Powerhouse Parramatta

I strongly object to the Powerhouse Parramatta project for the following reasons -
1. The moving of the Powerhouse Museum is a ridiculous waste of money, especially in these uncertain times of the Covid 19 Pandemic;
2. The Powerhouse is in an excellent purpose built location and does not need to be moved;
3. the need to demolish heritage buildings Willow Grove Villa and St Georges Terraces to build the ‘Powerhouse Parramatta’. Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces are rare examples of architecture that no longer exist
in Parramatta CBD and should be retained. These buildings need to be saved and showcased rather than demolished;
4. Social history and the loss of sense of place and character of Parramatta
are important to raise as they have not been adequately studied and reported on in the Environmental Impact Statement.

I object to the powerhouse Parramatta project.
To me there does not seem to me to be any benefit to the people of New South Wales or people in the Parramatta area.
The current powerhouse museum has beautiful exhibition spaces and is a place I love to visit.
Moving the museum to Parramatta to a flood plain makes no sense. It will not have space to exhibit everything that is on display in the city and it is likely the exhibits will get damaged when the area inevitably floods again.
It also makes no sense to demolish historic buildings such as Willow grove which there are no other examples of in Parramatta CBD. To replace with another boring modern building.
It appears the only reason the government is moving the Powerhouse museum is to sell the land in the city to private development.
This would destroy a wonderful museum and memory of my childhood I hope to share with my children. It is also a massive waste of taxpayers money.
Please reconsider the plan to move the powerhouse museum to Parramatta and keep it where it is!

I declare I have not made any reportable political donations.

Please listen to the people of New South Wales and don't waste taxpayers money on an unnecessary move.
Keep the Powerhouse Museum where it is.

I wish to strongly object to the proposed relocation of the Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta. I am not a member of any political party, nor have I donated to any such party. Apart from the high cost of the proposed move there is the danger of causing damage to priceless objects such as the Boulton and Watt engine, unique in the world. This is especially ridiculous when the proposed new museum will have less exhibit space than the current one. The only people to benefit will be those living on the western line, all others will be disadvantaged. School excursions in particular will be affected. Central Station is within a short walk to the current museum and most railway lines run through Central. Thus it is easy for schools say on the Hornsby or Sutherland or Campbelltown line to plan an excursion to the current museum. If they have to travel to Central and then take a further journey to Parramatta they are unlikely to do so. Cruise liners berth at Circular Quay whence it is a short trip to the Powerhouse. Visitors to Sydney mostly stay in CBD hotels a short trip by public transport to the Powerhouse. Tourists prefer convenience and it is unlikely many will decide to travel to Parramatta to visit the proposed new site, particularly if some of the current displays are not available. Thus tourist visits can be expected to decline rather than increase.
Many have correctly pointed out that there are enough exhibits at the Discovery Centre at Castle Hill to fill a Powerhouse 2 as many overseas museums have done. However, there are other options to provide a cultural centre for Parramatta. Melbourne has an excellent Immigration Museum, Sydney has nothing similar. Parramatta would be an ideal site for such a museum as many migrants have settled in the western suburbs. There are many such ways to provide Parramatta with a cultural centre but not at the expense of destroying what already is a valuable asset to Sydney.

I wish to object in the strongest terms to the proposed closure of the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo and the construction of the proposed new facility at Parramatta.
During my 40 year career with the NSW Public Works Department I had the privilege of being part of the team that documented and built the Powerhouse and for two years I was one of many that put our hearts and souls into the project. The highlight of my input was, without doubt, project managing the display and installation of the Boulton Watt engine. I can still recall the day that the installation was complete, the new high tech boiler installed remotely to provide steam to this engine and others in the collection was fired up, and the Boulton Watt came to life.
For 122 years the citizens of our great city have found entertainment, enlightenment and education at this iconic institution in Harris Street, Ultimo. Its vast holdings embrace science, technology, social history and an encyclopaedic collection of decorative arts and design, making it a cultural institution unique in Australia.
The Ultimo Power House was brilliantly repurposed just 30 years ago as a world class museum. Since it opened in 1988 the museum building and its exhibitions have won numerous awards. The project was a major investment for the people of New South Wales That investment will be squandered if the museum’s site is sold to developers.
The Powerhouse Museum is a vital part of the Ultimo education and innovation precinct. The new Goods Line walkway, light rail, and existing public transport ensure that the museum is easily accessed by visitors to Darling Harbour and the city.
We support the creation of a distinctive ‘cultural beacon’ in Parramatta, but to transport a pared-back, small scale Powerhouse would be folly.
Western Sydney deserves better – a unique institution shaped by community consultation, one that reflects the history, achievements and cultural diversity of the region and the aspirations of its people.
Nowhere else in the world are governments moving major museums away from the heart of their cities. Instead they are building satellite museums to display the collections of their great museums. The Powerhouse has the collections with which to create an original, exciting new museum for Western Sydney without abandoning its historic home.

