Published Wednesday, 02 June 2010
Around £8m has already been spent decontaminating the former Northern Ireland high security prison and security base to prepare it for sale, the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister added.
But civil servants behind the project defended the work and said any deal without asbestos and oil being removed would be worth less to the public purse.
Head of regeneration Alan Maitland told Stormont's OFMDFM committee: "If we did not spend this money the future developer would simply knock that value off the value of that site."
The land near Lisburn is the largest site of its kind in public hands, covers around 350 acres and has cost much more than anticipated to cleanse.
At one stage it was covered in a prison, army buildings and vehicles, with oil widespread and underground asbestos piping. The painstaking process of cleaning it includes testing each acre for oil.
Mr Maitland added: "There were hundreds of buildings - every single part of the site was developed."
Much of the security protection, including gates and tin sheeting, has been removed.
Over the next nine to 10 months, the OFMDFM will spend £2.7m but will require an additional £1m to complete the work.
Kyle Alexander, programme director at the Maze, said: "The public sector needs to spend that £1m before they can attract the £4-5m."
He added: "It is not a waste. It will only be a waste if we don't go ahead to develop the site. We have got to show that we can move on to achieve the regeneration that we want to see."
Around £20m is potentially available from the European Union for a peace and reconciliation site. The OFMDFM has not decided whether that will be part of plans to redevelop the Maze.
Sinn Fein strongly supports the move, which could use part of the listed buildings on the site including the prison hospital and H-Blocks, but unionists do not want to create what they regard as a shrine to terrorism.
June Wilkinson, part of the regeneration team at the OFMDFM, said no funding application had been made for the £20m because a location had not been agreed.
The committee resolved to write to the OFMDFM about the delay.