Powerhouse Parramatta

I object in the strongest terms possible to the destruction of the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo and the erection of a 'faux' Powerhouse at Parramatta.
The proposal is cultural vandalism of an iconic Museum which has been part of the Ultimo area for more than a 100 years and means so much to so many people.
It is similar to the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan by the Taliban, the detonation of the sacred Aboriginal WA site by Rio Tinto in that the Museum at Ultimo portrays our history and what is proposed at Parramatta will never be able to display the type of objects found in the Powerhouse.
What point is there in having the Boulton & Watt engine if it lies in pieces in storage? (I believe the Smithsonian Institute covets it).
If the Ultimo Powerhouse Museum is destroyed it will rank in history with the Garden Palace Fire. But it will be a deliberate destruction of a well-loved, irreplaceable Sydney icon by the Berejiklian Government which also involves destruction of Parramatta's heritage.
I weep at this proposal.

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta project for the reasons listed below:
- The destruction of heritage buildings known as Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces. These buildings have such a large social history relevant to Parramatta and are rare examples of architecture that no longer exist within the local CBD. Their loss will mean a loss of sense of place and character that makes Parramatta unique, and the fact that this hasn't been adequately studies and reported on the EIS is concerning.
- Flood risks and accessibility. The flood risks to the riverbank site have been well documented and the government's solution to this issue by making the building a milk crate on stilts is beyond laughable, especially considering the accessibility issues that have since been reported in the media where it's been revealed that the public may have trouble from getting into the building.
- This new development is not a museum, let alone a new "Powerhouse Museum". What was promised for Parramatta is not what they'll be receiving. What is essentially proposed is a "Western Sydney Carriageworks" that will only provide a token gesture of the MAAS collection, whilst the rest of it is dispersed or stored away forever. Meanwhile the majority of the site will be dedicated to non-museum related functions that have little relevance to the city's - and by extension the nation's - arts, culture and technological heritage. And on top of that, the current Ultimo site will be permanently destroyed for property development, meaning Sydney will be left without a proper Applied Arts and Sciences museum forever.
- The "move" will cost $1.5 billion, when less than half this budget could provide Parramatta with its own purpose built museum relevant to the area's history, leaving the Ultimo site as is. Unfortunately this is conflict with the government's ideological and money-driven agenda at destroying our culture and heritage for a short term gain...
Well I say no more! I demand this project be halted immediately, the current museum be kept at its current site in Ultimo and upgraded, with a new museum planned for Parramatta, possibly within the Fleet St heritage precinct. This project is a massive mistake to proceed with.

I OBJECT TO THE POWERHOUSE PARRAMATTA PROJECT
We need to retain some links to our heritage for future generations to enjoy.

The loss of Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces means Parramatta will have no other examples of these types of heritage properties left. Imagine if it was proposed to demolish the last terrace housing in Ultimo or Paddington - that would not be allowed.
The site is flood prone.
The expense in removing the collection from Ultimo is unnecessary - a museum could be built on another site showcasing items held in storage in Castle Hill or it could be a local area museum.
The design is not primarily for a museum but for commercial and residential uses.

I object to the Parramatta Powerhouse project.
I grew up in the Parramatta area, and the heritage buildings, including Willow Grove and the St George Terraces, contributed greatly to the Parramatta CBD's unique feeling of history and culture. As a kid, going on school trips to Parramatta was exciting because of these heritage buildings, which were a visceral and visual connection to the area's past.
The Parramatta Powerhouse project will destroy these beautiful and significant heritage buildings and has made no attempt to consider or understand the huge impact this will have on the community. It would be a terrible and hurtful irony for the people of Parramatta to loose significant pieces of their built architectural history in order to gain a modern museum.
I whole heartedly object to the demolition of the Willow Grove and the St George terraces and urge you to reconsider the designs for the Powerhouse Museum project to create a structure that preserves Parramatta's history.