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta Project in its current form. My family has a long history in the Parramatta area being one of the original significant families who settled in the area. Many of my ancestors were married in St John’s, many are buried in the cemeteries that surround the Parramatta CBD.

My mother spent her childhood in Parramatta, living in many houses throughout the area with her widowed mother. I myself started my married life living in Parramatta and I worked there for many years. Willow Grove and the St Georges Terraces, along with buildings like the Roxy Theatre, the Female Factory and Parramatta Jail are all historically significant buildings within Parramatta which should be protected by our State Government, not destroyed.

These buildings and the stories of the people who occupied them represent our heritage. Imagine if these stories are lost to future generations what a travesty that would be. My 4th Great Grandfather was William Mobbs, a convict who by 1802 had already acquired his first grant of land. It was a 30 acre grant in the Field of Mars, of which 26 acres had already been cleared, even and a half acres where under wheat and maize and the family owned 44 sheep, 19 horned cattle, 15 goats and 2 hogs. Not only was William Mobbs successful with his cattle and orchard, he also excelled at growing wheat. It would seem from the types of things people wrote about William Mobbs and his land, he could do no wrong. He grew from strength to strength and after 40 years in the colony of New South Wales he was a well-respected citizen with his past faults forgotten.

William Mobbs died at Pennant Hills on the 25th September 1839 aged 76. He was buried on the 28th September 1839 at St Johns Parramatta.

The continual removal of historically significant buildings within the Parramatta area is very distressing. Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces are buildings which have cultural and historical significance and which should be preserved, not demolished.

I am not opposed to the museum moving to Parramatta, however, I think there could be a much more historically sensitive design that embraces and a celebrates the past by incorporating these properties within the design and acknowledging their significance. Whilst not the subject of this submission, the fact that the state government has recently demolished the Royal Oak Hotel which existed in the time of my 4th Great Grandfather is nothing short of a disgrace. Please do not continue to remove our heritage and history for the sake of building “new shiny things”.

Incorporating historical buildings in new buildings, for example, the Westin Hotel in Martin Place in Sydney’s CBD, can product amazing and beautiful results and would satisfy both the need to provide new facilities whilst acknowledging and protecting the heritage of our past.

I have not made any reportable political donations.

I OBJECT TO THE POWERHOUSE PARRAMATTA due to its impact on heritage buildings.

I am proudly Australian and I believe that our heritage should be PROTECTED.

We have little enough history as it is, to destroy it is not what the public wants and is an irresponsible use of power.

There are many development sites but not many heritage sites – please do not destroy our heritage for the sake of a multi-million-dollar sale.

I am unconvinced that we need a new Powerhouse Museum at all but if we did, it would be logical to move it out, not into Parramatta.

Please ensure that our history remains for future generations.

Please note that I have not made any reportable political donations in the past 50 years.

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta.
Firstly I would like to state I have not made a political donation. I do consent to my name being used in the support to keep this historical icon on Parramatta soil.

