Powerhouse Parramatta

I am totally against the Parramatta project - for the closing of the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.

This idea has not been well thought out at all! A museum at Parramatta will not be the draw card for international tourists as the Sydney Powerhouse is. And it is sheer stupidity to even suggest that the numbers will be the same!

I do completely agree that Parramatta definitely needs an entertainment venue and museum. No arguments there! But, the Powerhouse collection is sufficient for it to be spread over two, or more, venues.

So, the government should look to building a Powerhouse Parramatta. The government should also look to constructing other Powerhouse museums in some of the state's larger regional areas. This will help build the economy, provide employment and bring more tourists to our regional centres. Powerhouse Wagga. Powerhouse Mudgee. Powerhouse Broken Hill. Unless, of course, the government’s only interest is Western Sydney and the votes that it thinks it can garner there?

Come on Gladys, look to the future! Help build and support our regional centres! Or ... don't they matter?? And keep the iconic Powerhouse in Sydney.

Dear Sir

I strongly OBJECT to the Powerhouse Parramatta Project

I have not made any reportable donations to any political party

I do not wish my name to be published


I object for the following reasons:- *The proposed destruction of Willow Grove and St George's Terraces further reduce the early historical built environment for Parramatta and the rest of Sydney, as well as diminishing the local character

*The proposed destruction of these heritage buildings is unnecessary as other sites are available for the construction of a new museum

*That the people of Western Sydney deserve a museum is not in question. They should be given a museum to be proud of and to inspire imagination and curiosity. There are many items "in storage" at Castle Hill that are part of the Powerhouse collection and which could be exhibited at a new museum without the expensive dismantling and dispersal of significant items

*The Powerhouse is a site specific title and that award winning building is also part of our heritage

*The proposed new museum might be fancy as an event or social venue but it seems to fall down in layout and size of spaces to be able to function as a dedicated museum and one to draw travelling exhibitions and large crowds


Please consider my objections

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta project. The powerhouse should remain where it is. It is easily accessible by locals and visitors to Sydney. The exhibits are housed to their best advantage. Australia is sadly lacking in architectural heritage and Willow House and the Terraces should be preserved. Once they are destroyed no glitzy building can make up for their loss.

I wish to object to the demolishing of Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces. I wish for the new Parramatta Powerhouse to have a smaller footprint to incorporate these historical buildings. These building could be an asset as they could be the ticket entrance ways to the Powerhouse or refurbished as gift shops. They could be used as educational classrooms for school visits etc. The car park could be built underneath these buildings ie. further away from the River Bank making it less likely of having flooding problems. Thank you for your consideration.

Greetings to all, on these sad days for the City of Sydney.

The NSW liberal (LNP) demolition and removal of the historic Powerhouse Museum in Sydney is clearing the way for the property corporations to build adjoining, mega high-rise, inflammable, leaking , leaning towers to inhabit human depression. Overseas buyers beware!

The Property Council of Australia was embedded in the Australian Government by the self confessed- depressed, PM Malcolm Turnbull.
Similarly, the property corporations destruction of Sydney's cityscape is evident to all but our politicians and their political donors.
.
The PM, Mr Morrison from advertising, said before his election into the top boss job that, "You vote for them ( Bill Shorten) that's what you get"

In the NSW LNP Liberal Government, you voted for Gladys, the fearless leader of the Liberal high- rise party. Gladys is not disappointing. Glady's high rises are still rising in NSW;
Global warming; Population; Energy prices and service charges; Water prices; Council rates; Emergency services prices; Transport prices; Toll-way charges; Services NSW charges; Bush fire destruction and pollution, both rising to over 30 kilometres into the stratosphere and then circling the globe; Animal extinction; Taxpayer hand- outs to religious organisations.

Where are the former Gallagher green bans when you need them?

Hello

I reside on the Central Coast and commute over an hour and half to Work

The need for this Exhibit to be closer for recreational purposes is absurd.

I find the move of the Power House Museum to have no real basis.

There is is enough History in Parramatta Region to develop something else more relevant and save Money.

