Powerhouse Parramatta

The current proposal for “Powerhouse Parramatta” has not been thought through with any care. Parramatta people deserve something better than a compromise patching up a very long public dispute. In particular:
It requires the destruction of two heritage buildings,
It cannot (and does not even attempt to) reflect the deep history of Western Sydney, before and after 1788,
It is located on a physically problematic site, and
It is not designed for a proper arts centre.
Please send the idea ack to the drawing board, and consult Parramatta residents in deciding the concept[t, as well as its execution.

As someone from a newer suburb of Sydney, I think it is wrong to destroy our history. I leave my suburb to travel to places like Parramatta to enjoy the beauty of our past. Do not take that away from the community and spoil it for future generations.

Please don't destroy Willow Grove and St Georges Terrace at Parramatta!

Please don't tear down Willow Grove and St Georges Terrace at Parramatta
I feel like there is nothing additional to say ... the fact that this is even being considered is disgusting.

I am writing to object to the Powerhouse (MAAS) Parramatta plans as they stand, particularly in regard to the destruction of Willow Grove and St George's Terraces.

I am all for the development of the MAAS in Parramatta as a valuable arts resource for the community, and was pleased to see common sense finally prevailing in the announcement that the MAAS would maintain a presence across both Ultimo and Parramatta sites, however the proposal to destroy heritage listed buildings in order to build a museum designed to showcase Sydney's design history is nothing short of cultural vandalism and the destruction of national heritage.

With the slightest of adjustments the planning and design could easily be modified to include the two heritage buildings. This would not only preserve our history for future generations, but also provide invaluable educational opportunities on site for public and curriculum-based learning in Australian colonial heritage, as well as provide a genuine tourist drawcard for the local area as a part of the wider museum.

To destroy these buildings in order to erect plaques describing what used to be there is no substitute for the educational possibilities they would provide if the buildings remained in situ, and any person of any common sense should be able to see how ridiculous and short sighted it would be to follow the currently planned course of action.


I write not only from the point of view of a private citizen, but also as a professional in the heritage, education and tourism sectors, with many years' experience in what captures the imagination of international tourists, interstate visitors and school groups of all ages. Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces represent an unparalleled opportunity to incorporate genuine heritage into a modern museum complex. This opportunity should not be missed.

I object to the Parramatta Powerhouse because I believe that "Willow
Grove" and "St George's Terrace" Heritage Buildings should NOT be
demolished. It is inconceivable that the State Government would demolish
such well-known Heritage buildings in order to construct a large
"so-called modern" building in order to celebrate the History of the
area.

Although I live in a Regional City, Bathurst, I often visit the
Parramatta area and am well aware of the significance of the above
Heritage buildings.

Bathurst has in the past lost some of its heritage buildings. However,
many people who own heritage houses in Bathurst have been restoring them
in recent times to keep the heritage alive for future generations.

The State Government should look at other land which it owns in the
general area of Parramatta for a more suitable place to build a new
Museum. The existing Heritage Buildings should be retained and restored
if necessary to serve as a "true example" of the type of buildings which
were constructed in their era.

The State Government should listen to its people, especially those who
are experienced and passionate about history and heritage, and make an
appropriate decision regarding the way money should be spent to
celebrate history and heritage.

Please keep "Willow Grove" and "St George's Terrace" for the education
of young people and a living history of the early days of Parramatta.

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta project because Australia simply cannot afford to lose any more of its small amount of built heritage.

With so few older buildings being of a sufficient quality to survive until now, where heritage buildings do exist, they lend a disproportionately high degree of character to the area.

Willow Grove and St Georges Terrace are two such buildings; conveying a sense of history and a glimpse into the lives of those who've lived before us, not just for present generations but for the many that will follow us.

The NSW government states in its own report on this development that Willow Grove and St Georges Terrace "are one of a kind in the Parramatta CBD and their loss would have a significant impact on the community's connection with heritage".

A simple three-point plan has been drafted by community groups that would allow these much-loved buildings to live on, while still accommodating plans for a museum:

1. Keep the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo.
2. Create a Museum and cultural destination at historic Cumberland Hospital Precinct in North Parramatta.
3. Save Willow Grove & St Georges Terraces, and realise the existing Parramatta Council vision for a public square alongside the river.

My school friend Lionel Glendenning, the Government Architect who designed the Ultimo Powerhouse Museum, believes that the better location is the Fleet Street Heritage Precinct.
Have you or your Planning Department made any investigation of this site?

I am a sixth generation Parramatta descendant and very proud of the historic precinct and heritage buildings which have been saved. I strongly support the realisation of the Parramatta council vision and preserving Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces. My ancestors are buried in the historic St John's cemetery and we cherish all of the historic buildings still remaining. The Horwood place precinct and retention of Willow Grove and its restoration is vital.