I lived in the Parramatta district for 10 years as a university student and worker. When I first arrived I was told the city was derelict and full of crime (2010) by my father who grew up in the city in the 60s, 70s and 80s. However every trip I made into Parramatta felt like a less crowded version of Sydney city - for me an outsider at the time that was a win, my dad was wrong about Parramatta, at least in 2010 (and obviously in 2020).
The city has it's own set of highrises, office complexes, fountains and public spaces, art galleries and theatres and community events like Parramasala. It truly does have it all. But it was Parramatta Lanes festival (my favourite event) that first introduced me to WillowGrove. This building looks like it belongs in a fairytale book, and the surreal feelings I had when walking into the building during the Parramatta Lanes festival will very much stay with me for the rest of my life.
I don't see buildings like this much anymore and it would be a shame if my children would in turn be denied the right all together to experience a Victorian building in it's standing glory. Can we keep the city unique? Can we keep the city fun to explore, full of mysterious history alongside the new?

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta project because I am TIRED of seeing unique legacy buildings being torn down across the city and state. I am tired of culturally significant icons with a long history that in itself stands as a museum (ironically).

Thanks for the platform to express my objection. Let us find a way to make Parramatta historical and contemporary.

Could I add my voice to the tidal wave of objections regarding the moving of the Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta.
This is such a vandalism of our culture and heritage and I cannot believe it is still being considered despite the overwhelming rejection of the idea by the vast majority of Sydneysiders.
By all means build a museum or cultural centre in Parramatta but PLEASE leave the majestic Powerhouse Museum where it is.

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta Project.

I do not object to Parramatta having a Powerhouse Museum. I do object to the city Powerhouse being closed down and a new one being built at Parramatta instead. I fail to see why we cannot have a second Powerhouse museum at Parramatta.

I am horrified that some of our heritage is going to be knocked down for the Parramatta Project. One of the bleakest parts of Sydney history is the loss of heritage buildings - too many to enumerate. Yet, here we are in 2020, about to lose yet another unique and wonderful building with the loss of Willow Grove.

As a child I remember Parramatta with its colonial buildings. Admittedly I was a child of the 50"s. My grandparents lived at Beecroft and a visit to Parramatta was an important occasion. My grandparents would point out the beautiful buildings and back then "I'll send you to Parramatta Girls Home" was still a threat.

We had a cousin who was a dentist who purchased one of the old homes in Parramatta and restored it. So distressed was he with the destruction of old buildings in the 60's that he and his family left Australia and migrated to England where he lived in a 400 year old house which could never be destroyed.

So much destruction of old buildings has already taken place. Surely we have learned and we are about preserving our history.

Yes. Build another museum and maybe not on a flood plain. Please do not destroy the Ultimo museum. I will admit to having close links to the Ultimo museum. My parents lived in Macarthur Street, Ultimo. They had moved from the country in the early 80's and couldn't believe their luck when this magnificent facility was built at the end of the street. I cannot bear to look at the rampart development around the site now.

There is a chance to make something special in Parramatta but not on that site and not by destroying the few heritage buildings which remain.

Firstly I will state I have not made any political donations of any kind. I am a Sydney resident who has resided in Parramatta and now lives within close proximity of it.
And I OBJECT to Powerhouse Parramatta Project.
I do so for a number of reasons:
• I object due to the unnecessary destruction of heritage in Parramatta. The heritage of Parramatta is integral to the story of our nation and of our state. We need to preserve these places and buildings of historical significance in order to preserve and share that story with future generations. As a young family we use our weekends to explore such places with our children to give them a connection to the past that was built for their future. When you destory these places, you destroy peoples understanding, knowledge and experience with the history of our people and our country.
• As a former maternity hospital, the destruction of Willow Grove shows the governments innate disregard for women's history and the important role such homes and hospitals played in the lives of women throughout history. Women are already underrepresented in the history of this nation. Both in records and in academia. To destroy one of the few existing places that are a poignant reminder of women's history in our nation speaks volumes about our state government. I personally believe that to destroy such a unique place would only show how little regard our government has for the place and contribution of women to our nation.
• The beauty of Parramatta is found in the history still preserved there. There is no justifiable cause to destroy that heritage in order to build a museum space that will not provide adequate museum opportunities for the community. In addition, the powerhouse is ideally situated in the city, incorporating a heritage building. I object to taxpayers money being used to unnecessarily move a cultural space that is in an ideal position currently. Once heritage is destroyed it cannot be rebuilt or reclaimed. However, a new build can be constructed anywhere. LEAVE OUR HERITAGE BUILDINGS ALONE!
• I object because I believe it will have a detrimental cultural impact by destroying significant cultural pieces in order to build not a museum but an event space that is unnecessary. The character of Parramatta will be irrevocably reduced by this project and as a supporter of the arts, I would have no desire to support the museum any longer should it proceed.
• As a descendant of a former midwife who worked in hospitals such as Willow Grove, I value that it is one of the last remaining examples of this most important work in our nation. WE NEED OUR HERITAGE AND WHEN YOU DESTROY THESE PLACES WE LOSE OUR SENSE OF PLACE, OUR SENSE OF HISTORY, OUR SENSE OF WHO WE ARE. Please do not do this.