And to destroy Historic Homesteads is again not logical. You enforce rules on the Public such as restoring Historic Homes but seem to have another set for Government.

Michael Ryan

I object to the plan to move the Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta, because it will clearly compromise the nature and value of the existing collection.

Dear Madam/Sir,
I object to the Parramatta project. I object to the destruction of Ultimo’s Powerhouse museum.
By all means, have another museum built in Parramatta, but not by wrecking those heritage buildings. Keep the Powerhouse museum where it is. It makes economic sense.

I want to voice my objection to moving the Powerhouse museum to Parramatta. The Government should build a 2nd museum and display the many other items that are in storage.
As a pensioner I can go out the front of my place, here in Gladesville and catch the 501 to the front door of the Powerhouse and it is close by Paddy's Markets. What next are we going to move the Australian Museum? Overseas visitors come to Sydney not to Parramatta as a first stop over. It has been here in Ultimo since my childhood and is a part of the City. Thank you for your time in reading this.

Hi
Surely the smart and right thing to do is leave the current Powerhouse museum where it is and build a new and secondary Powerhouse Museum in Parramatta but not at the site picked by the govt.
There is no reason why there cant be two museums.There are lots of exhibits not on display and are in storage.
In the USA there are many Smithsonian Institute Museums.
Thanks

I would be delighted to see a Science Museum with an educational and family-oriented approach in Parramatta. This new building/precinct offers the chance to create a new science museum, not just a collection. I do not want to see the Powerhouse museum in Ultimo destroyed to achieve this and I think the Powerhouse collection should stay in Ultimo. (It might be safer to store it there than in a basement of a building adjacent to the river.)
I also want to see a sympathetic design for a building that fits into its context, including the historic Willow Grove and St Georges Terrace, as well as Aboriginal sites near the river. I do not want to see those buildings destroyed to make way for a building that could be redesigned to accommodate the other buildings on that site. If you give the architects a brief to maintain these sites, with creativity, they will be able to do that. To help us to remember our history, we need to see it. Thus we need to include archaeologists in any consideration of building construction and design. (eg Sydney Conservatorium of Music new wing highlights some of the artefacts unearthed during construction and illustrates for us the multiple uses that site has had over the years).
I am definitely not in favour of a residential tower block on top of the museum. There are plenty of these in Parramatta already. Cant we build something refreshingly low rise?

In the 60"s we destroyed all the beautiful architecture and interiors of the old buildings in the city and built anonymous skyscrapers which have no beauty and soul. I was a child then and recognised stupidity when i saw it.

Here you have something rare and something which is part of our history. Yet you like those in the 60's you want to destroy it and replace it. with concrete and steel.


You have so much land elsewhere you could do this. .

I hear that you are aiming to sell off the land of the existing Powerhouse Museum no doubt to Chinese & PRC investors who will want to deepen their influence on the NSW government. You are creating a Chinese Ghetto .

Take a ferry into Circular Quay and see the ugliness created by buildings which have no architectural merit. This is what you are doing to Parramatta which used to be so beautiful. Don't be responsible for destroying history your descendents will never forgive you.

Building a museum in a flood zone is making you the laughing stock of NSW and closing the existing one before the new one is built is financial stupidity.
The city can be expanded in a different direction.

Reopen the Powerhouse Museum . Tourism has enough problems without that and STOP destroying the history of Parramatta because once it is gone it can never be replaced.

I am writing to object to the destruction of the historic buildings of Willow Grove and St George’s Terraces at Parramatta because of the planned new Powerhouse Museum.

These are buildings very important to the story of Parramatta and it’s hard to believe a new museum would require such vandalism. There must be other ways of designing such a building to avoid this needless destruction.

I have not made any political donations.

I object to the Parramatta Project.

The Powerhouse Museum is situated in a little area of Ultimo, which is full of interesting history.
People not only visit the Powerhouse Museum but on walking around the area, you discover the now disused Old Railway Line complete with the old signals box, which in turn is right next to the wonderful Frank Gehry building belonging to the University of Technology.

What a treasure trove of culture in that one little area.

This is the fascinating history of Sydney people want to discover.

