Macquarie Boys’ High School approved for demolition
FIRES, vandalism and now a wrecking ball; Rydalmere’s Macquarie Boys’ High School will finally come down this week after sitting vacant for a decade.
Parramatta
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THE Department of Education has confirmed that the wrecking ball will fall on the old Macquarie Boys’ High School site in the next few days.
The school, at 26 Kissing Point Rd, Rydalmere, has been closed for a decade.
Last year two fires ravaged the second storey of the maths and science block, leaving the building with structural problems. The first fire was in May 2017 and the second in December.
Police said both were started by vandals who had smashed windows, scrawled graffiti and damaged classrooms since the school’s closure.
Former student and Sydney Business Chamber western Sydney director David Borger said he was sad to see the school go but conceded it had seen better days.
“I think, even in its glory days, Macquarie Boys would never have won an award for architecture,” he said.
“I remember the bruisers who would hang around by the willow trees at the back of the oval that would give me a hard time.
“It was tired and prone to vandalism and isolated from the neighbourhood which is one of the reasons it closed.”
Mr Borger said the area would need schools in the future as population growth was expected following the light rail installation.
“Light rail is going to be a catalyst for urban renewal and urban density. It’s going to increase the population and this will mean we need to revisit the schooling issue,” he said.
Western Sydney University was interested in the Rydalmere site, which is across the road from the university’s Parramatta North Campus, but pulled out of negotiations early last year.
Property NSW has been responsible for the sale of the school and the neighbouring Ageing, Disability and Home Care facility at 266 Victoria Rd. The two sites had an estimated worth of $10 million in 2008.
A Property NSW spokeswoman said it had yet to call for expressions of interest for the site.
“Consultation with the community will be held over the coming months to ensure it is informed about the proposal and has the opportunity to provide feedback,” she said. “Any construction on the site will require a separate development application to be submitted to the City of Parramatta Council. This can only occur once the site has been rezoned.”
Under the proposal prepared by Property NSW, all of the 61-year-old school’s buildings and the aged-care facility will be demolished.
At the time of its closure the school floundered, with 180 students enrolled in the final year of its operation, despite once taking up to 800 students.
The proposal states the 19ha site would have supermarkets, cafes, cycleways and footpaths. It would include 2550 homes and 6000sq m of open space.