As a person who had grown up living in Parramatta, I've learnt to appreciate the beauty of the suburb. Unfortunately, Parramatta was already lacking in historical culture and alike, with little character. As much as I support the development of the CBD there, I must oppose to the destruction and cost which will be a result of this project. Parramatta deserves to hold onto what little it has left, such as the Grove and this project does not allow for that. Furthermore, the proposed development on the riverside is somewhat alarming as it does seem to flood pretty often from what I recall. Additionally, I feel like this project is not in line with the rest of Parramatta and what it represents. Parramatta lost a lot already to the light rail project and I don't believe the locals or residents will support the further destruction of Parramatta's heritage and culture. Not to mention, the simultaneous destruction which will be occuring in the old Powerhouse site.

The powerhouse has great meaning to all who have grown up in Sydney and visited. It represents heritage, culture and progressive science at the same time. There is nowhere in Sydney that also provides a similar experience. The move of the Powerhouse from the current location to the new location seemingly jeopardises the exhibits, which are key to the museum. The museum is important because of what it embodies and displays. Not the external appearance of it and looking all modern and posh.

I personally don't know anybody who supports this move, from the perspective of a person who lives in Parramatta or from the perspective of a museum visitor. This project will be forever an embarrassment to the history of Parramatta and for all of Sydney. A major international city with no adequate science museum located in the CBD. Personally, I strongly object to this and everyone I know does too. The fundamentals of this project seem flawed and the motives are highly questionable at best.

I really hope you reconsider.
Sincerely,
Someone who grew up in Parramatta

The PowerHouse musem in Pyrmont is a heritage site and should be preserved as a museum for all to enjoy.

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta Project (SSD-10416). Application O shows that there is too much of a risk of flooding in the new area and Application B disregards this advice recklessly. In addition, the proposed site cannot accommodate the exhibits the Museum currently holds; they cannot be moved without being dismantled, which leads to damage during transport and storage.

Stop Taking a Wrecking ball to Sydney Heritage: Cancel Demolition of the Ultimo Powerhouse Museum (MAAS)

Pause your wrecking ball poised to smash down a valuable heritage cultural institution. The Powerhouse Museum (MAAS) in Ultimo.

The threatened area of this award-winning heritage building, now museum venue, includes the turbine hall, the engine house and the boiler hall.
The museum hosts a collection unmatched anywhere in the southern hemisphere, a collection which has made the Powerhouse a unique attraction for generations of families. It drew a record 757,156 visitors in the last financial year.

No government anywhere in the world has ever demolished a major state museum in the city centre less than 30 years after it opened in state-of-the-art facilities. It’s unprecedented governmental interference in a cultural institution.

The decision to proceed flies in the face of growing public opposition. 98.6% of people surveyed by the National Trust in May are overwhelmingly against the Government’s plan, saying that the Powerhouse and its entire collection should stay in Ultimo.

The Government is also acting in defiance of last year’s report from the Upper House Inquiry into Museums and Galleries, and of damning evidence it heard from expert witnesses.
The bulk of submissions to the Upper House Inquiry are overwhelmingly against the plan. They include detailed objections from professional bodies and community groups, among them Pyrmont Action Incorporated, Save the Powerhouse, Engineers Australia (Sydney), the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials, the Australian Museums and Galleries Association, the International Council of Museums Australia and the Royal Australian Historical Society.

None of the objectors wishes to see Western Sydney deprived of cultural facilities. On the contrary, they want a more appropriate new museum built there – something that could be achieved at less than half the cost.

What the Government proposes to install at Parramatta is not a museum at all. It’s an entertainment centre. Leading museum and heritage expert Kylie Winkworth, a former Powerhouse trustee, has exposed multiple flaws in the design brief for the new building.

She reveals that Parramatta will have only 25% of the Ultimo museum standard exhibition spaces, that it will have multiple entrances (a staffing and security nightmare), huge glass walls and open entrances (an air conditioning nightmare), no floors capable of supporting the large items from the collection, no conservation facilities, no adequate loading dock, a much reduced library and no secure working place for staff. The only mentions in the whole document of curatorship are references to a “curated food program”.

