Powerhouse move to Parramatta on shaky ground

THE State Government is set to pull its $1 billion plan to move the Powerhouse from its inner-city home, and Parramatta may have to make do with a cut-price museum instead, sources have said.

An artist impression of the proposed Powerhouse Museum to be built in Parramatta. Picture: Supplied

• Two possible sites for new pool
• ‘Foul’ leakage causes Woolies stench

A CHANGE of heart in the State Government means the Powerhouse Museum is not likely to move from its site in Ultimo and Parramatta may have to make do with a cut-price museum.

The set-up and build costs for a Parramatta museum are now expected to come in at around $400 million — down from $1 billion — while the Powerhouse stays in the city.

Well placed sources have told the Advertiser the government believes the public is so unhappy with taking down the current Powerhouse to sell the land to developers it has decided to can the move.

“I have heard there is a change of heart because they didn’t realise how popular the Powerhouse was or how unpopular a change would be,” one of our sources said on condition of anonymity.

“They realise it’s unpopular. Their initial idea was to sell it off and make a quid but now the idea is not so popular at all.”

Under previous Premier Mike Baird — who came up with the idea to move the museum and its contents to Parramatta — the move was definitely on but it has not gone smoothly with increasingly loud voices against the move which would see a new Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences go up on the old David Jones carpark on Parramatta’s Philip St.

It has also been suggested Parramatta Council wanted up to $100 million for the riverside site.

Former Premier Mike Baird and Powerhouse director Dolla Merrillees examine the Parramatta site.

Since the original announcement a special state parliamentary inquiry into museums and galleries has been questioning experts about the feasibility of the move.

The inquiry heard its final witnesses last week and will report in several months’ time but it is likely the government will make an announcement soon and the consensus is the Powerhouse will stay in Ultimo.

State Opposition leader and Auburn Labor MP Luke Foley said the government had turned its back on western Sydney and he suspected the Powerhouse decision would be next on the chopping block.

“One of the first things that Premier Berejiklian did when she got the job was to dump Western Sydney as a portfolio,” he said.

“Last week she dumped light rail through Olympic Park. I fear the move of the Powerhouse to Parramatta could be the next thing to be scrapped given the shambolic way this government is behaving. It looks like western Sydney will never get the attention it deserves from this premier,” Mr Foley said.

The move from Ultimo to Parramatta is expected to cost upwards of $1 billion.

Greens MP David Shoebridge, the museums and galleries inquiry deputy chairman, has pushed witnesses hard to divulge details about the planned move and says he has been sceptical about the idea on several levels.

“My view is that it would be terrific to get a world class museum at Parramatta but without the loss of the Powerhouse. Something quite wonderful could be built on the site [on the river at Parramatta]. We could get something truly fabulous.”

Newly-appointed Minister for the Arts Don Harwin said the government was committed to “growing the arts and cultural sector in Western Sydney, and our commitment has not changed”.

PARRAMATTA LIGHT RAIL

“Western Sydney is the engine room of our state and with the many major infrastructure projects set to take place in Parramatta we are carefully considering all aspects of moving the new museum, and negotiations are progressing as expected.

“The final business case for the project is in development and will be considered by Government as soon as possible. We anticipate this will occur in the first quarter of 2017.”

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTERS AND NEWS ALERTS