22 December 2023, when much of the rest of the United Kingdom were entering their festive stupor, that a gloriously-gifted teenage back row announced his arrival on the senior stage; an acorn soon to grow to great things falling in the forest and producing a try heard around the world. Those inside rugby already had passing familiarity with the schoolboy exploits of Henry Pollock, a star at Stowe and an England Under-18 captain. But having been granted an opportunity to impress in his first year out of Northampton's academy on loan with the Bedford Blues, the openside flanker burst into the consciousness of the rugby public with a searing 75-metre score, in the process rounding two backs and holding off another with pace and power belying his tender years. And so began a rapid rise through the ranks of English rugby union. Mere months later, Pollock was a key part of England's U20 side as they secured the Six Nations title, bouncing back from a tough outing against Ireland to star against France in a febrile atmosphere in Pau. Come the summer, Pollock was the star of the side that secured World Rugby U20 Championship triumph in South Africa, England's first for eight years. So far, so good for a flanker clearly of huge talent – but recent history is littered with age-group stars who took time to make the grade at senior level. Ben Earl was a similar schoolboy sensation who had to toil to earn his first international opportunity, the Saracen taking time to realise his potential with England. But those who know felt there was something different about Pollock – and he quickly proved them right. When the British and Irish Lions squad was named by Andy Farrell on Thursday, the 20-year-old with one senior cap received the biggest cheer of the day when he was selected among the back row unit to take on the Wallabies. A couple of bumps there may have been along the way but this season has gone better even than Pollock's biggest backers might have thought. With the departures of Lewis Ludlam and Courtney Lawes freeing up space in Northampton's back row, the coaching hierarchy at Saints figured it best to take a patient approach, knowing that the time would come for their academy prospect to step in. But having left him out of the squad for the first two games of the Premiership season after a gruelling summer, Pollock has been virtually ever-present ever since. 'He doesn't need protecting,' director of rugby Phil Dowson said recently. 'I'm trying to protect everybody else. He's mad for it. That's what's great. Often, if not always, you'd have 18-, 19-year-olds who might be overawed whereas he actually feeds off that and that's just because he's a slightly different character.' The confidence that Pollock carries is clear on and off the field. Some teammates have found it difficult to adjust to how cocksure and conceited the youngster can seem. Where in the past more reserved figures have been favoured, there is a cross-sport trend of a new generation of athletes highly confident in their abilities and prepared to be brash and bold in their proclamations. Pollock is a shining example. But where other highly-rated young players have come into the England environment and shrunk or struggled, the Northampton openside has backed his words up. His debut at the end of the Six Nations in Cardiff came with the complete confidence of the coaching staff; a sparky two-try cameo against Wales was just a glimpse of what they had seen in training. 'He just comes on and wants to win,' head coach Steve Borthwick said in the immediacy of that win. 'He comes on and wants the ball. And if there's something I could change and develop with this team through this whole next generation, it is for them to be energised by the shirt, bring you all your personality, bring all your skill, and he did that today.' There are plenty who have tried to take Pollock down a peg, including Lawes in Northampton training. The big performances have kept on coming, though. His showing against Leinster in the Investec Champions Cup semi-final was another landmark moment, out-shining even a very good Josh van der Flier on the opposite side. 18 tackles, 21 defensive rucks hit, and another sensational solo score in which he cut between RG Snyman and Andrew Porter before rounding Sam Prendergast with effortless ease showcased his skillset in full. To reach for a lofty comparison, there are shades of All Black Ardie Savea to the way an elite athlete moves in space. 'Virtually every single game, he's doing something that would be a special moment in any other player's season,' Jason Sivil, a member of Northampton's strength and conditioning team, told The Telegraph recently. 'I've been working in this field for 20 years and there are very, very few players as gifted as Henry is. 'If Henry was in South Africa, he'd be an outlier. There are people physically put together like him, but not a lot of them. It wouldn't matter where Henry is in the world, he would be a stand-out.' Clearly there is refinement required. Pollock, like most scavenging sevens, can have a tendency to draw the referee's whistle; a student of the dark arts will at times fall foul of the lawbook. Competition for back row places was fierce – it is worth remembering that Pollock probably began the Six Nations as England's fourth-choice openside even with Sam Underhill injured and Jack Willis unavailable. There is nothing that Tom Curry, Ben Curry and Earl have done since to knock them down the pecking order.