Winkworth, says that “completely ignores the basic principles of museum planning”. And then, of course, there’s the well-documented risk of flooding from the Parramatta River – a disaster waiting to happen.

Art critic John McDonald has stated “If and when the new building is finished Parramatta will have a gigantic white elephant that has zero possibility of drawing long-term audiences and covering costs. To achieve this the government will have irretrievably vandalised a major Australian museum and wiped out another precious piece of heritage in a city already disfigured by architectural eyesores.”

With a completely unnecessary demolition about to commence, and a government inquiry still underway, the heritage core of the museum is about to be demolished.
AS current Minister for the Arts and for Heritage I write to you to demand that you stop taking a wrecking ball to Sydney heritage. It is an ill-advised, disastrous budget blow-out, with little to no solid planning and it is simply yet another shameless cash grab by a rightist elitist Liberal government and their developer cronies that DESPISES culture and wants to destroy it not just state-wide, but Australia-wide. It is a disgusting lack of conscience, foresight and responsibility and you are CULTURAL VANDALS.

I object to this project in entirety.

STOP CLOSURE AND DEMOLITION OF THE ULTIMO POWERHOUSE MUSEUM.


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Thanks and Regards
Darian Zam

I wish to object to the Powerhouse Parramatta Project.

I have not made any political contributions and I wish to request that my name be withheld in publishing this submission.

My family and I have lived in the Parramatta/Hills area for over 40 years, with my mother being raised in Parramatta. I have very fond memories of time as a child staying in my maternal grandparents home in Rosehill St, a small beautiful home built in the early 1900s. My grandmother would often speak of Willow Grove, and how she visited many of her friends when it was a maternity hospital.

Sadly, buildings of this significance have been destroyed and replaced over the years. We cannot let that happen to Willow Grove, it stands out as a superb piece of architecture that has been significant over many generations in Parramatta and beyond.

I am disappointed and distressed that the destruction of such heritage buildings is being considered in this proposal. Therefore I strongly object to the Parramatta Powerhouse proposal.

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta project.

The reasons behind my objection is as follows:
• Removing historical buildings is an irreversible and tremendous loss of historical sense of place and Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces are rare examples of architecture that no longer exist in Parramatta CBD and should be retained for future generations as a link and connection to history for the local community, the wider community and Australia. If this act were to go ahead, his act is in essence an act of cultural vandalism and Australia will be poor for it.
• The character and history of Parramatta is a very important issue to raise as this has not been adequately studied and reported on in the Environmental Impact Statement.
• The importance of Willow Grove to women’s history as a maternity hospital for over three decades for people of Parramatta to the early 1950s should be retained for future generations to experience and see.
• Overall cumulative impacts of further heritage destruction in Parramatta currently been undertaken, make Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces vital to retain for communities' sense of place.

I have not made any reportable political donations
I wish for my name to be published with your submission.

RE: I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta Project– Application number SSD-10416

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta development on two grounds: i. it includes the demolition of heritage buildings and ii. the proposed development is inadequate to replace the current Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo.

The demolition of heritage buildings
These heritage buildings provide evidence of the way people lived in the 19th century in Parramatta and give people the opportunity to observe changes in society and infrastructure. In particular, these buildings can provide real-life learning experiences to facilitate an understanding of the area’s history. The demolition of Willow Grove (c.1870s) and St Georges Terrace (c.1880s) is inconsistent with Parramatta City Council’s Cultural Plan. Developed in 2017, the plan recognises the importance of understanding Parramatta’s history as follows:
Parramatta occupies a vital role in our nation’s history. As the first seat of government, our built environment features some of the [sic] Australia’s most important colonial buildings, peppered throughout our City’s changing landscape. More than the architecture, these heritage assets tell a story of the past and help us better understand our future.[1]

The inclusion of both Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace on the State Heritage Register recognises that they are of “particular importance to the people of NSW”.[2] In addition to both buildings being representative examples of heritage, item details for Willow Grove state that the site has “high archaeological potential” as “the site grounds may contain archaeological material relating to European settlement prior to the construction of ‘Willow Grove”.[3] Furthermore, both listings also state that the property is of significance for the local area due to research potential.[4]

Inadequate replacement for the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo
Any argument that the cultural contribution that the Powerhouse Parramatta would make to Western Sydney outweighs the destruction of these heritage buildings is patently false. The Powerhouse Parramatta design does not equate to a science museum, which was the concept endorsed by cabinet in 2018.

