Next steps for Berrima Gaol

The announcement was made at the March 20 ordinary meeting, where administrator Viv May said an explanation would be sought about a lack of contact.

The endorsed scoping report was prepared by Sutherland and Associates Planning on behalf of the site's buyer Blue Sox Group to support a SSD.

The former jail was sold for $7 million via an expression of interest campaign in 2022.

A scoping report to redevelop the site, was being assessed by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) to obtain a Secretary's Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs).

The meeting agenda said council planned to make a submission at this stage to inform the SEARs, which would be followed by the Environmental Impact Statement stage (EIS).

Council's executive manager of strategic outcomes Deniz Kilic said that the SEARs has been issued, and officer comments were provided in mid-February when there was a "tight deadline" of eight days to make a submission.

More details would be provided during the EIS stage, where council and the community could provide input, the paper said.

"We'll provide council and community submissions to ensure that any proposal respects the heritage fabric, demonstrates architectural design excellence and best practice adaptive heritage reuse," he said.

"We will reach out to the community groups to gauge community sentiments and understand points of consensus and concern at the EIS stage."

He said points from the community could be sent to the DPHI.

The scoping report said the redevelopment was an "economic opportunity" that had the "potential to achieve substantial benefits for the local and State economy and tourism industry".

It said it would incorporate key components such as accommodation with hotel rooms, a signature restaurant and bars, a wellness centre, function space and meeting rooms, boutique retail, working gardens, guest services including a spa, wellness centre and gym, back-of-house and administration, and guess and staff parking.

The parking would be south of the former prison's walls, which provided an opportunity for another potential space for pop-up events, the report said.

Another endorsement made during the meeting was to forward a copy of the submission to member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman, who would request an explanation from the DPHI on why council was given eight days to make a submission.

Ms Tuckerman would also inquire on why the SEARs was issued before the council provided any formal input, the amended recommendations said.

More information about the SSD can be found through the NSW Planning Portal.