Western Sydney Stadium Stage 2 Design & Construction

Application: SSD 16_8175
Address: 11-13 O'Connell Street, Parramatta, NSW
Description: Western Sydney Stadium - Stage 2 of the Western Sydney Stadium, comprising the detailed design and construction of the stadium as well as supporting uses such as retail tenancies, kiosks and other complementary uses.
Name of commenter: June M Bullivant OAM
Address of commenter: 50 Dawn Street, Greystanes NSW 2145
Email of commenter: [email protected]

Comment
This development is a travesty of justice and should not proceed in the current form. To demolish the Parramatta Memorial Pool, using the current plan Venues NSW football stadium is going to use the Crown Land which the pool was allotted from Parramatta Park to build a car park. Plans a few year back allowed for the extension of the stadium and also keep the pool in the current form.

To have no public pool for many years, and to demolish a ratepayer funded pool with no compensation to ratepayers is breaching the duty of care to the residents of Parramatta. To have no pool at all in "Parramatta We're Building Australia's Next Great City" which is the Parramatta Council motto seems to be a hollow aim for the new super size council.

To want the tax payer to pay for yet another cost when they refurbished the pool recently at a cost of $9 million dollars is not very business like or efficient. Leave the current pool where it is and keep it for the enjoyment of the school children who learn to swim and the community who want to keep cool.

"complementary uses"
One would think a pool would be considered as a complementary use.

Why do Parramatta locals need to drive to Homebush or Ryde Aquatic Centres when a works class aquatic centre could be incorporated in the stadium design.

Are we not meant to move forward and process. Since when does one step back in time to meet the demands of our community for today, tomorrow and beyond?

Take a leap forward dear government and think like yesteryears Sir Bradfield and the likes.

I object strongly to the proposed stadium in its current format which means the Parramatta War Memorial Pool is lost to become a car park with no foreseeable replacement. After the hottest January, and the hottest summer and the hottest year on record ( that means lots of days of 40 degrees plus) why are we sacrificing our pool to the stadium when there is a viable plan by well recognized architect that would allow us to have both. This current plan is disrespectful to all those who live and work and go to the school in the area who use this pool for their physical and mental health. This pool is used by schools for lessons and carnivals, by 100s of children for swim lessons, by swim clubs, Olympic diving teachers (1 of inly 2 in Sydney) and the general public. Parramatta is growing enormously and many people live in apartments . This is their out door space. The government is campaigning to reduce obesity in children and is taking away a very important place for exercise.

The alternative plan for the stadium that allows a bigger stadium and KEEPING the Parramatta War Memorial Pool is what we should be having.

Please move the proposed stadium just enough so that the pool remains. While I applaud the new stadium It would have been better to develop the old one and keep the pool where it is and how it is. Surely it is not too late to slightly alter the footprint of the new stadium so the toxic decision to destroy the pool is reversed. The voters of Parramatta will remember and either reward or punish this important decision.

It is outrageous to demolish Parramatta Pool merely to accomodate a football stadium. The pool not only provides a place for people to cool off and enjoy a swim but it is an important community facility for schools, social and sporting groups. Where will schools hold their swimming carnivals? Where will children learn to swim? This war memorial pool is a community asset that should not be sacrificed for redevelopment of a stadium. The stadium architects and planners must find another way to make the stadium work without destroying the pool. Parramatta Parkland and heritage land should also be fiercely protected from use by developers. It was set aside for the people from the earliest days of European settlement, not to be carved up in order to accomodate developments. Of course progress must occur in growing Parramatta into a 21st century city. However, Parramatta Pool is, for many locals, a sacred place, a place of significant historical and community importance. Save our pool.

It is completely wrong to build the new stadium with no plans or funding at all to relocate and rebuild Parramatta Swimming Pool. Several prominent architects have pointed out that it is in fact, with minor modification, possible to retain Parramatta Pool in its same location and for the new Parramatta stadium to be built as planned. Please do not close Parramatta Pool.

