The NSW Government has given the go-ahead to the plans for the Parramatta Powerhouse Museum, in what is being described as Western Sydney’s first major cultural institution.
With plans for the precinct first unveiled back in 2019, with Moreau Kusunoki and Genton winning the design competition. The green light from the state government is a critical moment for Parramatta Council, creating over 4000 new jobs and injecting hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy.
Minister for the Arts Don Harwin says the final decision to move ahead with the plans for the Powerhouse on the banks of the Parramatta River followed extensive community feedback.
“Now that planning consent has been secured, I am delighted as Arts Minister that Western Sydney will now have the biggest and best museum in NSW,” he says.
“With a focus on science and technology, Powerhouse Parramatta will be the museum’s flagship site and hold the revered Powerhouse collection it is renowned for.”
Member for Parramatta Geoff Lee says the new museum is a gift for a city slowly recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic that in turn puts Parramatta on the global culture map.
“The Powerhouse Parramatta is something the local community has been very keen for and I’m proud that this Government will be able to deliver it.”
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes says the inclusion of green open space as part of the overall plans will be mutually beneficial for locals and visitors to Parramatta.
“One of the great outcomes of this project is that a carpark on the foreshore is being replaced by a north facing, green public space on the banks of the Parramatta River,” Stokes says.
“In addition to the new museum and arts and entertainment space, the plans include 1.5 hectares of public open space and a 30 percent tree canopy cover to provide shade.”
Three companies were shortlisted for the museum’s construction last year with the successful tenderer to be announced later this year.
Image: maas.museum/new-powerhouse/.