I object to the Powehouse Parramatta.I have two reasons for making this objection.Firstly,personal regarding the loss of Willow Grove.Secondly,cultural regarding the loss of the Powerhouse Museum from its Ultimo site.My family have lived in historic Sorrell Street in North Parramatta since 1937.Two of my three siblings and myself still call Parramatta home.That beautiful Italianate villa has always been part of old Parramatta,along with Hiawatha and Subiaco,two outstanding buildings of great quality now long lost to seemingly relentless development.We really need to take a stand before this villa two is lost from Parramatta's ever dwindling cultural history.There is a personal connection also to Willow Grove.Both of my sisters entered the world there when the villa was functioning as a maternity hospital.Along with so many local residents,none of us want to see the building reduced to rubble,trashing both memories and streetscape.

As for moving a world class museum from its own historic site,it defies comprehension that any government would even consider breaking up and moving irreplaceable exhibits like a complete,working steam engine,with all the great expense and risk that move would incur.In none of the papers released so far is any credible case made to support this government's claim that it makes both financial and political sense to demolish a complete,functioning museum and move a colossal collection out to western Sydney.Yes,Parramatta could use its own museum but it is hardly an urgent priority and can wait until another site is found,away from a flood prone riverbank,and not necessitating the loss of one of our few remaining historic gems.

This project is unsupported by any substantive business plan and appears to be a grossly expensive demolition of an established and world famous industrial museum which could be called Australia's mini Smithsonian.
There is no doubt that Parramatta deserves a substantive museum as has been requested by many Parramatta community organisations along the lines of the history of the early colony , in which the local area played a vital role and which could be located in colonial buildings of that time. Consideration ot our First Nation peoples would also suit the needs.
The proposed building has little archictural merit and also fails many of the features required of a a substantive museum including permanent display area ( 10% -25% of the existing Ultimo building, storage areas, airconditioning and design appropriate for an industrial museum

The claims of two million visitors is ridiculous , given the remote location from Sydney based tourists and the easy access of the Ultimo site to all of the Great Sydney area and its location close to the tourist/entertainment area of Darling Harbour. The number claimed cannot be supported , given that annual visitors to the Art Gallery of NSW is only one million a year and 750,000 to the Ultimo site.
Schools across Sydney use excursions to the area where the two accessible museums of the PowerHouse and the Australian Maritime Museum can be visited in the same day

Spending well over one billion dollars at this period is clearly stupid given that the end result is the destruction of a unique accessible museum and its replacement by a glitzy pleasure palace without any serious heritage or conservation prospects. This project is almost universally condemned by museum administrators and conservators.
The people of Parramatta were given no choice in the decisions leading to this monstrosity given that a non local administrator made the decisions!

I strongly oppose the closing down of the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo and its relocation to Parramatta. It is a monumental desecration of a Sydney cultural icon by a tone deaf NSW Government, more concerned about appeasing property development interests. There is no reason why Parramatta cannot have its own cultural facilities without having to put at risk priceless exhibits, a curated experience and decades of history in the collections at the Powerhouse museum.
For the budget specified - build Parramatta its own cultural facility and leave our Powerhouse Museum alone.

