Sydney floods: Rain lashes Parramatta, Powerhouse site further questioned
As water levels surge along the site slated for the Parramatta Powerhouse Museum, opponents’ concerns over the contentious location have been dismissed as ‘hysteria’.
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An advocate for the Parramatta Powerhouse Museum has dismissed critics’ opposition to the flood-prone site as “fake news’’ despite the heavy deluge that has smashed project’s planned riverside site at the weekend.
Along with the museum slated to replace the heritage-listed Italianette villa Willow Grove, the project has attracted backlash over the government’s plans to build the “milk-crate on stilts’’ on a flood-prone site despite experts warning against the location.
The site has been flooded for the second time in 13 months despite the government warning otherwise.
“The February 2020 flood was a rare one-in-20 year event they said,’’ North Parramatta Residents’ Action Group spokeswoman Suzette Meade said.
“And just over a year later this flood looks like it will be even higher.”
Ms Meade urged the government to build the museum at the Cumberland Hospital precinct instead.
“The river levels flooding the Powerhouse site mirror the height of the state government’s stubbornness to concede this is the wrong site for Parramatta’s long awaited museum — on many levels,’’ she said.
“It’s not too late for Minister for Planning, Rob Stokes to grab the reigns of this runaway horse and lead the government’s cultural commitment to save the 26 hectare Cumberland Hospital precinct – which is high and dry today.”
Powerhouse Museum Alliance Kylie Winkworth said the floods would pose a risk for the museum’s collections.
“It is difficult to understand the intransigence of the Berejiklian Government approving the Parramatta museum development in a known flood zone, with a design which will have high velocity flood waters two to three metres deep flowing underneath the building,’’ she said.
“After spending millions on consultants, the government still can’t demonstrate that the development will be safe for visitors or the museum’s collections.”
But Parramatta Powerhouse Community Alliance chairman Christopher Brown dismissed the concerns.
“This is yet another outrageous and misguided attempt to keep western Sydney from having its first world-class museum,’’ he said.
“The focus right now should be on the real flood issues in the northwest Sydney, not some fake news campaign being driven by politics and media columnists.
“The hysteria of the critics — many who’ve probably never been to Parramatta, or seen the plans for the Powerhouse — needs to stop.
“The best engineers are making sure that the ground floor of the new museum is above the one-in-1000-year flood level.”
Powerhouse Trust president Peter Collins said the weekend floods would not have come within four metres of the future Powerhouse Parramatta ground floor.
He said analysis by engineering and flood specialists ARUP indicated the flood water would have only just entered the riverfront undercroft, an area underneath the new museum not used by the public.
“Powerhouse Parramatta will be a very safe building for people to visit and for the collection to be exhibited,’’ he said.
ARUP’s business leader David Harding said: “Our analysis shows it would take a river flood event worse than any ever recorded for river flood water to get into the ground floor of the new museum.”
Parramatta SES on Sunday declared the situation was under control as they now shift their focus on being deployed in the Hawkesbury-Nepean region.
Volunteers responded to 37 jobs as of 6.30pm on Saturday when residents sought assistance for leaking roofs and flooded homes across the region including Epping, Toongabbie, Pendle Hill, Northmead, Toongabbie and Carlingford.
On Saturday, two drivers in a ute and sedan were each stuck in their vehicles at the Woodville Rd, Church St and Parramatta Rd intersection near the Vauxhall Inn, Granville, after driving through a dip in the road.
SES crew member David Henry said the water had subsided and the occupants were out safely by the time volunteers attended.
“It’s a regular occurrence,’’ he said.
“There’s a large dip in the road and people drive through thinking it’s not as deep as it looks.’’
At Clyde, SES crews witnessed one careless driver head through flood waters in a sedan at Kay St. Parramatta Council has since closed the road.
“It’s extremely important not to drive through flood waters and risk the lives of rescuers,’’ unit commander Tim Dykes said.
He said the weekend was quieter than expected but crews continued to monitor gauges along the Parramatta River.
“Things are under control and we are focusing our rescues on the Hawkesbury-Nepean,’’ he said.
“This event has been much quieter for us.’’
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