[REDWatch Heritage] Heritage Update ATP & Central to Eveleigh

[Geoff Turnbull]

Dear Heritage people

Hopefully you all know about the ATP Open Day but you may not be aware that ATP is updating its Moveable Collection Management Plan and that the changes are on exhibition now until 12th June (just changed). The details on this are below with details of the UrbanGrowth consultations underway including the C2E Heritage study group session.


ATP Heritage Open Day  -  Saturday 23 May 2015 10am – 3pm


This is your opportunity to get people to come to the Heritage Open Day at ATP and to see this jewel in the crown of Sydney’s industrial heritage. 

ATP will showcase the history of the Eveleigh Railway Workshops <http://www.atp.com.au/About/Heritage---History> , now a business park and conference centre that mixes heritage-listed buildings with high-tech office space and event venues. Come along for guided walking tours taking you through the key sites, fun-filled kids' activities and live demonstrations from the blacksmiths who continue the Workshops' 130-year-old blacksmithing tradition <http://www.wroughtartworks.com/>  to this day. Arrive from 10am for the official opening at 10.30am, then sign up for a tour before perusing the rail heritage exhibitions and displays. Hear about life at the rail yards first-hand from the passionate workers who toiled here. This opportunity to see Sydney's industrial history up close kicks off from Innovation Plaza and takes you through the Locomotive Workshop and Engine Workshop (now the National Innovation Centre). More details can be found on the ATP website at - Step into Sydney's history <http://www.atp.com.au/News---Resources/Latest-news/Step-into-Sydney-s-history> 

Later in the day, head over to the cavernous building known as the Large Erecting Shed, where 3801 Limited <http://www.3801limited.com.au/>  will showcase classic trains.

The Government, through UrbanGrowth, is undertaking a process with a view to sell the ATP, REDWatch has supported the City of Sydney view that the heritage buildings and massive industrial machinery collection should be kept in Government hands. You can see Council’s concerns in this Mayoral Minute <http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/226833/150223_COUNCIL_ITEM35.pdf>  and the HillPDA report Australian Technology Park (ATP) Eveleigh Stage 1 Call for Expressions of Interest An independent review of the opportunities and risks relating to the Sale of the ATP <http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/226834/150223_COUNCIL_ITEM35_ATTACHMENTA.PDF> . On line you can see the REDWatch Submission on the ATP Sale EOI <http://www.redwatch.org.au/RWA/statesignificant/atp/sale/150315red>  and the latest information from UrbanGrowth about the sale on the This 1 <http://engage.centraltoeveleigh.com.au/welcome-to-the-central-to-eveleigh-consultation/news_feed/australian-technology-park> st April update on the UrbanGrowth website.


ATP's draft Movable Collection Management Plan is now on exhibition for public comment until 5 June 2015


In preparation for the potential sale of the ATP the management plan for the Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops' machinery collection and the ATP’s Heritage and Conservation (s170) Register are being updated. These documents aim to ensure that the record of these important moveable heritage items is up to date and to ensure that the protections available are in place. REDWatch has expressed concerns that the machinery collection could be preserved but no longer publically accessible in a privatised ATP. Such an important collection needs to be publically accessible, preserved and interpreted.

While heritage is currently seen as an important asset for the ATP, this has not always been the case and in the past important machinery has been neglected and allowed to degrade. Requirements such as those under s170 only apply to government bodies. REDWatch is concerned that the best possible heritage protection is in place to protect this unique collection and to ensure it continues to be maintained and publically accessible if the collection is sold with the ATP site. Those with a special interest in industrial heritage and this collection are encourage to review the documents on exhibition and make comment by June 5th. More details can be found on the ATP website at  Have your say: heritage management <http://www.atp.com.au/News---Resources/Latest-news/Have-your-say-heritage-management> . The links to the documents can be found at that location.


Central to Eveleigh Heritage Study Group


Over the last few weeks UrbanGrowth has held a number of study groups, on social facilities, heritage and housing diversity. Here is the link to the Information sheet heritage <http://engage.centraltoeveleigh.com.au/welcome-to-the-central-to-eveleigh-consultation/documents/22400/download>  it was accompanied by an overview UrbanGrowth Presentation <http://engage.centraltoeveleigh.com.au/welcome-to-the-central-to-eveleigh-consultation/documents/22401/download> . There was also a presentation about outside remedial work being undertaken on the Chief Mechanical Engineers building by Otto Cserhalmi and Partners which has not been posted on the UrbanGrowth C2E website. 

