Powerhouse Parramatta

Please do not progress with the demolition of Willow Grove, the historical house in Parramatta. Australia has very few remnants of its past and we should take pride in preserving buildings like this as well as restoring them so future generations can enjoy them. It is very short-sighted to demolish a building like this.

I object to the relocation of Willow Grove to enable a Powerhouse Museum in Parramatta.
Our heritage buildings cannot be moved and still retain their historical significance. Parramatta, the place of the first land grant Australia in 1789, needs to maintain any remaining integrity with our heritage listed buildings and our history.
This beautiful 140 year old Victorian building needs to stay where it is, at 34 Phillip Street Parramatta.

I object to the proposed "moving" of Willow Grove to make way for the new Parramatta Powerhouse Museum;
I support the idea that Parramatta should have a large, cultural institution, but the old DJs site may not be the most appropriate site (being subject to flooding);
May overseas museums (and some Australian sites) have incorporated the existing building context within their new building fabric; this takes time and some considerable expertise but it is worthwhile - for the immediate benefit of Parramatta and the legacy of NSW Planning;

I object …. to the demolition of Willow Grove & other historic buildings in the Parramatta area.

Far too many have gone already

Jean McGregor

I object ....to the relocation of this beautiful historic home there is a large parcel of land close to Parramatta station which use to be a golf course as well as being large enough for the powerhouse museum and plenty of parking please don't touch our history leave it where it stands

Powerhouse Parramatta Objection to RTS
To remove this important historic building, brick by brick, and try to rebuild it in another location is beyond belief. This is not a building constructed of large sandstone blocks that can easily be removed with little damage. This may have been done with churches in the past in Parramatta, but this technique cannot be applied to Willow Grove. The plastered walls and rendered bricks are much more delicate and would be totally ruined by moving. Aside from this the disrespect for the site itself being shown by this State Government is incredible!


The property is significant for the Parramatta Local Government Area for ‘historical and aesthetic reasons’ and serves as an example of the type of building constructed during an early wave of development in the area.
The building’s state heritage listing notes that it is “a good example of a Victorian Italianate two-storey villa, readily identifiable as part of historic building stock and strongly contributing to the streetscape in spite of its large setback, partly through its notable fence.”
The listing states that Willow Grove is of significance for historical, aesthetic and representative reasons.

Willow Grove must remain in situ. To try to rebuild it would be disrespectful to the history and significance of the building itself and the site that it occupies.
I have been a resident of the Parramatta district for over 40 years, and a volunteer in an historic building in the centre of Parramatta for more than 10 years. During this time I have been devoting my efforts to the preservation of our history, providing tours for local residents and tourists from all over Australia and the world. An appreciation of the significance of the history of the city is always expressed by visitors. Consultation with residents and visitors seems to be ignored on all fronts recently with the destruction of so much of our history and heritage.

Leave Willow Grove where it is - promote it as a piece of history. Show respect for its heritage value.

I object ....to Willowgrove being demolished or relocated. Willowgrove must be preserved & left in its current location in Phillip Street.

Willowgrove is an important piece of history & is very highly regarded with the people of Parramatta & surrounding suburbs. Future generations will be robbed if we move the location.

Please find another location for the proposed Powehouse Museum.

To Whom It May Concern,
I wish to lodge a strong objection to the State Government proposal to demolish the heritage listed Willow Grove in Parramatta.
As someone who grew up in the Parramatta and Hills districts, I find it incomprehensible that our representatives would so blithely destroy a fine Victorian building.
The project as proposed is an appalling decision which, if carried out, would destroy an important piece of our architectural and historic heritage.
Already in Australia and especially in NSW our built heritage is just a tiny fraction of what it was fifty years ago. Perhaps the unenlightened attitudes of the mid-20th Century, where ‘modernisation and progress’ were all-important, in some way excuses some of this loss, but we have absolutely no excuse now for such destruction.
Architecture and engineering provide solutions for almost any obstacle in an elective project.
To demolish this wonderful old building would be an act of spite against the community, which overwhelmingly supports its retention.

I object ....

Please save this building. There are so many other suitable sites for the museum, why is the State Government intent on destroying this significant part of history? This really is ridiculous. The destruction of the Cumberland Hospital site is an absolute crime, do not let Willow Gove become a memory. The people of NSW deserve better.


Kind Regards

Rebecca Churchill

I am writing to object to any movement or demolition of the willow grove heritage house and garden from being affected in any way from its present location.

The built environment is as sacred as an ochre painting in a far flung place that located the dwelling place of an indigenous peoples over 60,000 years ago. Such places give us all a ‘sense of place’ and assist us to understand ‘from whence we came’ and define the lives lived by our forefathers - indigenous and contemporary.