I object to this project for many reasons. 1: it is totally unnecessary. The existing museum is popular and nobody in the general public has asked for the move. The government has made no serious case for the move or said what will happen at the Ultimo site. Many people fear that the whole motive is to destroy the existing buildings and to sell the site to some kind of commercial entity for building of more tall buildings that will have a deleterious effect on the precinct. 2. Even as proposed, it would be ridiculously expensive - especially in such drastic economic circumstances as we now face. From experience, we can be absolutely certain that the cost will be vastly higher than suggested by the government. 3. It would be cheaper to build a new museum in Parramatta from scratch, possibly as a branch of the Powerhouse or fully independent. That would have the virtue of saving some historic Parramatta buildings from destruction, while also making a new institution directly relevant to the history of Parramatta and the broader region of western Sydney. 4. The proposal has been criticised severely by very many acknowledged and outstanding experts in the fields of architecture, urban planning, history, public finance and others. Their views were not sought at the outset and have not been given enough weight since. It would be good if the government followed the experts as they did with the Covid-19 pandemic.

From the day the proposal to move the Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta was announced I have had serious concerns. Nothing that has been said or done by any NSW Government representative since then has allayed those concerns. My objection is not to the establishment of an institution in the west of Sydney. The local community there has a valid right to an attraction of the kind proposed. Rather, my objection is to the willful destruction of an existing institution at Ultimo for no good reason that has yet been published by the government. I am afraid that justifying it on the basis that the people of the the western Sydney region deserve it is not enough to warrant the vandalism that is being proposed in both Ultimo and Parramatta.
From my perspective the ideal solution would be to retain the museum at Ultimo and develop an appropriate satellite facility at a more suitable location in the western region of Sydney.
I have seen the comments today from the President of the board of trustees of the museum. The most charitable interpretation I can put on his comments is that he is obviously devoted to the museum's collection. However, to say that two of the main items currently on display at Ultimo will continue to be on display at the proposed Parramatta facility is simply sophistry. He compounds that by saying there will be another facility at Castle Hill, virtually acknowledging that there is already a demand for two separate locations. If that is the case, why not spend the money on bringing Ultimo up to date and building a new satellite institution in the west?
I can't help but feel that there is some other reason for what is being proposed which, if revealed in detail, would prove to be absolutely unacceptable to the majority of voters in NSW. So, either reveal the full details or go back to the drawing board and come up with a proposal which can be accepted by the majority of voters. The current proposal does not stand up to scrutiny on either environmental or moral grounds for either of the locations which will be impacted. My fervent hope is that sanity will prevail and the current proposal will be dumped.

I object to the Powerhouse Parramatta project. As a child I remember going to the Powerhouse as a big part of my education, it partly led me to be as innovative as I em today.
I have since become an Architect and an Urban Designer.

The thought that this place will not only be moved, but mostly packed up and stored, is just terrible.
How are the children in the future meant to experience the museum the same way?
Not only does this loses the Architecture of the Powerhouse museum, it also destroys the heritage of Willow Grove and St Georges Terraces where it is proposed to be moved to.

More so, where is the business case for this?
- How does moving a museum to a smaller space and losing a lot of its large main attractions make for a greater financial benefit?
- How does destroying a few of Sydney’s heritage buildings and making them into CBD apartments make a profit from the costing that are currently proposed. Even if we take the ethics out of this, the cost benefit does not add up. How is this a benefit to the taxpayer?
- How does this cost benefit justify selling the Power house museum site to a developer for far less than this cost of this project make sense? A corruption watchdog needs to oversee this.
- How does building any museum in flood plan make any sense at all? This is a clear-cut failure of planning.
- How does moving the Powerhouse museum to Parramatta benefit Sydney as a whole? The current Powerhouse museum as enough in storage to fill a second museum in Parramatta. Why was this not considered?

I hope these points are considered, some of them are very serious possible corruption and incompetence of planning.

