A "Tower Experience" at Maitland Goal is on track to get the green light as council continues to implement the facility's development plan.
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The guided tour would allow public access to existing observation towers and gantry walkways for a "guards perspective" of the old gaol.
The tours are proposed to operate for 30 to 60 minutes, 10 times a day from 8am to 10pm and would cater to a maximum of 15 people.
Additional development required to facilitate the new experience would see a spiral staircase built inside "Tower 1", along with the existing timber staircase in "Tower 6" - on the southern corner of the facility - enclosed in Perspex.
A development application (DA) was lodged for the project in March this year and plans, which are "recommended for approval", will go before Maitland City Council at Tuesday night's meeting.
"The development will provide participants the opportunity to not only further explore the gaol precinct but interpreted the wider views of East Maitland and surrounds from atop the gaol walls and gantry walkway," council's planning assessment states.
"The proposed stair inside Tower 1 adopts a spiral design, which spans a vertical distance of 6.3 metres. A mid-landing is provided approximately half-way up as a rest point for tour participants. The base of the new stairs will occupy what is currently a public toilet."
Due to the state heritage listing of Maitland Gaol, opened in 1848, the development is supported by a heritage impact statement (HIS) by Heritas Heritage and Conservation. According to council's report, the HIS found development would "enhance" the gaol's heritage value by allowing for views of a historically significant landscape and increasing public engagement.
One community submission was received during the development's public exhibition period which raised privacy concerns for nearby residents.
While acknowledging the possibility of tour participants being able to see into neighboring properties as "somewhat inevitable", the council's assessment outlines existing mitigation factors.
"... fencing, landscaping and distance from neighbouring residential properties does go some way to mitigate potential and perceived privacy impacts," the assessment states.
"Further to this, the extent of privacy impacts and potential for overlooking can be mitigated via operational provisions. This is included but not limited to reducing the amount of time dedicated to the eastern portion of the wall and limiting tour participants attention to the internal view of the gaol."
The Tower Experience is part of a Development Plan adopted in September, 2020.
In January 2022, the state and federal governments committed $5 million each to development at the facility, going toward $11.6 million in initiatives including boutique accommodation and an activity hub.
The gaol's master plan, which was also adopted in 2020, outlines the re-use of the Lieutenant Governor and Governor's residences as the boutique accommodation.
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