No government has been given the approval by the Australian community to remove these milestone markers in our lives. The deep problem we face having Gladys Berejeklian as our premier is that she has no historical association with ‘a sense of place’ in Australia and her advisers have been exposed to be extremely limited in their anthropological, heritage and historical education on ‘what is a sense of place’.

Those citizens who understand the value of living in a civil society must stand with the community and be outraged by the NSW government’s lack of philosophical knowledge - lack of sensitivity to take professional advice and crudity in judgement and demand that Willow Grove must remain where it is placed and also be registered to become a centre of historical relevance for now and into the future of our society.

We object to the interference of the beautiful and historic Willow Grove. Once the site is interfered with, its history and historic value is substantially diminished and will be irreplaceable.
Please leave Willow Grove as it is, where it is. It is no good saying it can be moved. It cannot be moved and still retain its historical value. We sincerely hope that sanity prevails and the site is not interfered with any further.

I object to the demolition or removal of the Willow Grove building from its current site. Thousands of people from very diverse backgrounds and organisations have formally registered their objection to destroying this iconic heritage site and building. The designers of the museum were never required to design a building that incorporated this valuable heritage so there has never been an opportunity for people to consider this option. The amenity of the Parramatta CBD and the river is poised to be so destroyed beyond recognition. Recuperation that respects the visual outline of the flood terraces of the River including the site of Willow Grove has the potential to create real beauty - a place for visitors and locals to appreciate the place.

There is at least one other site in the district for a museum, a place that could really benefit from the placement of a museum - a contemporary one. This site will be connected to the downtown CBD and rail.
yours faithfully

I object to the proposed relocation of Willow Grove to make way for the new Powerhouse Museum at Parramatta.
The Powerhouse Parramatta Addendum Statement of Heritage Impact states in Section 2.2:
The Burra Charter (Australia ICOMOS, 2013) is considered to be an industry accepted publication which provides a best practice standard for managing cultural heritage places in Australia. The relocation of a heritage item is described in ‘Article 9. Location’ as follows: “9.1 The physical location of a place is part of its cultural significance. A building, work or other element of a place should remain in its historical location. Relocation is generally unacceptable unless this is the sole practical means of ensuring its survival.”
I believe this paragraph clearly states why the Government should not be planning to move Willow Grove. I think it is difficult to argue that moving it is “the sole practical means of ensuring its survival”. I am sure there must be ways that Willow Grove can be sympathetically incorporated into a new museum. If not, an alternative site for the museum needs to be found.
If Willow Grove is relocated there will inevitably be damage to the historic fabric of the building itself. It will need to be pulled apart. Even with the utmost care, original timber, brick work, ceilings etc would be damaged in the process. It will be more of a replica of Willow Grove that is reconstructed at a new site, not the original building.

When will the destruction of our history stop! The proposed destruction of Willow Grove in the name of further destruction of Parramatta heritage simply does not make sense. Those who promote this waste of money will eventually learn to regret ignoring community opinion.

I object .... to the relocating of Willow Grove from Phillip Street Parramatta to North Parramatta. As N European country we are very young and we need to preserve our early European history. Willow Grove is a prime example of our European history and needs to be preserved on its original site in Phillip Street Parramatta! The idea of loosing this important part of our history and locating it to a yet to be announced site in North Parramatta is so stupid. Why not relocate it to Bondi Beach where so many overseas visitors can see it. That makes as much sense as the North Parramatta Plan. Do you people want to go down in history as those who lost our history or those who saved it?
--
Thanks,
Peter

I STRONGLY object to the demolition of Willow Grove.

The destruction of yet another heritage building is a utter disgrace and shows the LNP to be a bunch of vandals destroying history to line developers pockets.

How much more are you going to destroy?
Anzac Pde trees
The Royal OAk, a convict built building from 1813.
The destruction of the Sydney Speedway, to be replaced by a smaller, less accessible, venue.

So much more.

THIS MUST STOP NOW.

ENOUGH.

NO MORE HERITAGE BEING DESTROYED.

I wholeheartedly object to the proposal to remove Willow Grove from Phillip Street and replace it with a replica beside parramatta gaol.

This exceptional Villa and its social history must remain in Phillip Street where it was built for Annie & Thomas Gallagher and their four children 140 years ago.

Beside the history which must be maintained as it is, I believe this is an absolute waste of tax payer money and must not go ahead.

#SaveWillowGrove

Please do not demolish Willow Grove from Phillip Street Parramatta.

I strongly object to the destruction of Willow Grove to make way for a new Powerhouse Museum. The Powerhouse Museum is perfectly situated where it currently is!

I strongly object to the further wanton and continued destruction of Parramatta’s historic heritage and Willowgrove in Parramatta.