The largest cultural investment since the Sydney Opera House, the new Powerhouse Museum will be the first State cultural institution located in Western Sydney – in Parramatta, the geographical heart of Sydney.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Powerhouse Parramatta will establish a benchmark for museums as an institution that is innately flexible. It will be the biggest museum in NSW and plans to welcome over two million visitors in its first year. Seven large exhibition spaces will provide more access than ever before to the half a million objects in the Powerhouse Collection.
The new Powerhouse in Parramatta is centrally located in the Parramatta CBD on the bank of the Parramatta River. It offers access to an array of transport hubs, full access to the river frontage and contributes to Parramatta’s many open and public spaces.
PROJECT STATUS
An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was developed as part of the State Significant Development Application for Powerhouse Parramatta. The public exhibition period for the EIS has now closed.
We thank you for your input into the project and appreciate all the feedback and insights shared to date.
Infrastructure NSW will now consider all submissions received during the EIS exhibition period and respond to matters raised in a Response to Submissions Report. The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment will review all submissions and the Submissions Report as part of the project assessment for the State Significant Development Application.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Engaging with the local community is an integral part of the planning process. The NSW Government has been consulting with the community and other stakeholders since the project announcement in 2015. Community engagement has been ongoing through 2020 as part of the planning process. We would like to thank everybody who has provided feedback to date which has helped shape the project.
Contact the project team
If you have any questions or would like to subscribe to project updates, please contact the Project Team using the details below:
Email powerhouse.parramatta@infrastructure.nsw.gov.au
Phone 1800 679 121
GENERAL PROJECT
Has the project been approved to proceed?
Infrastructure NSW, on behalf of the NSW Government, has lodged a State Significant Development Application with the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE). As part of the development application, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was prepared, to outline any potential environmental impacts and what measures will be put in place to minimise them. The EIS was exhibited between Wednesday 10 June 2020 and Tuesday 21 July 2020.
Infrastructure NSW will now consider all submissions received during the EIS exhibition period and respond to matters raised in a Response to Submissions Report. The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment will review all submissions and the Submissions Report as part of the project assessment for the State Significant Development Application.
When will a determination be made on the project?
A determination on the project is expected to be made in late 2020.
Will Powerhouse Parramatta continue?
Planning and design development for Powerhouse Paramatta continues as planned. A determination (approval or refusal) on the Powerhouse Parramatta project is expected to be made in late 2020.
What is happening to the Powerhouse Ultimo?
The NSW Government recently announced that the Powerhouse Museum will operate over four sites across the Greater Sydney area. The decision provides the Powerhouse Museum with the opportunity to continue the legacy of the historic site at Ultimo while building towards its new home of science and technology at Powerhouse Parramatta. The government will work with the Museum of Applied Arts and Science management, the Trustees and the broader arts community to determine how the two major sites best complement each other.
Will there be any changes to Powerhouse Parramatta as a result of the decision to retain the Ultimo site?
The Government has not wavered in its commitment to deliver a world-class cultural institution at Parramatta. Powerhouse Parramatta continues as planned and budgeted.
What elements of the new Powerhouse qualify it as a museum, as it has a number of spaces with a variety of functions?
The new Powerhouse will be the largest museum in NSW. The museum will feature 18,000 sqm of exhibition and public spaces to showcase the Powerhouse Collection.
How much of the exhibition space would be dedicated to permanent collections, verses interchanging spaces?
The new Powerhouse will include seven exhibition spaces that will enable the delivery of a constantly changing program that provides new levels of access to Powerhouse Collections. In addition to the education program, the Powerhouse Parramatta Precinct will create spaces for cultural and community events and programs.
How does the size of exhibition spaces compare between the Powerhouse in Parramatta and the Powerhouse in Ultimo?
The new Powerhouse will include 18,000 square metres of exhibition and public spaces, compared to the current Powerhouse Ultimo which has 15,708 square metres.
The new Museum will feature seven large scale, flexible presentation spaces of unprecedented scale with the largest being 3,000 sqm (column free and 20 metres clear height) to showcase the Powerhouse Collection.
How will people travel to the new museum?
Visitors to the new Powerhouse will be able to easily access the new precinct from Parramatta bus and train stations, and Parramatta Wharf which is located just 500 metres from the new precinct. In addition, new and improved transport options, like the Sydney Metro West and Northwest rail links and Parramatta Light Rail will provide efficient transport services from the Harbour CBD to Greater Parramatta.
The project team is working with the City of Parramatta to carefully consider the Civic Link and its connectivity to the Parramatta CBD, river and Powerhouse precinct. The Civic Link is a pedestrianised public space that spans across four city blocks through the heart of the Parramatta CBD, connecting Parramatta Square and the transport interchange to River Square and the Powerhouse precinct. There will be no parking at the Museum site to encourage visitors to use the multi-modal transport options available.