I object to the Powerhouse Museum at Parramatta. The demolition of heritage buildings to build a museum on flood affected land is against all financial and moral reason. Parramatta until recently had numerous heritage buildings and large mature trees. This is what Parramatta was all about, a link to our past. However, over the past 15 years, much of the old Parramatta has been obliterated, with older low rise buildings and mature trees removed to build high rise buildings that cover entire blocks, leaving no area for greenery. The current plans for the Powerhouse will demolish more heritage buildings and more greenery. Visitors will not want to come to a waste land.
I have worked in Parramatta since 2006 and in that time the city has changed for the worse. I have had to change the way I walk to work as the removal of trees has impacted on the heat island effect of the city. On a summer day it is impossible to find shade to walk in, with the heat reflection burning through your shoes. In winter, the high rise buildings block all sun from the streets. Centenary Square is the worst example of an upgrade of a square I have ever witnessed with the removal of mature trees and the children's playground. It used to be a meeting place for all ages, but not now. The light rail plans include the removal of more mature trees in the area.
I believe that no one will want to visit Parramatta to visit the Powerhouse Museum as it is an unattractive concrete jungle. The heat in summer without trees and shade would be deterrent enough. There would be more merit in conserving the heritage buildings and creating a link to the past through preservation. Retaining heritage buildings creates more tourism dollars than knocking them down and replacing them with concrete and glass structures that do not even suit the purpose they were built for. Building from other eras attract tourists, which is why The Rocks is so popular. I think that to continue with the plan to move the Powerhouse Museum in spite of huge community opposition and financial blowouts before it is even built is a sign of a government that has lost its way with common-sense. Parramatta does not need another concrete monstrosity. It needs to retain its integrity as a major part of our history and heritage and that means retaining and working with what we already have not knocking down everything in sight.

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta project for a number of reasons:

1. The existing Powerhouse Museum is an excellent example of adaptive reuse of a heritage building and the winner of the 1988 Sulman award for architecture. It is intrinsically linked to its permanent exhibits - the use of onsite steam generation of the Boulton and Watt steam engine being one example and the purpose-built hall for aircraft, including the Consolidated Catalina flying boat being another. The movement and breakup of this collection will detract from its coherence and purpose of showing the evolution of industry and the sciences in Australia and abroad. The available plans for the new museum at Parramatta make no mention of keeping all of the current permanent displays intact, rather implying an ongoing and permanently changing exhibition space that will also cater for corporate functions and concerts.

2. The cost of moving the larger components of the collection is excessive and there is no guarantee that damage will not occur, particularly as it seems that much of the existing permanent display may be moved into storage.

3. The new site is located in a flood zone - there will be a significant number of occasions into the future when it will not be properly acccessible from the river-frontage due to flooding. Accordingly the new building has no proper "entrances" and thus is likely to alienate its users.

4. The Parramatta site plans involve the unnecessary demolition of two heritage structures - "Willow Grove" and "St Georges Terrace". Neither of these forms of architecture or colonial history are present elsewhere in Parramatta CBD. It is not sufficient to suggest that the loss of irreplaceable heritage is mitigated by the provision of a new cultural facility - the two should not be traded off against each other. We have already lost the Royal Oak hotel to the light rail (apparently not a "heritage item" and therefore sacrificable, in spite of its age and cultural importance as a "football pub" for the Eels and Wanderers) and there are plans to remove many mature trees and impact on the heritage Cumberland Hospital site owing to the light rail construction. I am not against development per se and applaud the construction of cultural and public transport projects - but not at any cost.

5. I am a local Parramatta resident and firmly believe that Parramatta deserves a new museum, but I believe it should be located on the heritage site of the Female Factory - again the opportunity presents itself for adaptive reuse of this superb collection of colonial and Georgian buildings that have cultural significance for both white settlement and Indigenous history. The light rail will be nearby, the land is above the usual flood zone and the opportunity exists to perhaps create a National Museum of Indigenous History which would have great value to locals and visitors alike and is likely to be a bigger drawcard for tourists, given its unique character than the proposed Parramatta Powerhouse.

6. Given the enormous expenditure proposed in the move of the Powerhouse museum, and especially so in a time of economic downturn, surely more could be achieved with less - a modest upgrade of the Ultimo and Castle Hill sites, a large new Indigenous Museum in Parramatta and possibly the purchase and restoration of the Roxy Theatre in Parramatta for stage and concert productions would all seem possible for considerably less than the amounts quoted in the Powerhouse to Parramatta proposal.