The Museum of Applied Arts and Science’s “Vision” includes the following statement:
Access to the Museum’s exceptional collection is a cornerstone of the vision, opening up opportunities for engagement, participation and research.[5]
This vision is not at all supported by this development because it does not place an importance on accommodating and exhibiting the current Powerhouse Museum’s collection. Most significantly, the Powerhouse Parramatta is to have less than one quarter of the current museum's Standard Climate Controlled Exhibition Space; approximately 5,200sqm compared with the current Powerhouse Museum’s 21,800sqm. Furthermore, there are no museum-specific exhibition spaces in the development plans. The idea that every “presentation space” could be used for performances, events, functions and commercial hire is not consistent with the way that museums operate.

On WSFM on Thursday 25 June 2020 the Premier of NSW, Glady Berejiklian stated that the Powerhouse Parramatta will serve the one third of NSW residents who live in Western Sydney and she also emphasised that “we don’t see 90% of the Powerhouse Museum’s collection because it’s in storage”. Neither of these requirements is actually met by the Powerhouse Parramatta Project. Firstly, the destruction of heritage buildings ignores the express wishes of the community to have these buildings preserved. Secondly, the proposed Parramatta Powerhouse would not be capable of exhibiting a worthwhile proportion of the Powerhouse Museum’s collection as the proposed museum provides only one quarter of the current exhibition space and makes no provision for the large items such as the steam engines or the locomotive.

I declare that I have not made any reportable political donations. I request that my name is not published with this submission.

The proposed location for a replacement Powerhouse Museum in Parramatta is inappropriate.

Heritage structures Willow Grove and St George's Terrace must be destroyed to construct this building, which is located on a known floodplain.

The proposed museum is insufficient to house the Powerhouse Museum collection. It has only 25% of the display area available in the Ultimo Powerhouse Museum. It will not have space for the large exhibits nor any facilities for conservation of the exhibits.

The proposed $1.5billion cost is untenable. The State of NSW has much more pressing priorities such as unfulfilled promises for aid to NSW residents affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires.

The Powerhouse Museum would not loan exhibits to a museum with the limited facilities proposed for Parramatta.

If a museum is to be built in Parramatta, there is state owned land available in North Parramatta which does not require the demolition of heritage buildings.

This is an ill-considered plan and must be abandoned.

Regards

Brian Stokes

It’s a waste of public money moving the powerhouse. The loss of heritage at parramatta is also unacceptable.

I object To the Powerhouse Parramatta Project.

I am writing in relation to this project to formerly raise my objections. I have not made any reportable political donations and I do not have an objection to having my name published with my submission.

I was extremely distressed to hear the beautiful buildings Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces may be demolished to make way for a new development. REGARDLESS of the proposed use of the new building, it is completely UNACCEPTABLE that we should allow Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces to be destroyed.

I have wonderful memories of visiting Parramatta as a child and was amazed at Willow Grove and other historic buildings my family and I visited, many of which are no longer standing. I was fortunate to grow up in a family where my parents encouraged exploration and showing respect for history. There were a lot of historical buildings in the Parramatta area when I was growing up and many of them are no longer there. I find it very sad to visit Parramatta these days.

It is UNREASONABLE to destroy these historic buildings and add to the chaos of modern buildings and traffic that is Parramatta today. It should remain to provide an oasis of character and a symbol of respect to the significant history that Parramatta contributed to the overall development of Sydney and its suburbs.

I am strongly of the view that the loss of character and these buildings as a sense of place, has NOT been adequately studied and reported on in the Environmental Impact Statement. Willow Grove had an important function as a maternity hospital for over 30 years, and would have significance to many people. This should not be ignored or trivialised.

Parramatta has suffered significant heritage destruction and it is just WRONG to continue. Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces are vital and rare examples of architecture that no longer exist and MUST be retained for communities’ sense of place and to show that we not only respect, but can learn from the past.

Please DO NOT let this history be destroyed.