The city of Parramatta deserves a good Museum but not at the expense of destroying an iconic building such as The Powerhouse Museum and the possibility of it's exhibits getting lost & scattered.

This is such a waste of taxpayers money.

Please don't allow any destruction or relocation of this unique building.

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta project.
I declare that I have not made any reportable political donations.

My objections to the relocation of the Powerhouse include :

• High cost and lack of a clear, economically responsible, business case.
• Destruction of many heritage buildings in Parramatta to make way for a new building.
• The dismantling of a valuable Sydney heritage building - The current Powerhouse Museum, which houses an outstanding collection of unique historical objects

The cost of the move, at an estimated $1.7 billion dollars, is a waste of public funds that could be better directed towards other projects such as social housing, health, schools, and maintenance of other historical institutions and tourism hotspots.

Parramatta is a much valued city and has special significance as the first seat of government in Australia. Both Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces are beautiful and rare examples of architecture, in a country where we have already lost so much of our heritage.
I worked in Parramatta for almost three decades. I remember first seeing Willow Grove on a walk through the CBD and was stunned at the beauty of this wonderful old home in its established gardens, before I even knew of the history. Willow Grove was a maternity hospital for three decades and as such, the building was an integral part of the fabric of the community.

The economic benefit of retaining heritage buildings as in other states such as Victoria are clear.
Heritage towns and cities, with their historical buildings intact, are a major drawcard for tourists.
Tourism benefits local businesses and communities, contributing to a vibrant culture and strong economies. The cities of Bendigo and Ballarat are prime examples.

The plan for a new Powerhouse Museum will involve dismantling the current collection at huge cost with no clear plans of where the exhibits will go in future. Locomotive Number 1, the first train in NSW to carry passengers in 1855 requires a large climate controlled space to prevent rusting and deterioration. The current Powerhouse Museum accommodates this.

The proposed site will house a replacement 'museum' as such but be more of an exhibition space located in an ugly building, on a flood prone area. The plans indicate the new museum will not be able to house large exhibits in a climate controlled setting in contrast to the current Powerhouse museum which is very well suited to this.

At a time when we have lost so much of our history and heritage we urgently need to save what is left for future generations.

Once gone it is lost forever.

I urge the NSW Government to listen both to the community and museum experts and cancel this destructive proposal to move the Powerhouse to Parramatta and disperse collections.

I object to this project on the basis that two heritage buildings are being destroyed to make way for it. It is not sufficient that the buildings be "reinterpreted" or the like. They must be retained. It is completely ludicrous that the government designs to knock down heritage buildings to make way for a museum, which should be about preserving and honouring our heritage rather than destroying it. Build it elsewhere; there are plenty of sites without heritage structures in Parramatta that could be used to house this behemoth.

I object to the demolition of the two heritage buildings, "Willowgrove" and "St. George's Terrace". Both are heritage listed and there is a need to look at what these two buildings can be used for in the future, instead of demolition. Parramatta is rich in history and heritage buildings and we, the public, have lost too much already with the redevelopment of the Parramatta area.

I have lived in the Parramatta area all my life! I feel pride in our local area and defensive of its special heritage. I am absolutely opposed to the building of a new museum facility in Parramatta if it is to mean the demolition of the majestic Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces. Indeed, while I am keenly protective of the area that I grew up, work and still live in, I would forgo having a local museum facility rather than lose these two buildings!!
Parramatta has an important place as the second European settlement, and buildings like Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces hark back to this history, even if they come from a later period, - they grew from these times!! Indeed, we have already lost so many historic buildings such as with the recent regrettable demolition of the Royal Oak Hotel, and with the exception of Brislington, there are no others remotely like Willow Grove, nor like the St Georges Terraces in the Parramatta, CBD.
We should fiercely protect these remaining buildings. These are some of what make Parramatta special and different. We do not want it to lose this character and have its social and cultural history dissolved and neutralised by removing all that is old and replacing them with soulless and pretentious architectural monstrosities. There is a genuine irony in proposing the demolition of these old buildings to build a new one to house “old things”.
Many of us travel to cities and towns in Europe for instance, and marvel at the history and age of so many of their buildings. We too should preserve our heritage buildings and celebrate what they tell us of our past! Willow Grove’s history as a women’s hospital, links it to the Female Factory albeit separated by decades. Similarly, the St Georges Terraces tell the story of one of Parramatta’s residents from the mid 19th century, master builder, George Coates and his wife, Mary. I believe the social, cultural and historic dimensions of both Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces deserve more attention, and note that these have not been adequately considered and reported on in the Environmental Impact Statement.
Sadly, I feel very let down by our politicians (especially Geoff Lee) who are meant to represent the people, instead they seem disinterested in the views of the locals and are disingenuous in their claims of what is best for Parramatta.
Please do not build a Museum in Parramatta if it depends on demolishing these beautiful heritage buildings, namely Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces.