I have fully supported the option for a museum and cultural centre at historic Cumberland hospital/Parramatta gaol precinct following negotiation with the transitional aboriginal descendants

I write to ask for a sensible outcome to the proposed destruction of Willow Grove and St Georges Terrace at Parramatta.


This cannot be allowed to proceed.


In this day and age how can any heritage building/s be proposed to be destroyed?


Clearly there is a perfectly good alternative site in the Cumberland Hospital Precinct where no heritage need be lost.


I hope sense prevails.

I wish to voice my dissatisfaction with the removal of the heritage buildings in Parramatta.
My 5 times great grand father, Samuel Gilbert, was a baker and the bake house is still standing in George Street, his gravesite is still at St Johns Cemetery. I have lived most of my 77 years at Parramatta and it is so sad to see the demolition of our history, the removal of the old pub was disgraceful.
The new Museum should be on the old Cumberland hospital site, there is plenty of room to display everything and the light rail is right on the doorstep. There was talk that this area was to be redeveloped.
The site on the river is not suitable, I have seen the old David Jones building flooded on many occasions, also the carpark flooded the the rivercats cancelled.

Please show some common sense and do not demolish these buildings, they mean so much to the people of Parramatta, the house could be turned into a tea house or a reception house which Parramatta does not have and become a money earner.

Good morning,
I have lived in Parramatta since 1975 and witnessed the demolition of many old houses and buildings to make way for the development of what is becoming a mini NYC skyline. I am dismayed to hear that the demolition of Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace is being considered a foregone conclusion. I wonder if anyone has been to the proposed site of the Powerhouse when we are experiencing torrential rain and the river bursts it’s banks. The proposed site is on a floodplain. When David Jones was operating, customers were advised to shift their cars immediately as the car park was about to be flooded. Not just a little bit of water, enough to cover any cars that might not make it out to higher ground. It is lunacy to consider this site for the purpose proposed and to sacrifice heritage buildings in the process is unforgivable.

Attention: Marcus Jennejohn

Ryde Community Alliance
PO Box 6116
North Ryde
NSW 2113

21 July, 2020

NSW DPIE
Major Projects

Re: Powerhouse Parramatta proposed demolitions, etc.

Ryde Community Alliance is a community environmental group opposed to the
destruction of buildings and places of heritage significance. The Alliance is comprised of individuals and groups that advocate for the conservation of items of local, state and national significance and are opposed to over-development in the Sydney Region.

The Alliance objects to the proposal as exhibited, for the following reasons:

1. Destruction of the listed items of environmental heritage is not justified.
The buildings have previously been the subject of heritage assessment, and public consultation, in accordance with the laws of the State. They have been assessed in accordance with the relevant Guidelines for Assessing Items of environmental heritage as prepared by the NSW Heritage Council, and the listing was endorsed by the Council, the NSW Government, the Minister for Planning, before being gazetted in the LEP.

2. Failure to consider the impact of the proposed demolition and site works on the visual catchment and historic townscape of the Parramatta CBD and it’s setting on the Parramatta River.
The historic buildings and their landscaped setting are characteristic of the historic township. Their demolition and the removal of trees and vegetation has not been assessed for it’s impact on the wider context of the nineteenth century development of the township and the River foreshores.

3. Disrespect for the people of Parramatta and their stated preference for proposed developments to retain historic buildings and maintain the traditional scale of the townscape.
If approved, the current proposal would permit the historic buildings to be demolished without any certainty regarding the buildings that may eventually be approved and constructed In their place, on the site. This is highlighted by serious concerns raised by the public regarding the history of flooding and stormwater flow across the floodplain of the Parramatta River and it’s Catchment. These issues have yet to be addressed. Therefore, demolition of these buildings is premature in the absence of formal assessment of the proposed future development of new buildings on the site. Demolition should be refused.

4. Failure to demonstrate that the existing buildings and landscape setting cannot be retained for adaptive re-use.
The existing listed buildings are part of the history of urban development of the Parramatta CBD and it’s setting over more than two centuries. No sound reasons, supported by detailed assessment, have been offered that demonstrate that these buildings cannot be retained, and adapted for new uses.

Approval for demolition of the existing heritage listed buildings should not proceed for all of the reasons above.

Yours sincerely,

Jennie Minifie
for Ryde Community Alliance.

I would like to make a submission re the Powerhouse Parramatta Development.
I object to the currently proposed museum plan for the current site on Parramatta River for a number of reasons.
1. Loss of historic assets. In the government's own reports it states : "Willow Grove and St Georges Terrace are one of a kind in the Parramatta CBD and their loss would have a significant impact on the community's connection with heritage”. Hence, I support the retention of the historic buildings currently on the site and the support the idea of finding an alternative site in the Parramatta area, e.g. the Cumberland Hospital Precinct in North Parramatta.

