Berrima Hotel will be a fantastic addition to not only Berrima Village but the Highlands as a whole as Tourism is so much apart of the economic fabric. It will benefit not only the tourists but existing businesses by attracting more visitors. I believe the sympathetic plans will ensure it does not change the historic significance of Berrima and allow the village to thrive for many more years to come. We have had and still have a business in Berrima.

i object to the proposal on the grounds of incompatibility with berrimas ambience as a historic village as nsw has so few. historical sites of this nature .poor roads and infrastructure to cope with increased traffic flows economic impact on local b&b businesses . proposal to knock down historic front wall to erect a coffee shop under the guise of adaptive reuse has no appeal and is akin to punching a hole in istanbuls blue mosque would this be allowed? does the state wish to retain berrima as a historic village ????

This will bring much needed foot traffic to the area, and stabilise this traffic across a more steady stream.
Many visitors currently stay in other towns when visiting due to a lack of options.
The proposal will not take away from the heritage of the area in any way.
Those voting no have been running scare campaigns and have vested interest, it’s becoming tedious to see.
Thank you

Berrima Goal is identified as a heritage item of state heritage significance. It is listed with both NSW State Heritage Register and Wingecarribee Local Environment Plan 2010

Sections of the goal were built in 1830 with convict-crafted stone blocks – our convict heritage is poorly understood and poorly preserved in Australia. So great caution must be taken when considering any alterations to places such as Berrima jail.

According to the Burra Charter, places of cultural significance must be conserved for present and future generations. The Burra Charter advocates a cautious approach to change: do as much as necessary to care for the place and to make it usable, but otherwise change it as little as possible so that its cultural significance is retained.

The reason for this is very clear – our cultural resources are finite and non-renewable. They are very easy to destroy but impossible to rebuild. They are priceless and decisions made should not be influenced by the dollar value of the project at hand. There is a question of intergenerational inequity if we fail to preserve our heritage.

By definition, Berrima is an ensemble site, meaning the whole is greater than its parts. If we allow a significant heritage item such as Berrima goal to be compromised, a precedent will be set that could lead to the eventual loss of the entire village.

Specific Objections to the Blue Sox development
The proponent has identified the heritage significance of the site but has failed to adequately consider the impact of the development on the significance of the goal and its curtilage and setting.

The proponent has proclaimed the development as a best practice example of adaptive re-use while failing to recognise the need for a sympathetic interpretation.

Fundamentally, the building has been made to fit the practicalities of the planned hotel, when a best practice approach would be to adapt the development to fit the existing constraints of the goal. In other words, the goal development has failed to sympathetically use what is there.

Examples that highlight these poor heritage outcomes are listed below:
• The monolithic block of 49 hotel rooms obscuring the western wall will obscure the significant 1838 goal wall and will dominate the river landscape
• The hole cut into the front wall ‘to activate’ the goal is highly disruptive
• The demolition of the 1949 cells to allow for a function centre for 300 people, a restaurant for 140 people and a carpark for 195 cars is highly disruptive and destructive rather than being an example of adaptive reuse

More broadly the size and scale of the Berrima Goal development is not appropriate for the town of Berrima, or for the Berrima Conservation Area in which it is located. The increased traffic and noise generated by the function centre and other venue hire activities risk destroying the ambience of this rare village.

The National Trust listing describes the colonial Georgian Village of Berrima as “A valid, intact historic village of great urban regional significance, the value of which is reinforced by the high quality of the surrounding natural environment.”

Berrima is a classic example of a preserved ghost town. Planned as the main colonial town on the Great South Road constructed by the second Surveyor General, Thomas Mitchell in 1930, it was superseded by Goulburn and completely forgotten once the Great Southern Rail was built in the 1860s and Berrima, Moss Vale, and Mittagong came to prominence. With the advent of the motor car in the early to mid-20th Century, Australians rediscovered their colonial roots in towns such as Berrima, which were seemingly untouched by time. Thus, Berrima has an important place in the Australian psyche.

Berrima belongs to the people of NSW and Australia and should not be up for sale. The Berrima goal development threatens to take away a great piece of our history from the people and place it in the hands of wealthy elites who can afford to stay in its luxury accommodation. The Southern Highlands already has a glut of luxury overpriced accommodation. While such an outcome may be profitable for the developer, it will not help grow local tourism.

Since the closure of the gaol in 2020, the EOI and SSD processes have:
- disregarded the local community as a key stakeholder
- disregarded the carefully crafted heritage values of the gaol as set out in the Wingecarribee Shire Council's LEP and DCP.
- proceeded with secrecy, and lack of probity and transparency.
- failed to build on an ideal opportunity to connect with the local community and local businesses to work through a master planning process for the village which could have set parameters for the Gaol EOI and led to a progressive partnership between Community and government.

As a long-term resident, I would like to express my wholehearted support for this project.
As it would create employment and employment and training opportunities (particularly for young people).
Bring money into the local economy.
And enliven and improve the village and streetscape.

I am writing to formally object to the proposed development of a hotel and function venue at the historic gaol site adjacent to my property. As a direct neighbour, I will be significantly affected by the scale and nature of this proposal.
The Jail is a heritage landmark that reflects our town’s history. Transforming it into a large-scale hotel with nightly functions risks undermining its cultural integrity and erasing its historic character.
The proposal includes indoor and outdoor functions for up to 300 guests each night. This scale of activity will generate excessive noise, disrupting the quiet enjoyment of neighbouring homes and creating ongoing disturbance late into the night.
A hotel of this scale is inconsistent with the character of our small town. It prioritises commercial entertainment over the needs of residents, threatening the sense of community and liveability we value.

I believe this project will have a positive impact on the economic development of the Southern Highlands