The plans by the government as part of the stadia strategy has been deceitful.

The land they claim to want to swap is crown land that is protected under parramatta park trust act 2011. The trustees of the park are not acting as per their mandate by allowing this park land to be dissected for commercial interests.

The consultation process as per the SEAR report was ignored by Venues nsw and the dept of planning chose to ignore this when reported to Minister of Planning Rob stokes and department secretary Carolyn MC Nally.

There is an alternative concept design that had been produced by the original pool architect that allows both new stadium and the pools to remain but the government refuses to consider.

What the government is failing to publish is that they intend to develop close to 30,000 Sqm of future ancillary commercial development.

This project should be halted immediately and the pool demolition to be paused until an investigation or inquiry into the stadia strategy be carried out.

BUILD A NEW POOL . the old one is past the use by date

Parramatta residents and schools need the current pool to stay. My school has used Parramatta Pool for many years to host our school swimming carnival. It provides plenty of room, shade, equipment and is overall, an outstanding facility for local schools.

Parramatta pool also has an excellent outdoor diving pool which is rare these days. Many groups use the various pools for learn to swim classes, training, recreation and is perfect for seniors.

Please reconsider demolishing the pool. A new and improved stadium can coexist with our lovely, well maintained facility.

As Parramatta and it's surrounding areas is of high density and there is little recreational areas for families and schools who would like to enjoy the outdoors rather than go to the Stadium, it would be more advantageous for all involved to keep the pool and the Stadium. There are a lot of families who do not know how to swim and the pool is a place where they can learn these much needed survival skills. Imagine the lives that can be saved in the future, if people had the opportunity to learn how to swim at their local pool.

I support the new stadium but strongly oppose how the govt has gone about this. There has been no consultation with pool users until it was too late. Disgraceful and deceitful. The pool can stay the stadium design can be tweaked to accommodate both. Why haven't they taken that into consideration or worked with the community to find solutions?

The description above with 'complimentary uses' is very non descriptive and is unacceptable in any planning alert. Come clean and announce exactly what is going on. Why is this the case and why does that take priority over a War Memorial pool?

Incorporate the pool into the development of the Stadium. It is possible to do and the plans proposed but the people of parramatta would be fantastic it implemented. The NSW Government and Parramatta Administrator still have time to rethink the plan and same the pool and create a sporting complex that we can all be proud of and show other councils what can be done when we all work together.
The old and the new can co-exist and work together. All that is required is people to think outside the square.

The pool and stadium can coexist. Consideration for the people of Parramatta who use these facilities should be more important than yet another retail precinct, masked as "necessary space for crowd safety". If needed to have a gathering area, then a bridge over the pool could direct the crowd to some similar space. Surely a compromise would be better than to ignore the thousands of protest voices over the period since the plan to demolish the pool was announced??!!

#saveparrapool ! Leave the pool where it is until there is a replacement. Benefit all instead of a few. This Liberal state government will be history if you don't listen to the people, just like WA today.

Have respect for the people of Parramatta and compromise! Stadium and pool can co-exist. Do your job properly and there will be no complaints.

The proposed development represents poor planning and a failure of government. To spend $300 million to add 10,000 seats to a venue which averages two-thirds capacity doesn't constitute good-faith public expenditure. And to do so at the expense of our War Memorial Pool is an embarrassment to our so-called "Next Great City". Parramatta is one of the fastest growing areas of Sydney, and it is frankly absurd for the area to be without a pool for 3-5 years.

The proposal is of added concern for two further reasons. First, the incursion into Crown Land on both the new proposed stadium footprint and the proposed replacement pool site at Mays Hill is further evidence of the erosion of public space in Sydney. Second, the use of the proposed 20,000 sqm of future ancillary development has thus far remained undefined. At best, residents could be expected to impute incompetence. At worse, malevolence.

The War Memoral Pool and new stadium can co-exist. Parramatta deserves better.

