newy.com.au – A $2 million NSW government grant will help fund a new multipurpose facility at Max McMahon Oval in Rutherford after Maitland City Council met a state target for faster development application decisions.
The council secured the money through the Faster Assessments Incentive Program, which links infrastructure funding to councils’ planning performance. More than $54 million was allocated statewide in the latest funding round.
Maitland recorded an average development application assessment time of 85 days in the 2024-25 financial year, compared with the state benchmark of 115 days.
The grant will fund the second stage of redevelopment at Max McMahon Oval. Plans include a community event room, storage space, accessible toilets and fencing, although a construction timetable has not been announced.
The project follows the opening in March of a $3.1 million, grant-funded amenities building at the oval.
Maitland mayor Philip Penfold said the next stage would support sporting groups including the Maitland All Saints AFL Club and Western Suburbs Cricket Club, as well as residents in the city’s west.
“This addition will be a great new multipurpose, event space that will build on recent improvements at Max McMahon Oval and support local clubs, now and into the future,” Cr Penfold said.
The council assessed 858 development applications worth a combined $483 million during 2024-25. Its city planning director, Trevor Ryan, said Sydney, Newcastle and MidCoast were the only NSW councils to assess more applications while also recording a shorter average assessment time.
Mr Ryan said the result was significant given Maitland’s volume of development and the complexity of major greenfield subdivisions, which require infrastructure to be co-ordinated across growing areas.
He said council staff had streamlined internal processes and worked with applicants to identify problems and improve applications before they were formally lodged.