Ian Piercy
Toongabbie

I OBJECT TO THE POWERHOUSE PARRAMATTA PROJECT.
I am appalled that some more of Sydney’s history is going to be demolished In Parramatta.
First the Royal Oak Hotel with over 200 years history was demolished and now Willowgrove and St George’s Terrace are going along the same route. Demolition.
Willowgrove has a history of being a maternity hospital in Parramatta for three decades. Many of Parramatta’s residents have an affiliation with this building because of this reason.
Our government is destroying our early history in demolishing these buildings.
Willowgrove and St George’s Terrace are rare examples of this style of architecture and need to be maintained in Parramatta.
Please leave these buildings standing to be an example of our early Australian history. Turn them into a museum for us to walk through and enjoy remembering just what early settlement in the district was really like.

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta project.
It is not the right time or economic climate to spend significant amounts of money on this project.
I support a new museum at Parramatta (or elsewhere in the western suburbs), however I consider the current proposal to be inappropriate for many reasons including:
The likelihood of flooding on the site
The cost of relocating exhibits from Ultimo
The loss of those exhibits from the Sydney location and subsequent loss of amenity, income and tourism for the Ultimo site
and importantly the inevitable destruction of Willow Grove, leading to a loss of sense of place and character of Parramatta (why was this property not fully considered in the EIS?)
There has been significant heritage destruction in Parramatta, making it vital to retain Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces for the community's
sense of place, as they are rare examples of architecture that no longer exist in Parramatta CBD.
Thank you for your consideration.

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta project. I object on several grounds, put simply - value for money (no one could claim this is value for money!) and destruction of heritage (which actually goes against the values of the Powerhouse I'm sure!).
In slightly more detail:
As long time resident (at one point) in the general area near Parramatta I object on the basis of the destruction of heritage. Western Sydney has very little of heritage value preserved and this project is going to see the destruction of yet more. The properties (Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces) to be destroyed have value that cannot be replaced. There has already been a great many historical buildings in Parramatta destroyed or devalued in the past 10-15 years and it needs to stop.
As a taxpayer I object to the absolutely appalling issues with this in terms of wasting public money. To any reasonable person this project is not fiscally responsible and the chosen site is also unsuitable for many reason (destruction of heritage, flood potential, located in an area not as equipped for tourism).
The plans for the project are also clearly showing no value for money. The cost, to get something clearly LESS suitable, is ridiculous. The timeframe and closure of existing facility are also appalling.
The powerhouse museum is absolutely important but its values actually conflict with the proposed destruction of heritage which is the absolute irony in this situation.

 I OBJECT TO THE POWERHOUSE PARRAMATTA PROJECT.

I have resided in the Parramatta district for 40 years where I studied and taught history for 36 years. I strongly object to the museum proposal and the destruction of Willowgrove and St George’s Terrace.

The Powerhouse Museum is a valuable and unique collection of our technological and industrial history housed and displayed in a historically appropriate setting in Ultimo and it should stay there. It has become obvious that the proposed new museum at Parramatta will not be able to house this collection so, in fact, Parramatta will not be the site of the Powerhouse Museum collection but something else entirely. I fear this unique collection that I have visited many times over the last 50 years (when it used to be the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences) will not be available to my grand children to wonder at and to learn from as I did.

Parramatta deserves better than this.

We have in our own heritage buildings a wonderful setting for our own unique museum. Instead the government seems intent on destroying some of those buildings, notably Willowgrove and St George’s Terrace in order to build a museum. The irony is obvious to everyone but the government! And the “museum” looks to be more like a function centre and shopping mall than a real museum.

Parramatta does not need a dumbed down poor excuse for a museum.

Parramatta is becoming like any other city, anywhere. We are losing the buildings that make Parramatta unique and with that goes the loss of a sense of history in the city that was the “second settlement”. Recently we have lost The Royal Oak and the War Memorial Swimming Pool and the whole character of the North Parramatta Heritage Precinct is under threat from overdevelopment. There are no other buildings like Willowgrove and St George’s Terrace in Parramatta. They and what they represent about our past must be preserved and certainly not sacrificed for an inadequate museum.

The character of our city is being recklessly changed. The Powerhouse collection is being dismantled. The people of Parramatta and of NSW more generally have been betrayed by this government.

Please keep the museum where it is and SAVE WILLOWGROVE!

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta project. As a former resident of Parramatta and growing up in Parramatta I came to respect and admire the local historical locations in the area. In a time when Sydney has lost so much of its history this should not be repeated in Parramatta. I object on a number of points.
1. The development is inappropriate for the location.
2. That development in not in keeping with the surrounding environment.
3. The size and design of the building is an over development of the area and not in scale with its environment.
4. The construction will destroy several historical sites in the area that can not be replaced including Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces a vital connection the the past in the Parramatta area
5. There has been a total disregard for public opinion in the approval process.