2. Collection Risk. I do not support any part of the Powerhouse’s collection being placed on a site that is essentially in a flood risk zone. Nor should any part of the valuable collection be placed at risk by being merely ‘decorations’ in commercially hired venue spaces.

3. Design for success. As a professional art and design educator, I think more planning, consultation and investigation are needed in order to ensure that this project is a success for all concerned.

To the attention of the Planning Officer,
Powerhouse Museum Relocation Project.

I am writing in the belief that views of concerned members of the public can ‘shape’ proposals. In particular I wish to be counted in the public campaign to preserve the historic properties, Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace, in Parramatta.
I recall, in the mid twentieth century, the similar campaign to preserve The Rocks when short-sighted development proposals threatened that urban heritage area. Green Bans and Union Activism delivered an outcome for which we are NOW all thankful. What a vibrant, significant area of Sydney The Rocks is!

Surely in Parramatta the potential exists for an even more exciting and significant centre. Parramatta’s place in the history of our country makes it even more important that the urban heritage is preserved.
Of course the proposal for a museum in Parramatta is welcomed. Reviews of the current proposal should examine the possibility of incorporating an historic precinct in the plans, expanding the physical area of the new museum, and delivering an innovative concept. The time has come to think outside the square.

Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace are examples of architecture and life at a period in our history. Is it not paradoxical that significant heritage homes are to be sacrificed to make way for a museum? These buildings should be incorporated into the proposed museum!

Firstly I would like to say that I am pleased that the original Powerhouse Museum will stay at Ultimo in the current buildings. It is a world class museum that preserves historic buildings as well as being purpose built to display a large collection. The building is award winning and easily accessible and should never have been considered for demolition.

Secondly I would like to state that I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta project because the plans currently involve the destruction of the heritage buildings Willowgrove and the St.Georges Terraces. These buildings are very important to the architectural and local history of both Parramatta and NSW. Parramatta is central to the social history of colonisation and these buildings are part of that rich cultural story that deserves preservation for all Australians. It is a travesty to destroy much loved and heritage protected buildings to build a museum purported to protect history. Such disregard for history is shocking and needs to be stopped.

Parramatta has lost too many historic buildings that can never be replaced. The recent wanton destruction of the Royal Oak Hotel, one of the oldest colonial pubs built Australia, shows us that once these buildings are lost they are gone forever and with them we lose part of what makes Parramatta unique and historically important to all citizens.

If a museum is to be built on the site it should be built around the historic buildings and include them in the story through sympathetic architecture that preserves the buildings in their entirety. The current design is ugly, impractical and will be unable to house or display many of the Powerhouse Museums exhibits.

An alternative site that could be used to display the collection is available at the North Parramatta Heritage Precinct and with the tram links it could prove to be a much better site and would allow the preservation of the historic buildings, landscape and indigenous sites. This use would also prevent any inappropriate high rise development.

A modern, civilised society protects its history and culture by preserving its architectural and social history to allow us to understand the development of our society and pass on this understanding to our children. Destruction of heritage buildings in Colonial Parramatta is a form of vandalism which needs to be prevented for the benefit of not just the people of Parramatta but for the citizens of Sydney, NSW and all of Australia.

To whom it may concern,


I wish to state my objection to the proposed demolition of the beautiful heritage listed buildings known as St George Terrace, built 1881 and Willow Grove, built 1886 in Parramatta.

It seems that the continued agenda of the proposed destruction of these buildings is nothing more than a churlish backlash by the politicians and their bureaucratic minders since their plans to sell off the current Power House Museum for housing development was thwarted by a massive public opinion backlash.

Far too few buildings of this era remain, the mighty dollar from developers has overridden common sense and many such buildings have been destroyed to create unwarranted high rise eyesores.

The Planning Dept of NSW has the opportunity in this matter, to say no to further development and retain part of the area's history for future generations to inspect and admire.

To save this little bit of our colonial history the demolition of these buildings must be refused. There are many other sites more suitable and indeed flood free for the construction of the museum.

Time to do the right thing and say "NO"!!..

1. Keep the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo.
2. Create the Museum at the historic Cumberland Hospital Precinct near the gaol but away from the Female Factory site.
If built near the road large exhibits could be craned from a lowloader in or out by using a crane on the museum roof. Aided by holes through each floor.
3. Build Cultural Centre elsewhere in Parramatta or at the Museum Storage Centre at Castle Hill as there is a new DA extension before the Hills Shire Council now.
4. Save Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces, and realise the existing Parramatta Council vision for a public square alongside the river.

Dear Sir,

I strongly object to the destruction of Willow Grove and St. Georges Terrace Parramatta.

My ancestors came to Australia in 1788 and one relative was a well known man in Parramatta. This is an amazingly historical area and as a Tour Guide I believe it should be preserved for future generations.

Please reconsider this destruction.