I support the construction of this stadium. I believe it will be of great cultural and economic benefit for the people of Western Sydney. I greatly support the steep angle of seating as it will enhance the spectator experience and atmosphere inside the ground. I further support the minor non-compliance with the building envelope as the protrusion is minor and is justified within the overall context of the building. The minor non-compliance is justified in my view due to the overwhelming positive experiences to be gained from the new stadium.

As an 18 year O'Connell St resident, a devout and long, long-time Eels season ticket holder and a foundation WS Wanderers member - I am very excited about the new stadium development (though I did love the old one!) To have a state of the art stadium in Parramatta will be brilliant, not just for Parramatta, but all of Sydney. However, as a local, I am very disappointed that the design requires the destruction of our pool and I strongly believe the footprint should have been shifted north and the pool retained.

However, given the pool closure is now imminent, can I make one very important criticism of the design. The stadium itself looks amazing, however, there's too much paving around the outside of stadium. There needs to be a lot more grass, plants (native preferably) and trees - particularly given this land has always been part of Parramatta 'Parklands' Trust.

I don't know if any those designing the stadium actually live in Parramatta - but it gets extraordinarily hot in Summer and is getting hotter and hotter as the CBD rapidly grows. Along with many new buildings and developments going up, the council is paving and concreting a lot of space. I understand that it is cheaper to maintain. However, to actually walk around on it, with the bright sun blindingly reflecting off the paving, and the heat radiating up from the tiles, it can be torturous! (...and from a community and liveability viewpoint - it is soulless.)

As an example, there are a couple of streets near the stadium where the council have used bright concrete to replace grass and pave the sidewalks. I can tell you that it is extraordinarily unpleasant experience getting blinded by the bright reflection and getting blasted by the heat every time I walk in the direction of the sun. [eg Grose St - between the Leagues Club and Church St (east<>west); O'Connell St - opposite stadium, next to OLMC]

If the area surrounding the stadium is mostly paved, it will give a similar experience. It will become a dead zone outside game days, as locals won't go to a hot, open space to melt (or a cold, lifeless place in Winter)! If you make nice grassy spaces with lots of trees & plants (with enough shading), it will be a really nice place to go and relax anytime. Not a soulless, uncomfortable, white elephant precinct on non-game days. (Eg Olympic Stadium precinct)

Apart from this criticism - the design looks very exciting and I hope there are no delays and it gets done as soon as possible. (We fans hate going to Olympic Park!)

I know I am not alone in my views. Many Parramatta residents are screaming out for grass and trees to be retained as much as possible amongst this plethora of development around town. To me, it is inexcusable to take away our open, grassy and `treey' pool complex and replace it with paving. I know it all can't be grass - but there could be a substantial amount of `green' added to the design.

Thanks for listening.

RE: PARKING PROVISION
I OBJECT TO THE WESTERN SYDNEY STADIUM PROPOSAL SSD8175 ON THE GROUNDS THAT INCREASING THE CAPACITY OF THE STADIUM TO 30,000 SEATS WILL REQUIRE SUBSTANTIAL PARKING FACILITIES.
AFTER CHECKING THE SSD APPLICATION I FIND THERE IS NO MENTION OF THE NUMBER OF SPACES THAT WILL BE PROVIDED WITHIN THE VENUE.
THERE IS ALSO NO MENTION OF WHERE THE PARKING ACCESS POINTS WILL BE, OR OF ANY PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS TO TRAFFIC FLOW / INFRASTRUCTURE WITHIN THE AREA.
WE HAVE HAD ONGOING PROBLEMS ON GAME NIGHTS WITH LARIKIN BEHAVIOR IN THE LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD, AND BEFORE THIS PROPOSAL CAN BE APPROVED VENUES NSW NEED TO MAKE ADEQUATE PROVISION FOR CAR PARKING FACILITIES ON-SITE, AT THE VENUE TO PREVENT ADDITIONAL CROWDS SPILLING OUT INTO, (AND CAUSING PROBLEMS WITHIN) THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS.

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