Parramatta Powerhouse Museum redesign revealed after public feedback
A redesign of the Parramatta Powerhouse Museum has been revealed after the public feedback period but the “Frankenstein building” continues to be maligned.
Parramatta
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A redesigned Parramatta Powerhouse Museum has been revealed following 1300 public feedback submissions.
But the “Frankenstein building” continues to be maligned, with a local action group arguing it fails to properly preserve a heritage-listed building on the site and its flood-prone location.
Infrastructure NSW has revised the contentious museum’s design after it received more than 1300 submissions over June and July, when 90 per cent opposed the plans.
Major concerns were a loss of the heritage-listed Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace; building on a flood-prone site and the design of the public spaces which included the building’s undercroft.
The government has maintained that the museum has been designed to “withstand large and rare flooding” and will relocated Willow Grove to North Parramatta while St George’s Terrace will remain at Phillip St.
The museum will include 18,000sq m of exhibition and public spaces and will include seven
exhibition spaces, along with spaces for cultural and community events and programs.
Parramatta Powerhouse chief executive officer Lisa Havilah said: “The Powerhouse welcomes the NSW Government’s decision to relocate Willow Grove to a location within Parramatta North. This will not only improve access to this much-loved building, but also deliver it in a much better setting.’’
Architects Moreau Kusunoki and Genton’s latticed design has been dubbed a milk crate on stilts.
The redesign report said the changes improved the public domain, improved connection from the Civic Link to the riverfront, more than 18,000sq m of exhibition and public space and would be an overall better visitor experience.
The link is a pedestrian thoroughfare spanning four blocks from Parramatta Square to the museum precinct.
But North Parramatta Residents’ Action Group slammed the redesign.
“The entire notion that this is going to be a museum becomes further from the truth with each new version of propaganda that’s released,’’ spokeswoman Suzette Meade said.
“This redesign fails to save Willow Grove, it still compromises Parramatta’s proud heritage, council’s civic walk and river strategy design and risks human life in increasing floods.’’
The group has argued the government is failing to deliver a museum by leasing rooms for hire as an exhibition centre.
“A redesign isn’t enough to make this Frankenstein acceptable to the community — this needs to go back to the drawing board completely,’’ Ms Meade said.
The government will determine the project early next year.
