[REDWatch Heritage] Mirvac Eveleigh Loco DA on Exhibition until 15 December 2017

Mon Dec 4 10:28:29 AEDT 2017

Dear people with an Eveleigh Heritage interest

This email is to make sure you are aware of the DAs currently on exhibition
for Mirvac's redevelopment of Eveleigh's Locomotive workshop and to
encourage you to review the proposals and to put in your comments.

Mirvac originally split its proposal for the Locomotive workshop into two
but the Department of Planning has placed both the Mirvac DAs on exhibition
together. There are differences between the documents as they deal with
different ends of Loco. The Bays 1-5 DA deals with the heritage Bays 1 & 2,
the proposed retail and the impact of the proposed supermarket on heritage.
Bays 6-16 deal with the commercial end of the development. The issues
related to the movable heritage collection and how the development deals
with the heritage fabric of the buildings goes across both DAs.

The Links to the DAs and the heritage reports are: 

Bays 1-5, Locomotive Workshop
<http://www.majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/index.pl?action=view_job&job_i
d=8517> 

UNTIL 15/12/2017

.         SSDA 8517 Environmental Impact Statement.pdf
<https://majorprojects.accelo.com/public/4c96d11e67c8277b097f24536cb9d0ba/SS
DA%208517%20Environmental%20Impact%20Statement.pdf>  (10.17 MB) 

.         Appendix M_ Heritage and Archaeological Impact Statement_Part1.pdf
<https://majorprojects.accelo.com/public/4d80676e136ef8c8e8e4912f61ef11e8/Ap
pendix%20M_%20Heritage%20and%20Archaeological%20Impact%20Statement_Part1.pdf
>  (18.95 MB) 

.         Appendix M_ Heritage and Archaeological Impact Statement_Part2.pdf
<https://majorprojects.accelo.com/public/e29e42c3598be6c9e7961695effa8964/Ap
pendix%20M_%20Heritage%20and%20Archaeological%20Impact%20Statement_Part2.pdf
>  (7.619 MB) (from page 40 this is Appendix B The 2016 Interpretation
Strategy)

.         Appendix M_ Heritage and Archaeological Impact Statement_Part3.pdf
<https://majorprojects.accelo.com/public/42240f6efe6c419850b43d07bb1b6270/Ap
pendix%20M_%20Heritage%20and%20Archaeological%20Impact%20Statement_Part3.pdf
>  (12.36 MB) (This is the balance of the 2016 Interpretation Strategy)

Bays 6-16, Locomotive Workshop
<http://www.majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/index.pl?action=view_job&job_i
d=8449> 

UNTIL 15/12/2017

*	SSDA 8449 Environmental Impact Assessment .pdf
<https://majorprojects.accelo.com/public/29a2e5bf6e4dcbea5407b9ad36b61d91/SS
DA%208449%20Environmental%20Impact%20Assessment%20.pdf>  (9.426 MB)
*	Appendix K_ Heritage and Archaeological Impact Statement.pdf
<https://majorprojects.accelo.com/public/84caac5f9b8fc2ab4bc9888e7673989b/Ap
pendix%20K_%20Heritage%20and%20Archaeological%20Impact%20Statement.pdf>
(13.89 MB) (from page 126 this is the 2016 Interpretation Strategy)

>From a REDWatch Heritage perspective the key issues that need to be assessed
are:

1)      How does the proposal deal with the heritage fabric of the building?
- While some concerns have been raised, the proposal seems to addresses most
of these issues.

2)      How does the proposal deal with the active heritage uses as
represented by the Blacksmiths? - It is proposed that the blacksmith space
be continued and activity increased. However the introduction of other
retail uses into Bays 1 & 2 and retail activity in bays 3-5 may have long
term implications for the active use in Bays 1 & 2 if the retail and
heritage uses clash.

3)      How does the proposal deal with the moveable heritage collection? -
State Heritage at ATP is not just the building but the significant
collection of industrial machinery that Mirvac inherited as part of the site
purchase. How these items will be accessible and used to tell the story of
the processes, people and social history of the site is as crucial as how
the DA deals with the heritage building fabric. This information needs to be
on table before a final assessment is made to avoid the possibility that the
difficulties of dealing with the machinery collection would see them
sidelined in the push for commercialisation of the space they may otherwise
occupy. It is already likely that some material will be put into storage
rather than displayed all the time at the site - this was a concern raised
when the site was sold.

4)      How does the proposal deal with the heritage space in Bays 1 & 2
which are available to tell the story of Eveleigh? While the active area
seems safe in the short term the balance of Bays 1 & 2 has been set aside
for a loading bay to service the site and the supermarket and for two retail
spaces. This leaves little space to tell the Eveleigh heritage story and to
create a heritage drawcard. A heritage centre above the loading bay seems
inadequate compensation for the accessible space taken by the loading bay.
While the heritage story should be told across the site it is not an
alternative to a dedicated heritage space in Bays 1 & 2.

5)      How does the proposal deal with the social and labour heritage of
the site? For some time we have been arguing that there needs to be a centre
at Eveleigh which can act as a repository for worker and social history for
Eveleigh. There is an indication that this might be possible in this
proposal but there is no real detail. Like an exhibition space its success
will depend on ongoing resourcing to ensure that it is viable rather than
just another heritage plan for Eveleigh that looks good on paper but never
gets implemented.

This DA will determine the future of Heritage at the Locomotive Workshop. It
will determine if the Heritage potential is tapped so people with a heritage
interest will want to come to the site for its heritage interpretation or if
the heritage becomes primarily the 'public art' sculpture backdrop for the
new commercial and retail precinct. There is much more at stake here than in
the redevelopment of a heritage building, here there is active heritage, the
machinery and a heritage dedicated space that need to be also appropriately
handled in the DA. The question for us all is - Has this DA done that or
does the balance between commercialising space and the heritage deliverables
need to be adjusted. REDWatch is arguing that the heritage aspects need to
be strengthened. 

There are other DA issues that are likely to be of concern to local
residents however here we have just concentrated on the wider heritage
issues that might otherwise escape attention. 

At 5pm on Thursday December 7th at Club Redfern (opposite Redfern Railway
Station) we have called a meeting about the Mirvac ATP DA for the Locomotive
Workshop. This DA closes the following week. Along with Roger Jowett from
the retired RTBU members, we are inviting people with a particular interest
in this heritage site to discuss the key issues. If you are considering a
submission or have particular concerns then this meeting could be useful in
helping people crystallise the issues. This meeting precedes REDWatch's end
of year get together so you are welcome to stick around and mix with some of
the locals after the meeting if you wish.

Regards,

Geoff

Geoffrey Turnbull

REDWatch Co-Spokesperson

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

email:  <mailto:mail at redwatch.org.au> mail at redwatch.org.au 

web:  <http://www.redwatch.org.au/> www.redwatch.org.au 

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