Regards,
Liam Filson

I have been attending exhibitions at the powerhouse since it opened . It is the one Sydney museum where my children and then grandchildren were talked to and interacted with . It has been a wonderful Sydney asset .I do think we need a new or second museum to hold the growing exhibits that can’t all be held at castle hill and to give a museum to the west . However, I am concerned that we will have to live without this for 5 years while the parramatta museum is built. I am concerned that the static exhibit will not be present again in its current form , i.e the steam engines. I totally object to heritage buildings being lost to provide a new site. Why must we lose willow grove in the name of progress . Why can’t we have both . Why must the new museum share so much commercial space . I am concerned that if an exhibition area is also a for hire venue that the museum will lose out very time. It feels like it is being rushed . A rush to close down the existing museum , a rush to destroy heritage buildings . All without enough detail to the public. My grandchildren were devastated when they heard that they could no longer go to the powerhouse museum . My concerns are that the project should stop while all the questions that the public have can be answered .

The proposed Powerhouse museum is a monstrosity.

To take our invaluable museum from its historic and gorgeous location in Ultimo, and turning it into this monstrosity is heart braking. I grew up in Ultimo and taking our museum away makes me so sad and angry - it's just crushing.

To make matters worse, priceless historic buildings are proposed to be demolished. The hypocrisy of a museum - a place of history and culture - destroying a number of Parramatta's historical sites for its construction, says everything about this project. Just think about it, the complete destruction of history and culture (both in Ultimo and Parramatta) to create something supposedly designed for the preservation of culture and history - it is so, so dumb and hypocritical.

Parramatta deserves it's own wonderful museum. This proposal is not that. Stop putting the argument as an either/or - Ultimo and Parramatta can both have wonderful institutions.

Go and have a look at the Tate Modern, or any museums in Amsterdam and learn how museums should be done. Bigger is not better.

You are destroying my city, our city - and it is breaking my heart.

Dear Sir,

I object to the proposed development on three grounds:

First, the loss of heritage and archaeological value: The proposed development is located on a site that contains the significant 1870s two storey Victorian Italianate villa - Willow Grove and significant archaeological site; and the 1880's row of two storey terraces - St George’s Terrace and also significant archaeological site. This development site is also in the vicinity of a number of heritage properties, both locally and state listed, including Lennox Bridge (SHR 00750).
Second, the consequent loss of the existing Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo which is also a significant heritage building; with the potential for damage of numerous priceless exhibits.
Third, the enormous cost to the taxpayer of the transfer of exhibits from the existing Powerhouse Museum to the proposed development.

This development, including closure of the existing Powerhouse Museum and transfer of numerous priceless exhibits appears to be an ill-conceived plan to monetise the existing Powerhouse Museum site while at the same time destroying key elements of existing remaining heritage architecture in Paramatta. It defies belief that these proposed actions could be considered in the best interests of past, present and future citizens of Sydney, NSW and Australia. I humbly suggest that the NSW government abandon this plan in its entirety and instead consider a plan that preserves the existing Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo while build a complementary new museum in the Parramatta area on a site that does not destroy important heritage and archaeological sites.

Yours
Paul Ettema
33 Yallambee Road
Riverview NSW 2066

There are strong objections to this project from the local communities in Ultimo and Parramatta about the destruction of historic sites; from the Arts community that the move is cultural negligence; from visitors throughout Sydney and country NSW who find a location close to Central easier to access than one in Parramatta; from planners who state that the proposed new site is inappropriate due to flooding; from architects and museum designers who state that the proposed building could not house the current collection; from the donors of exhibits who do not want their donations transferred to a building that does not reflect the value of the exhibits; from the business people and accountants who do not see how the project can be financed; from the people throughout the State who would benefit from the money that is to be spent on this project when their communities are still suffering from natural disasters and cultural neglect; from the previous Board who are fearful that this prized collection will be broken up or hidden away in the Castle Hill centre; from the curators who cannot understand how the proposed building is anything more than a shopping centre with a few temporary artefacts; from much of the conservative media and I understand several members of the Coalition - all these people and groups are against the move.
Who is for it - to date - the Premier, the Mayor of Parramatta (but not the people of Parramatta ) Geoff Lee and Barney Glover?
For the cost, the Powerhouse could stay in Ultimo and a new museum appropriate to Parramatta could still be built with funds left over for the regions.
So I ask two questions to which I have not seen a satisfactory answer?
Why destroy an existing institution?
Who really benefits with the Government’s proposed scenario?