Key Issue: Heritage

Please find below my submission on the Powerhouse Parramatta.

• I am disgusted and distressed by the proposal which permits the demolition of Parramatta’s architectural heritage: Willow Grove (# I737) & St George’s Terrace (# I738). State Government continues to believe that ‘local’ heritage items are not a development constraint, despite them being assessed as significant, intact and rare.
• SEARS requirement stipulates that the SOHI must be prepared by a suitably qualified heritage consultant. The qualified heritage consultant has omitted their name from Section 1.5. I assume they do not wish to be associated with this project. Further, Advisian provides heritage services for heritage engineering issues and not architectural or archaeological projects which this is one. Therefore the SOHI project has not employed the appropriate professional skills for assessing this particular project, therefore not meeting the SEARS requirement of suitably qualified heritage consultant. I request for an independent peer review heritage assessment, including cumulative impact, by a reputable heritage consultant to review the findings. ICOMOS can provide recommendation as to who is suitable qualified for such an assessment.
• Heritage Impact Assessment does not describe or assess heritage impact associated with the relocation and installation of the MAAS collection, despite the scope of the proposal being construction and operation of the new museum. The collection’s significance has not been assessed, nor has any management measure been put in place for relocation of items, temporary storage, object handling issue and installation care etc. This is a critical omission from the assessment.
• Despite this being a cultural heritage project the design principles and options analysis are centrally flawed as they did not provide sufficient weighting to cultural heritage matters and community desires. Therefore the environmental and heritage assessment exercise is an administrative one whose function is to present mitigation measures only. I’m sure the devastating irony and frustration of this is felt throughout the project team as it is by the community.
• Heritage recommendations and commitments to salvage and interpret destroyed heritage items for a state museum and cultural heritage precinct is an insult and disgrace.
• I fully support the issues raised by the Heritage Council on 30 January 2020 regarding archaeological issues, social impact and loss, and the scale and bulk of proposed new form etc etc etc.
• The project has the ability to avoid irreversible loss of significant heritage and reclaim some dignity and humanity by revising the proposal. There is no reason why the project must proceed with the current design other than contractual commitments made between the State Government and the developer, which should not be entered into until due process has run.
• I urge the government to look at the design again. An international design study would help avoid such negative impacts and controversy. I hope the project team expands their understanding of museums with further investigating of comparative examples. For example, a modern extension to the New York Metropolitan Museum houses an Egyptian Pyramid…
• The extremely negative community sentiment with this project will not go away and will not ‘ease’ with the commencement of project delivery. It will play out like similar sagas you have – on-site demonstrations and customer boycotting the facility once opened. I certainly won’t be attending the new museum.
• It is staggering how the State Government is so poorly advised on such explosive issues or so arrogant to ignore advice and are comfortable being disconnected from sentiment, very much like an autocracy. This is a pattern: state government projects walk straight into massive local community opposition and controversy (eg Windsor Bridge, Anzac Parade fig trees, Sirius, Royal Oak Hotel etc). These issues escalate into national and international embarrassments. An elder in the heritage community and social media commentator rightly pointed out that only ISIS and the Taliban destroy significant heritage sites knowingly in the process war.
• There only way to save the project’s and the Government’s reputation is to reveal a more human side of the State Government and review the design.

Heritage Professional and NSW Citizen