SITE SELECTION
Why has the site been selected?
The NSW Government has selected the museum site and finalised the purchase of land from the City of Parramatta. The site was selected because of its strong links to current and future transport infrastructure and its proximity to Parramatta CBD and connectivity to the broader Parramatta Cultural precinct.
Is the site flood prone? Will the Collection be damaged?
As part of the design selection process, extensive consideration was given to ensure the safety and protection of the Powerhouse Collection. The design for Powerhouse Parramatta ensures that the collections will not be compromised by a flooding event. The ground floor has been designed above 7.5m to protect all exhibitions from a one in 100-year flood event. Read more in our Flooding factsheet.
How does the location consider First Nations Peoples, women's history and post-contact history?
A comprehensive interpretation strategy and plan will be developed in consultation with the community to celebrate the multiple histories of the site as part of the detailed design process. Read more in our Archaeology and heritage factsheet.
Will the existing heritage buildings be impacted?
There are two local heritage buildings on the Powerhouse Parramatta site that will be directly impacted by the Museum. Consideration has been given to several site constraints as well as the placement of the new museum buildings and public domain. It has been determined that both the Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace buildings cannot be retained due to these constraints. We are aware the community place high value on these buildings and a comprehensive interpretation strategy will be developed to celebrate the multiple histories of the site. Read more in our Archaeology and heritage factsheet.
CREATIVE RESIDENCES
Is there a need for creative residences at the museum as there are a number of hotels in the area?
The Powerlab residences are an important part of the Powerhouse Paramatta program. They will not operate as a hotel, they are short-term accommodation facilities for visiting scientists, researchers and artists’ who are working with the Powerhouse Collection and will be managed by the Powerhouse. The Powerlab residential studio program will, at any one time, support 40 national and international researchers, artists and scientists to live and work at the Powerhouse Parramatta. Residency stays will vary from 1 week to 12 months depending on the project and program at the museum.
Will the accommodation be available to lease or purchase?
No, the Powerlab accommodation will be managed by the Powerhouse as part of the Museum’s broader education, research and community programs.
OTHER FACILITIES
How will the retail spaces be used?
The new Powerhouse will have a retail mix of food and beverage, lifestyle, culture, wellbeing and convenience.
What detail can be provided regarding the impacts on local business with the opening of new food and beverage venues at the new museum?
Up to two million visitors are anticipated for the first year of opening. This presents an opportunity for businesses and the Powerhouse team to work together to provide the right retail spaces that the community and visitors will benefit from.
COST
How much will the new Powerhouse cost?
On 28 April 2018, the NSW Government announced a $645 million investment in the Museum.
DESIGN
Why was the design selected?
The design was the result of an international design competition in 2019. The winning design by globally renowned architects from Moreau Kusunoki and local partner Genton, was unanimously supported by the Powerhouse Precinct Jury. Feedback on the design from the jury members included:
What if I don’t like the design?
The winning design by globally renowned architects from Moreau Kusunoki and local partner Genton, was unanimously supported by the Powerhouse Parramatta Jury.
Architectural design is very individual and we appreciate that not everyone will support the design. Such sentiments have been common on some of Australia’s most iconic structures including the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House.
Can we see the unsuccessful designs?
All of the finalists' designs can be viewed here.
CONSULTATION
Why did consultation take place during COVID-19?
The NSW Government is proceeding with digital consultation on some projects to keep our infrastructure program on track during this challenging period.
We have had a strong response to the consultation to date. During March and April, we sought feedback from the community and key stakeholders. During the consultation period, 224 stakeholders and 1,718 community members were directly engaged, and 3,707 comments were received.
Can I still provide feedback on the project?
Although the exhibition for the Environmental Impact Statement is now closed, you can still provide feedback by phoning 1800 679 121 or emailing Powerhouse.Parramatta@infrastructure.nsw.gov.au. Please note that this feedback will be taken as a comment and will not contribute to the assessment made by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
Where can I find more information?
We will continue to update the community as the planning progresses. If you would like to join our mailing list, please email powerhouse.parramatta@infrastructure.nsw.gov.au
July 2020
The exhibition period for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has now closed. Infrastructure NSW will now consider all submissions received during the EIS exhibition period and respond to the matters raised in a Response to Submissions Report. The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment will review all submissions and the Submissions Report as part of the project assessment for the State Significant Development Application.
June 2020
An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has been developed as part of the State Significant Development Application for the new Powerhouse in Parramatta. The EIS for the Powerhouse in Parramatta can be viewed here.
December 2019
The design for the new Powerhouse Museum has been selected following an international design competition.
Read more.
