Dear Sir
I write to strongly object to the Powerhouse Parramatta Project.
My reasons for objecting are,
a) I do not want Willow Grove and St George's Terraces to be destroyed
b) I do not want the Powerhouse Museum to be moved from its current location
c) I do not want the Powerhouse Museum collection to be moved or dispersed
d) The budget of $1.5 billion would be better spent on the creation of an additional museum elsewhere.
The Powerhouse Parramatta Project will result in the destruction of a unique museum, destroy the last remaining and therefore rare examples of Parramatta architecture, contribute to the loss of character of Parramatta, replace a museum with a multi purpose facility and will be an object of ridicule by future generations.
The destruction of heritage buildings, the destruction of a museum and the destruction of a heritage precinct in the name of a 'cultural project' is beyond comprehension.
I have not made any reportable political donations.
I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta Project, it should not go ahead.

I Object to the Powerhouse Parramatta Precinct

I am writing to you to appeal for the ‘lives’ of the magnificent Willow Grove and Georges Terraces. My family’s connection with Parramatta goes back to the three first fleets settling Australia in the 1780s-90s. Many of our ancestors were married in St Johns, as indeed, were my parents.
We lived in North Parramatta for some time and my mum, sister and I attended school in Parramatta. There was nothing more satisfying passing by the historically significant sites on our way to school in the 60s and 70’s. We have watched a thriving ‘cradle city’ become an important commercial and business centre. Understandably, that will mean loss of heritage buildings and land. We are now left with very little of that Parramatta to celebrate. However, we DO have these precious few beautiful examples of history, architecture and representation of social change over many decades. Let’s look seriously at the importance of these buildings and what they represent for current and most importantly future generations. Surely we can retain heritage buildings as well as support the growth of cultural centres like the Powerhouse. They are both a cultural imperative, but we can’t replace heritage - we need to retain and revere it.
I implore you to re-think and not destroy this part of our history and heritage. You have choices - these buildings don’t.

I object to the Powerhouse Museum because Parramatta is loosing it’s uniqueness, history and since of pride due to over development. I want my Grandchildren to not only read about Parramatta’s amazing history but also to be able to walk around and actually see and touch it’s history and they, along with future generations will be robbed of that if the current mindset of Politicians and people with no forethought or respect for our history continue mindlessly in suggesting projects like moving the Powerhouse Museum. Not only would this mean demolishing Willow Grove and St George’s Terraces which are rare examples of architecture which no longer exist in Parramatta’s CBD but this project is going to be built in an area which is in a flood zone, costing over a billion dollars at a time when Australia is in a recession and when the people of this Country are in need of so much more. Such a complete waste of taxpayers money is criminal and serious questions should be raised as to who is really benefiting from such a project because it certainly isn’t the people.

This planned destruction of a world class arts, technology and science museum and its architecturally significant home must be stopped.

Plans presented for the Parramatta Museum are of a entertainment sector and have nothing at all to do with a world-class museum. The powerhouse Museum should be left where it is at Ultimo and continue to offer Sydney. New South Wales, Australia and the world one of the finest museums of industrial arts and technology in the world. People of New South Wales deserve better than this, and the citizens of Parramatta deserve their own world class Museum. As a life member of the Australian Ceramic Association and the current president of the Ceramics Study Group I suggests what is needed most of all in Australia is a Museum of Arts and Crafts much like Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Such a museum in Parramatta would be unique in Australia and give an incredible focus that would ensure that it is both loved and utilised. What is important with the current proposal is that it be scrapped and efforts made to focus on the significant history already on the site and creat this unique museum.

I have examined the Environmental Impact Statement and in particular the Consultation Summary Report.
It is obvious that local stakeholders are enthusiastic about the creation of a cultural institution in their city. It is also obvious that the incorporation of part of the Powerhouse collection is of secondary importance. The proposed design bears this out.
There is widespread condemnation of the proposal from the greater Sydney and regional stakeholders for good reasons - the dismantling, removal and storage of existing exhibits, the destruction of the historic Willow Grove and St George's Terrace, the cost and of course the deal done with developers to exploit the Ultimo site.
Design and build a multi-purpose cultural centre in Parramatta and leave the Powerhouse at Ultimo......

