Council calls on the NSW Government to cover Gaol repair costs

Maitland City Council has developed the scope of works, timeframe and budget required to remediate and rejuvenate the 170 year old heritage listed Maitland Gaol site, revealing a cost of over $30 million for essential and high priority works. 

Council, who manage the site on behalf of the NSW Government, closed the Gaol following the unexpected discovery of significant electrical and fire safety issues. The figure of $30 million is required to rectify those issues as well as deliver a recently lodged development project and high priority heritage maintenance works. 

If development approval is granted, the earliest date for reopening would be late 2026. Council will continue to engage with the NSW Government over the coming months to determine whether funding is available to keep the reopening on track. 

"With $11,700,000 in state and federal grant funding, including a Council co-contribution of $1,200,000 available to complete the works, Council is calling on the NSW Government to urgently cover the $20 million shortfall that is required to bring the site up to standard," says Council’s General Manager, Jeff Smith. 

Council can also confirm that their costs just to keep the Gaol operational over the past five years have amounted to $2.5 million.

"Whilst we see the value of the Gaol from a tourism perspective, the scale of the immediate and ongoing investment required to bring the site up to compliant contemporary operating standards will require significant investment from the owners of the site."

Council has a wide array of service delivery priorities and using ratepayer funds to remediate the state government owned site would mean less money invested in road maintenance, footpath connections, playground and community centre upgrades as well as other Council owned facilities and services and that is simply not an option."