I object to the Parramatta Powerhouse project:
- it will destroy valuable historic buildings.
- it is not wanted in Parramatta, certainly not at that site.
- it is a waste of money. Build a hospital or a school instead - or reduce taxes!
I grew up in Parramatta. I’m 68 and still live there. I love economic progress and cultural development. I am not a nutter. I know more than most what’s best for the local area. I know that might doesn’t make right, but seriously, EVERYONE is in agreement with me. Come for a drive around Parramatta with me - I’ll show you what connection to one’s neighbourhood means.

I object to the proposed Power House Museum in Parramatta.
I grew up in Parramatta and are very familiar with the site and surrounding areas
The proposed site is totally inappropriate and unsuitable for the Museum because
it is flood affected ,
has no room to expand .
will have inadequate parking facilities
the access/surrounding roads are to narrow for the additional traffic likely to be created
cant house important displays from the current museum
requires demolition of historic buildings in Parramatta( of which there are too few remaining ) ,
the cost will be disproportionate to the benefit ,
Parramatta should have a more relevant Musuem provided (in addition to leaving the Power House where it currently is ).,if it cant remain at Ultimo a more suitable location should be found outside the Parramatta CBD
Relocating the Museum to the proposed site is a really DUMB move and has not been properly or sensibly considered

Hi,
I think the demolishing of Willow Grove is a big mistake on multiple fronts.
- The cost of relocating the contents of the powerhouse museum.
- Losing such a historic building that cannot be brought back. It’s a beautiful building and deserves to be kept for future generations.
- The astronomic cost of building the new museum.

The current government has shown that they are great fans of wasting money and resources that would be better off used elsewhere. They have no appreciation for history, nature or the NSW people. That is evident with the bushfires - cutting the funding to the fire services and the failure that is the Sydney light rail.
When I was younger my gran would take me to parramatta park. I have fond memories of my gran and Willow Grove. It would be devastating to have those memories tarnished by its unnecessary demolishment.

I do sincerely hope that this plan is reconsidered and cancelled.

Thank you for your time.

Please find attached EES comments in response

I have worked in Parramatta for 12 years and am very familiar with the heritage buildings and the value of this cultural heritage story to the identity of Parramatta. I strongly object to destroying Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces to make way for an inappropriate building. The proposed Powerhouse Museum is poorly designed, will not support the full collection or display it in an appropriate fashion. The building itself is sitting on a flood prone riverbank and will be prone to inundation resulting in damp damage to the collection. The exoskeleton of lattice is out of keeping with the heritage of the site and is already dated - a 90's look that has been surpassed by sleeker and more contemporary design in other parts of the world. I also object to moving the Powerhouse from its current site where the full collection is appropriately displayed in an accessible manner. The proposed Parramatta Powerhouse is not a world class museum but an entertainment complex. I would support a smaller and more cleverly designed museum on the site that is dedicated to one purpose - say astronomy and space. This would save the incredible cost of trying to move the large display items in the existing Powerhouse, would be less imposing and out of character with Parramatta and allow the retention and restoration of Willowgrove and St Georges Terrace. I also find it incomprehensible that the proposed building does not provide any parking. How will schools parties park the school bus, how are the projected visitors from inner Sydney expected to get to the site if not by car and where will they leave the car on arrival without a carpark? This whole project is badly planned and inappropriate in every respect. The design has no relevance to the early history of Parramatta and no reference to the Indigenous heritage of Parramatta. It will not support the collection and will cost a fortune to build at a time when the money would be best spent on other appropriate projects. Stop now before you do irreparable damage to Parramatta and to the Powerhouse as well as our collective Sydney heritage.

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta project.

Our city has already lost much of it's historical buildings and connections to early settlement with the Parramatta CBD area particularly lacking in heritage buildings, it is almost ironic that such heritage would be demolished to construct a museum and commercial complex.
It also seems counter intuitive to spend the amount of money planned to relocate an existing museum to a site where the total climate controlled space is reduced from almost 22000 square meters to 5800 square meters, with no space designated for a conservation lab, the largest areas being at risk of a 1 in 100 year flood, no collection storage space, inadequate loading dock and parking and no consideration given to the powerhouse museums largest collection items.

