NOTICE OF Council MEETING
PUBLIC SUPPLEMENTARY
AGENDA - B
An Ordinary Meeting of City of Parramatta Council will be held in the Cloister Function Rooms, St Patrick's Cathedral, 1 Marist Place, Parramatta on Monday, 30 November 2020 at 6:30pm.
Note: Members of the public will not be able to attend the meeting in person but will be able to view the live stream video on Council’s website.
Brett Newman
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Council 30 November 2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM SUBJECT PAGE NO
9 Public Forum
9.1 PUBLIC FORUM: Item 11.2 - Rescission Motion: Item 17.2 Response to Submissions and Amended Proposal Report for the Powerhouse Parramatta.................................................................................................. 3
After the conclusion of the Council Meeting, and if time permits, Councillors will be provided an opportunity to ask questions of staff
Council 30 November 2020 Item 9.1
ITEM NUMBER 9.1
SUBJECT PUBLIC FORUM: Item 11.2 - Rescission Motion: Item 17.2 Response to Submissions and Amended Proposal Report for the Powerhouse Parramatta
REFERENCE F2019/04433 - D07773711
To the Lord Mayor and Councillors
I speak against the motion of rescission regarding Council’s Response to Submissions and Amended Proposal Report for the Powerhouse Parramatta as resolved by Council at its 9 November meeting.
Parramatta Powerhouse is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the City of Parramatta to gain the landmark premiere building of the Powerhouse Museum. There will not be another opportunity like this for the City of Parramatta in the lifetime of Councillors in your chamber. Parramatta Powerhouse is the Sydney Opera House of our time and will bring opportunity and culture to Parramatta like the Sydney Opera House has brought to Bennelong Point for nearly 50 years.
Parramatta Powerhouse has been designed with an exoskeleton structure supporting the building, allowing column free presentation spaces of up to 3,000 square meters. Presentation spaces like these will increase access to the Museum’s extraordinary Collection while offering an annual program of large-scale cultural and community events for up to 10,000 people. This will expand the cultural calendar of Parramatta, greater Western Sydney and NSW as well as major public events, community events and education programs.
Parramatta Powerhouse will drive a 24/7 night time economy, contributing to a compelling destination for families to visit not only the premiere museum of its time, but also the shops, restaurants and entertainment venues in close proximity to its riverbank location. For this reason, the location of Parramatta Powerhouse must be on the riverbank site, and not isolated out from the CBD where complementary cultural and entertainment activities do not exist.
I speak on the issue of flooding and congratulate council staff and Councillors on previous submissions to provide for a safe cultural experience on the riverbank. I speak also to put into context flooding as an issue for all development in the Parramatta CBD. Parramatta is a river city and its buildings will always experience flooding to different extents. I note that Bankwest stadium has a flood management and evacuation plan that includes stay in place for the short hours that the stadium may be an island in a major flooding event. This is similar to the flood management and evacuation plan for Parramatta Powerhouse as provided in the latest design documents and reports.
Finally, I comment on the relocation of Willow Grove. The rescission of conditional support to relocate Willow Grove as resolved 9 November threatens its existence. I look forward to detailed plans of its relocation with the smart people of Australia no doubt up to the task of moving the brick and render building while retaining its historic fabric.
STAFF RESPONSE
There is no staff response.