The Independent
07-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Who is Henry Pollock? How England's young sensation bolted into Lions contention
The home of Ampthill RUFC, Dillingham Park, is gloriously quaint, flanked on all sides by the forests of rural Bedfordshire. A visit to the Championship club requires the players of both teams to make their way out among the oak trees that cloak the glade of pitches, trudging through the mud out into an anachronistic arena for elite sport. And so it was at this somewhat unlikely location where on 22 December 2023, when much of the rest of the United Kingdom were entering their festive stupor, that a gloriously-gifted teenage back row announced his arrival on the senior stage; an acorn soon to grow to great things falling in the forest and producing a try heard around the world. Those inside rugby already had passing familiarity with the schoolboy exploits of Henry Pollock, a star at Stowe and an England Under-18 captain. But having been granted an opportunity to impress in his first year out of Northampton's academy on loan with the Bedford Blues, the openside flanker burst into the consciousness of the rugby public with a searing 75-metre score, in the process rounding two backs and holding off another with pace and power belying his tender years. And so began a rapid rise through the ranks of English rugby union. Mere months later, Pollock was a key part of England's U20 side as they secured the Six Nations title, bouncing back from a tough outing against Ireland to star against France in a febrile atmosphere in Pau. Come the summer, Pollock was the star of the side that secured World Rugby U20 Championship triumph in South Africa, England's first for eight years. So far, so good for a flanker clearly of huge talent – but recent history is littered with age-group stars who took time to make the grade at senior level. Ben Earl was a similar schoolboy sensation who had to toil to earn his first international opportunity, the Saracen taking time to realise his potential with England. But those who know felt there was something different about Pollock – and he quickly proved them right. When the British and Irish Lions squad is named by Andy Farrell on Thursday, it would now be something of a surprise if a 20-year-old with one senior cap is not named among the back row unit to take on the Wallabies. A couple of bumps there may have been along the way but this season has gone better even than Pollock's biggest backers might have thought. With the departures of Lewis Ludlam and Courtney Lawes freeing up space in Northampton's back row, the coaching hierarchy at Saints figured it best to take a patient approach, knowing that the time would come for their academy prospect to step in. But having left him out of the squad for the first two games of the Premiership season after a gruelling summer, Pollock has been virtually ever-present ever since. 'He doesn't need protecting,' director of rugby Phil Dowson said recently. 'I'm trying to protect everybody else. He's mad for it. That's what's great. Often, if not always, you'd have 18-, 19-year-olds who might be overawed whereas he actually feeds off that and that's just because he's a slightly different character.' The confidence that Pollock carries is clear on and off the field. Some teammates have found it difficult to adjust to how cocksure and conceited the youngster can seem. Where in the past more reserved figures have been favoured, there is a cross-sport trend of a new generation of athletes highly confident in their abilities and prepared to be brash and bold in their proclamations. Pollock is a shining example. But where other highly-rated young players have come into the England environment and shrunk or struggled, the Northampton openside has backed his words up. His debut at the end of the Six Nations in Cardiff came with the complete confidence of the coaching staff; a sparky two-try cameo against Wales was just a glimpse of what they had seen in training. 'He just comes on and wants to win,' head coach Steve Borthwick said in the immediacy of that win. 'He comes on and wants the ball. And if there's something I could change and develop with this team through this whole next generation, it is for them to be energised by the shirt, bring you all your personality, bring all your skill, and he did that today.' There are plenty who have tried to take Pollock down a peg, including Lawes in Northampton training. The big performances have kept on coming, though. His showing against Leinster in the Investec Champions Cup semi-final was another landmark moment, out-shining even a very good Josh van der Flier on the opposite side. 18 tackles, 21 defensive rucks hit, and another sensational solo score in which he cut between RG Snyman and Andrew Porter before rounding Sam Prendergast with effortless ease showcased his skillset in full. To reach for a lofty comparison, there are shades of All Black Ardie Savea to the way an elite athlete moves in space. 'Virtually every single game, he's doing something that would be a special moment in any other player's season,' Jason Sivil, a member of Northampton's strength and conditioning team, told The Telegraph recently. 'I've been working in this field for 20 years and there are very, very few players as gifted as Henry is. 'If Henry was in South Africa, he'd be an outlier. There are people physically put together like him, but not a lot of them. It wouldn't matter where Henry is in the world, he would be a stand-out.' Clearly there is refinement required. Pollock, like most scavenging sevens, can have a tendency to draw the referee's whistle; a student of the dark arts will at times fall foul of the lawbook. Competition for back row places is fierce – it is worth remembering that Pollock probably began the Six Nations as England's fourth-choice openside even with Sam Underhill injured and Jack Willis unavailable. There is nothing that Tom Curry, Ben Curry and Earl have done since to knock them down the pecking order.