I have personally been a fan of the existing powerhouse museum, with many a trip there to see exhibitions with my family during my childhood and adult life, Those larger items in their collection being favorites of mine, with seemingly no way to exhibit larger items in this new complex I fail to see how I may one day pass the same experiences I had as a child to my own children.

In short the development is inadequately designed, in no way an improvement for the powerhouse museum and destroys important social and architectural heritage of our countries second oldest city. All for a development that cant decide what its meant to be.

I OBJECT TO THE POWERHOUSE PARRAMATTA in that we should not be destroying the history and heritage of the Parramatta area in this way. "Willow Grove" is a beautiful historic house with a powerful history of helping women in the biggest event of their lives - becoming mothers. This is a powerful history and a story that needs to be protected and told. Fundamental flaws have also been listed in the plans for the new museum, which does not allow enough space for the museum and seeks to incorporate other things to the extreme disadvantage of the museum. I object to the loss of our built history and the loss therefore of the cultural heritage of the surrounding area. People need to understand where they have come from, and to appreciate that to understand and to be able to cope with the future. We need to be firmly grounded in our history in order to perpetuate our future. If you demolish buildings of the past such as Willow Grove, you lose a unique tie to the past and one that can be seen, experienced, and enjoyed. Please don't move the Powerhouse Museum and please do not destroy "Willow Grove". I am a Local History Librarian by profession and I see everyday in my role in Western Australia how much our built heritage means to us. I am a proud New South Welshwoman living over here in WA and I am proud of Australia's heritage. Please keep "Willow Vale".

Yours sincerely,
Rosemary

It is disappointing that mounting opposition to the ridiculous “Milk Crate on Stilts” structure proposed for Parramatta, and laughably labelled a “museum”, has prompted (so far)140 furious comments on the MAAS Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/21145917717/posts/10158763449437718/?d=n 
Is still proceeding considering the popularity of the Powerhouse mUseum in Ultimo and the preference of the generald community for it to stay there.

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the “Powerhouse Parramatta" project, currently on display, reveals numerous fatal flaws. Based on recent meticulous analysis by museums expert Lindsay Sharp, the Powerhouse Founding Director, some of these are –
SPACE
- the project is now completely different from what was approved by Cabinet in 2018
- not a single space in either of the two buildings is specifically dedicated to museum exhibitions or the collection.
- the total public “presentation” space has shrunk from an initially stipulated 18,000m2 to 12,000m2 (compared with 21,400m2 in Ultimo), with a massive increase in commercial space. Every so-called presentation space is available for commercial hire, and designed to facilitate events and performances.
-there is only 25% of the climate controlled exhibition space that the Powerhouse has in Ultimo.
- no way has been identified for moving precious large objects into the building(s)
- there is no storage space for (any of) the collection
See Museum Expert Kylie Winkworth analysis http://tiny.cc/c0d6qz for details
COST
Project costs have blown out from $200 M (2015) to $1.4 billion - $1.8 billion (and rising!) http://tiny.cc/67d6qz
- the building cost alone is now approaching $1 billion
- unbudgeted future project costs include
- creation of storage space at Castle Hill because the “Milk Crates” cannot accommodate the Powerhouse’s unique large objects.
- the Ultimo precinct.
- the Parramatta River bridge.
- the whole collection move.
- marketing, exhibition design/installation, public relations.
- staff acquisition and training.
- conservation and restoration of objects for both move and display purposes.
BAD PLANNING
The proposed structure is NOT a recognisable museum, CAN’T operate as a museum, and it would be impossibly costly if this were attempted because
- the flood amelioration budget has been cut, increasing risks for contents and for visitors.
- almost entire loss of functional office space for staff, of back-of house working space and adequate “vertical transportation” (lifts and escalators) for visitors, staff and materials.
- a single loading dock (down from two) for all commercial and cleaning activities will destroy the high sanitation standards required by museological functions.
The dock must serve two buildings, events for up to 10,000 people, 10 cafes and bars, a retail hall, 40 apartments, a school boarding house, the bump in bump out for concerts, a cinema, conferences and commercial hire, museum objects on hire rotation and international travelling exhibitions, along with food waste, laundry and rubbish...
There is not one parking space, and not even a loading zone.
In summary, this proposal is an insult to both Parramatta and Inner Sydney. It’s NOT A MUSEUM - not even the “museum” initially promised and I recommend leaving the Powerhouse Museum where it is, that is in Ultimo.