It was regrettable that there was a poor turnout from heritage and Aboriginal people to this session. While UG are undertaking separate discussions with the Aboriginal community about that component so far nothing has been organised that we know of with rail and heritage communities about this aspect of the heritage study. 

The C2E heritage report is primarily a book audit which proposes up to date CPM’s as protection of heritage assets and best practice documentation of what might be destroyed. ATP is seen as the jewel in the crown but there was no indication of how UrbanGrowth may respond to Council study and the submissions about the proposed sale from groups like REDWatch about how this might be threatened by a sale. The most up to date response from UrbanGrowth C2E is a month ago Australian Technology Park Future  <http://engage.centraltoeveleigh.com.au/welcome-to-the-central-to-eveleigh-consultation/news_feed/australian-technology-park-future> which promises a response to the City’s report. 

While there was a focus on the need for heritage interpretation there was no suggestion for how this might happen in a co-ordinated way. There clearly needs to be a broader discussion. The former Redfern Waterloo Heritage Taskforce (RWHT) proposed an ongoing mechanism to help encourage integrated heritage interpretation and good heritage results. REDWatch continues to push for such a mechanism and support for such a mechanism is on Council’s books. In a letter from Lord Mayor Clover Moore on 13th May to REDWatch she said:

“On 29 August 2013, the City requested the then Minister for Planning and Infrastructure to reconvene the RWHT, or a similar body. In response, the Minister advised that as strategic investigations were at early stages, the need for a taskforce would be further discussed once the Central to Eveleigh project had progressed. On this basis, staff will be raising the issue again with reference to the project-specific MoU for the Central to Eveleigh project, and I will raise it with the Minister for Planning, Rob Stokes MP”.


Central to Eveleigh Community Workshop - 10am for a 10.30am start until 4.30pm


This is your chance to find out about Central to Eveleigh and to have your say. They are hoping to get 200-300 people together to talk about the work they have done to date. Around 100  people are being randomly selected and paid to attend to try and ensure a mix of people in the room. It would be good to have people with a heritage commitment also in the room for the discussion.

UrbanGrowth says of the day “Come along to contribute and share ideas as part of a day long community workshop on the draft design and planning principles. At the workshop we will provide feedback on the progress of a vision for the area following the workshop, online forum and meetings with community groups we held from December 2014 through to March 2015”.  

We encourage everyone who lives or works along the corridor to come along and hear first-hand what is proposed and to make your comments. Workshop is on Saturday 30 May 10am for a 10.30am start until 4.30pm at Carriageworks – you register online here <http://urbangrowthnsw.com.au/work/central-to-eveleigh-urban-transformation-and-transport-program-registration.aspx> 

Over the last few weeks UrbanGrowth has held a number of other study groups in addition to the heritage discussion they have discussed social facilities and housing diversity. You can see what has been presented on line for the first three sessions at Social facilities heritage and housing diversity study nights <http://engage.centraltoeveleigh.com.au/welcome-to-the-central-to-eveleigh-consultation/news_feed/social-facilities-and-heritage-study-nights> . 

The UG overview Presentation <http://engage.centraltoeveleigh.com.au/welcome-to-the-central-to-eveleigh-consultation/documents/22401/download>  and a website news item The scale of future growth <http://engage.centraltoeveleigh.com.au/welcome-to-the-central-to-eveleigh-consultation/news_feed/population-scenarios>  contains some figures for the possible residential and employment expected from the Central to Eveleigh redevelopments over time. Currently the study area has a population of about 50,000, so the top end projections would see the population of the study area more than double over the life of the project. With little opportunity for increasing public open space in the corridor, per capita open space will be quite low and residents would need to be able to access sporting fields etc outside the area. REDWatch has argued that preservation of open space at ATP is important consideration where increased density will lessen per capita open space. The density expected and the trade-offs needed will be covered in the Community Workshop.

For the first time the UrbanGrowth maps show the public housing estates. UrbanGrowth has said that it will bring forward some proposals relating to public housing around a coming proposal for a Waterloo station on the new Sydney Rapid Transit Line. At the housing diversity session they indicated that they did not expect that there would be the need for any loss of public housing tenancies in the area under their proposals if a Waterloo station was to eventuate.

We hope this update on Eveleigh and Heritage is useful and I hope to see some of you at one of the events over the next couple of weeks.

Regards,

 

Geoff

Geoffrey Turnbull

Spokesperson

REDWatch

Ph Wk: (02) 8004 1490  Mob: 0418 457 392

email: mail at redwatch.org.au 

web: www.redwatch.org.au 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.redwatch.org.au/pipermail/heritage/attachments/20150522/57730291/attachment-0001.html>