Mrs Oldbucks Pantry is pleased to provide this statement in support of the proposed Berrima Quarter Development.

As a long-established local business, Mrs Oldbucks Pantry values projects that respect Berrima’s unique heritage while contributing positively to the village’s long-term vibrancy and sustainability. From our perspective, the Berrima Quarter Development represents a thoughtful and well-considered opportunity to strengthen the local economy and enhance the overall visitor and community experience.

We believe the development will:

Encourage increased foot traffic and longer visitor dwell time within the village

Support existing small businesses by creating a stronger retail and hospitality ecosystem

Provide improved amenities and activation that benefit both locals and visitors

Enhance Berrima’s appeal as a destination while maintaining its historic character

Importantly, we view this development as a positive step toward ensuring Berrima remains a thriving village rather than a static one. Thoughtful growth is essential to supporting local employment, attracting new visitors, and enabling small, long-standing businesses such as ours to continue operating sustainably.

Mrs Oldbucks Pantry also welcomes the opportunity this project presents for collaboration between businesses, residents, and visitors, helping to foster a vibrant, welcoming precinct that reflects the character and quality for which Berrima is known.

We appreciate the considered approach taken in the planning of the Berrima Quarter Development and are supportive of its progression. We look forward to seeing the positive impacts this project will bring to our community and to being part of a strong, diverse, and engaged Berrima business environment well into the future

Please see attached a submission with comments relating to the Berrima Gaol development from the National Trust of Australia (NSW).

I have lived in Berrima for 24 years, my husband, (who grew up in Berrima), and I chose to move back to this village to raise our family. Our kids all attended Berrima Public School and we have loved being involved in the life of this town.
Our three kids all had their first weekend jobs right here in Berrima—working in retail, making coffees and washing dishes in our local cafés and restaurants. They could walk to work, because our village businesses created those opportunities for them. And we’re lucky to have incredible local employers like Gumnut Patisserie and Bendooley Estate, who continue to employ many young people in the Highlands.
This is why I’m genuinely excited about the potential of a hotel and conference centre at the Berrima Gaol site. With more young families choosing to make the Southern Highlands home, we need more pathways for our kids to work locally. This development offers exactly that—varied employment within a hotel precinct and in walking distance for many Berrima kids.
Destination Southern Highlands promotes our region for its lush landscapes, exceptional food and wine, and charming villages. The Berrima Gaol project aligns perfectly with this vision—attracting not only visitors, but also the high-value conference and events market. Our location between Sydney and Canberra positions us ideally for corporate retreats, conventions, and in-house conferences. A boutique hotel on such a distinctive historic site would quickly establish itself as a premier venue within the region.

More visitors staying in Berrima means more vibrancy for our community. It means stronger support for our existing retailers, cafés, and restaurants. Guests could stroll through the village, soaking up everything our historic streets already offer. Weddings alone bring enormous life into the town—you can tell it’s a wedding weekend just by walking into the pub on a Friday night! This development would build on that momentum.
The additional parking lot proposed is a bonus for our town. Anyone who has tried to drive through Berrima on a ‘market day’ Sunday knows exactly what I mean: cars double-parked, pedestrians wandering across the Old Hume Highway, and a main street that just isn’t built for the number of visitors that call through. The hotel’s parking area would ease pressure for both visitors and locals.
It genuinely saddens me to imagine this historic building sitting empty for even more years. Right now, visitors who come to Berrima can only admire the Gaol from the outside. What an incredible opportunity we have—to make this building accessible to all, allowing people to walk through, appreciate its architecture and understand its history.
As a teacher at the local school, I can already see the benefits this redevelopment would bring. As we don’t have a school hall, the conference spaces could potentially be used for our school events. Our students, who already get to walk their history lessons through the village, would now have access to another incredible piece of living history. Imagine being able to teach in the Gaol, not just point at it through a fence.
This development doesn’t take anything away from Berrima. It adds to it. It respects our past while creating opportunity for our future—. It’s the path that preserves the Gaol and brings it back to life. It respects the history, creates fresh energy, jobs, and learning opportunities for our wider Southern Highlands community, and that’s exactly what we need.

Great for the community in the long term. the proposal respects the history and creates opportunities for the locals and neighbouring towns in the southern highlands.

Berrima is a rare jewel in the Southern Highlands. Once its historic fabric is compromised, it cannot be restored. Council and the Planning Department of NSW has both a statutory and moral responsibility to ensure that this little historic town remains as it is authentic, preserved, and protected for future generations.

I have no objection to Berrima Goal being developed if it is done sympathetically and adheres to the heritage guidelines.
Berrima needs to keep moving forward to keep up with our modern world, we can still have our significant heritage buildings and enjoy our history of the village if these proposals are within the current heritage rules.
The alternative is these buildings being left to rot which benefits no one.

Job Creation, Tourism, Quality Adaptive Reuse, Long Term Viability, Publically Accessible to everyone. Comprehensive planning and community engagement.

I've lived in the area for almost 20 years and Berrima is a beautiful country town. Personally, it is a huge shame to not have the property become a gallery with sculpture gardens or a museum or centre like the old Argyle Art Gallery in The Rocks, etc. Some accommodations at the site are not a bad proposal but the total interior destruction of such a historic building is deplorable. Blasting a hole in the perimeter wall is terrible and building along the outer edge of it and ruining the nature walk by the creek is not in any way keeping with what residents want. Furthermore, I think it is shameful that residents and council have to go through this process not once, but twice in a row. What good is this government process when huge companies can just wave more money at a project to affect the consultation process. It makes a mockery of the government's ability to make a decision or stand for anything. The public has spoken. The plans as they stand, fly in the face of preserving this rich history and preserving the natural environment (which is why many of us live here and ironically what Blue Sox is trying to exploit) which includes a platypus colony that no doubt would be affected by building along the creek and increasing the surrounding traffic. Whilst something should be done with the old gaol, this proposal is not sympathetic to this laid-back rural town and surrounds, nor is it sympathetic to the way of life in this sleepy area. No one who has chosen to live in Berrima ever thought that they would have to content with a huge hotel, function rooms on their doorstep and apartments along the edge of their bush walk along the creek. I cannot believe, given Berrima Gaol is heritage listed, that these amendments to the structure in and of themselves do not constitute automatic dismissal of the application put forward? What is the point of such measures if companies can just tear down the bulk of the interior and blast a hole in the wall. If this project was to pass (and I sincerely hope it is laughed out of the building) the history of what it was like to reside within those walls would be lost forever .... not to mention the platypus colony and the wonderful atmosphere that this little town exudes. Put a big hotel and function centre in a city .... not here!

A revitalizing & reimaging of the Berrima Gaol. Amongst many other benefits, it will:
- Make the site available to the local community to explore, learn and enjoy a variety of offerings
- Help to drive activity within Berrima & surrounding town centres
- Ensure the ongoing future protection of the gaol and its significant heritage values in perpetuity