Powerhouse Museum Ultimo stays, Parramatta fight continues
The State Government has backflipped and will retain the Powerhouse at Ultimo but is pushing ahead with plans to build a Parramatta museum on a floodplain, labelling the riverfront site “spectacular’’.
Parramatta
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The State Government’s backflip to keep the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo is welcome but its plans to stick with another “world class’’ facility at Parramatta means the community fight to save heritage still rages.
Opponents of the museum in western Sydney have long argued it should be built away from Parramatta’s Phillip St because it is on a floodplain and where heritage buildings Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace stand.
When the Parramatta Advertiser asked NSW Arts Minister Don Harwin if the government would reconsider alternative locations away from the site, he said: “Powerhouse Parramatta is proceeding as planned on the spectacular site beside the Parramatta River.
“The new museum will be the jewel in the crown for the Powerhouse institution.”
Mr Harwin did not answer questions about retaining heritage or building the museum at alternative sites, such as North Parramatta’s Fleet Street Heritage Precinct.
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet told reporters the Parramatta museum’s cost, initially $645 million, would be $840 million.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said in a statement that today’s decision would mean Sydney had two world-class facilities and create 3000 jobs.
“Sydney is a global city of more than five million people and this will allow us to provide an outstanding visitor experience in the areas of technology, science, engineering and design at two major locations.’’
Parramatta Lord Mayor Bob Dwyer said the decision to retain the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo should not compromise the investment promised “for an iconic cultural institution in western Sydney”.
“Parramatta is the centre of global Sydney and the engine room of NSW’s economy,’’ he said.
“We deserve a world-class cultural institution that recognises and nurtures our region’s thriving arts sector, supports thousands of jobs, and drives visitors to our great city.’’
During a meeting this week, the mayor’s casting vote meant a motion to have more consultation with Ms Berejiklian before submitting its Environmental Impact Statement on the museum was defeated.
However, the council’s EIS submission highlights concerns over flooding and lack of pedestrian links to the museum. It also supports retaining Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace.
Willow Grove is an Italianate 1870s property that was once used as a maternity hospital between 1919 and 1953, while St George’s Terrace is a row of two-storey terraces built in 1881.
NSW Opposition leader Jodi McKay slammed the government for failing to reveal what would happen to the Parramatta site.
“Western Sydney deserves a world class arts, cultural and heritage precinct that builds on its history and treasures, instead of destroying them,’’ she said.
“Western Sydney residents deserve a voice. What will their museum look like? And how it will impact the heritage landscape?”
READ MORE: Council’s Powerhouse concerns highlighted in EIS
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North Parramatta Residents’ Action Group spokeswoman Suzette Meade said the focus should now shift to selecting the right location for the museum, with its alternative preference being the Fleet Street Heritage Precinct at North Parramatta.
“I think it’s great that the Premier heard that this is too big an expense to remove a museum,’’ she said.
“As far as we’re concerned this site (at Phillip St) is full of compromise. The design is compromised, the functionality is compromised … and Parramatta shouldn’t compromise anymore and there’s a site 900m away that’s not flood prone and makes an arts and cultural institution.’’
She said the group would continue lobbying all tiers of government on alternate locations.
Mr Harwin said the government had undertaken extensive consultation with communities across Sydney about the Parramatta museum.
“Nearly 2000 community members have been directly engaged in the last 12 weeks through meetings and webinars,’’ he said.
● The public feedback period for the EIS has been extended to July 21.
planningportal.nsw.gov.au