My wife and I wish to register our strong objection to the relocation of the Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta.
The stated cost is already exorbitant and, on the record of this government's projects so far, will undoubtedly be overrun. The move will divorce the museum from its present historical link to Ultimo. It will endanger particularly the very large, rare and precious objects, which can currently be seen in working order at Ultimo. The dispursal of the currently-displayed collection is cultural vandalism, especially since the proposed new museum has a smaller display area.
As with the unforgivable sale of the Land Titles Office, it is purely based on greed, short-term gain and the ideology of privatisation at the expense of commonsense and thought for the future. This action would shame any city in the world.
That Western Sydney is entitled to a great museum is not at issue. It should have a purpose-built institution, which could focus on a separate theme, such as indigenous history, art and culture or the immigrant experience. It should NOT involve the demolition of any heritage-listed buildings, such as Willow Grove, which could be a further attraction for visitors to the area. Building such an institution could be done without the enormous expense of the relocation project, and still provide jobs.

I object to the Parramatta Powerhouse for the following reasons
- The economic EIS states that the Powerhouse in Ultimo is past its usefulness. This is not true because the report states the numbers of visitors have doubled in the last five years and continue to increase. Visitors will continue to increase. It is unlikely there will be 2 million people annually at the Powerhouse Parramatta. The economic modelling based on this assumption is floored and should be redone with a more realistic number.
-The Powerhouse Parramatta cannot house all the heritage items in the powerhouse ultimo. This is a significant loss of culture and a social benefit that cannot be fixed when these items are in storage. These items should be on display.
-It is dangerous to move the items out of the powerhouse into the Parramatta powerhouse due to the size of the buillding, location of the loading dock.
-The Parramatta Powerhouse is located in a flood zone. The risk that this holds to the museum items is too great and the damage would be significant or catastrophic. I object because the risk with suggested mitigation measures is not minimal.

I wish to submit my objection to SSD-10416 Development.

Firstly, its situation. As a regular visitor to Sydney I often enjoy visits to the current Powerhouse but in its new proposed location I will not have time to travel out to Parramatta on the train. In Sydney City I can include a visit to the Powerhouse with other sights and activities across the city. I will not be doing this in Parramatta. If I believed the new Powerhouse would be of equal worth and interest to its current form I would happily make this journey, however from all information gathered I cannot see they are of similar value. In London I enjoy hopping over to the Victoria and Albert Museum, taking in a selected wing for an hour or two. I can also visit it for a blockbuster major exhibition. This is what I want to do in Sydney but will not longer do so if the museum goes to Parramatta.

Secondly, I am very concerned about the removal of heritage buildings at Parramatta for the new museum and I believe buildings such as these are essential to our social fabric, both culturally and visually. Their removal is unacceptable. We cannot get them back. Less heritage buildings will ensure Parramatta will grow to look more anonymous, without a rich story mixed in with our present buildings. A balance needs to be retained between new and old.

Thirdly, the storage of the body of material of the museum away from the display and curatorial team is incongrous with a living and functioning museum. Not only does it make transporting problematic, but creates a serious disjunction between study, conservation and communication. A living and vibrant museum should not be broken up from its storage and should not exist in a stand alone sense. When all together, research, discussion, study, teaching and administration all meld together to create this vibrancy.

Fourthly, I object to the cost required to move and establish the current collection to Parramatta and believe this cost is not justifiable in the current climate. This cost is particularly objectionable as the current museum does not need moving.

Lastly, the original Ultimo site exists on the edge of a fast changing and growing precinct which will only make the Powerhouse in Ultimo even more visited in the future. All NSW residents can see through the State government’s shallow reasoning to move the museum. It is just a short sighted venture for financial gain under the pretext of having a better museum elsewhere.

The artefacts in the existing Powerhouse belong to all of NSW. It is our heritage, our history, our stories. It is more than the sum of its parts and by breaking it up, we all lose.

Yours sincerely,
Elizabeth Stock

I am formally writing to object to this project. It is a travesty that to build this building which is a sham of a ‘museum’ and shouldn’t even be given the title as it doesn’t even meet the requirements of a basic museum and while new it cannot hold even a small percentage of the original archives of the powerhouse in Ultimo, heritage buildings are meant to be knocked down to build it. I cannot believe we a student of history that this could even be contemplated. The powerhouse should not be moved and THAT building, if it did need to be moved, SHOULD NOT be built. If you were too got replace something like the powerhouse which is a perfectly functioning building in itself you cannot replace a museum with something that cannot even support the workers or the archives. A museum is not a hotspot for bars. A museum is a place where history and the growth of humanity can be appreciated and studied. I object to this project as it does not respect anything of what a museum should be.

I object to the project on the grounds that the 1.6bn cost will merely yield a mini museum.
Government receipts on the sale of the land will not meet this cost in the current climate. The net result will be another soulless unit/office block and an entertainment venue for Paramatta which few people want.
The concept was brought about by greed to fill various coffers and snare the swinging voters in Parramatta. Neither of which will be achieved and Sydney loses out as a world class city, again.
Think Darling Harbour which was sold for a song to give jobs for the boys and a poor result.