Celebrations for the grand opening of Harold Gregson Reserve

City Council has completed the final stage of the $7 million redevelopment of Harold Gregson Reserve, with the official opening of the park’s new play tower, events lawn and amphitheatre. The completion of Harold Gregson Reserve is the final part of the broader $27 million Maitland Regional Sports Complex project.

To celebrate the milestone, Maitland City Council will be hosting a free, family friendly event on Saturday 20 July from 2.00pm to 8.00pm with live music, kids activities and food stalls.

Maitland Mayor Philip Penfold said Harold Gregson Reserve, the first part of which opened in December last year, will ‘serve as a vibrant hub for community events, recreational activities and larger entertainment events, bringing people together in the heart of our city’.

‘The redevelopment of Harold Gregson Reserve is testament to our commitment to creating spaces that foster community engagement and enhance the quality of life for our residents, and we look forward to celebrating with the community on 20 July,' added Mayor Penfold.

Maitland City Council Coordinator City Events and Activation Adam Franks said the event would ‘bring the community together and for the first time, properly utilise all parts of Harold Gregson Reserve, including the new events lawn and amphitheatre.

‘We’ve got lots in store, including kids workshops, inflatable games, a roller disco on the basketball court, as well as a range of food trucks and live music in the new amphitheatre.’ 

Mayor Penfold said the Maitland Regional Sports Complex project highlighted how Maitland Council was working closely with the NSW Government to give Central Maitland with a ‘new lease on life’.

‘Over several phases and many years, we’ve invested in cultivating a state of the art precinct that caters to sport and recreation, arts, entertainment and culture,’ he said.

‘Coupled with the sportsground and the athletics centre, Harold Gregson Reserve is a fantastic hub where the Maitland community can come and enjoy for many years.’

Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said the Harold Gregson Reserve new facilities will be an asset for the local community, providing improved amenity and positive social outcomes.

‘The new play space and events lawn is a fantastic addition to the community space where family and friends can come together outside to connect and be active in Maitland.

‘The NSW Government is committed to supporting community infrastructure upgrade projects across regional NSW that boost health and wellbeing outcomes.’

Member for Maitland Jenny Aitchison said the transformation of Harold Gregson Reserve was one of many exciting projects the NSW Government is delivering across the Hunter.

‘Right now, the NSW Labor Government is delivering more than $3.5 billion worth of infrastructure across the Hunter, and we are ensuring Maitland continues to benefit from this unprecedented investment.

‘While we are helping people reduce their daily commute to work with large road infrastructure projects, we are also supporting the need for recreation areas to revitalise central Maitland.

‘Thanks to this investment, families and community groups now have a fantastic new space to enjoy and it will make Maitland an even more attractive place to live, work in and visit now and for generations to come.’

New elements of Harold Gregson Reserve, including the play tower, stage and bleacher seating received $2,708,640 in funding from the NSW Government.

For more information about Harold Gregson Reserve and the launch event, please visit mait.city/HGRLaunchEvent.