NSW Government to Open Up Ultimo Powerhouse Site to Developers

The New South Wales government will look to rezone the Ultimo site where the Powerhouse Museum currently stands in a bid to fund its $645 million controversial move to Parramatta.

More than 100 apartments will be built at the museum’s current site as the new flagship Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) will relocate to Parramatta’s new arts and cultural precinct.

Initial fears that facilitating the move could inflate beyond $1 billion were raised by Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, The Australian revealed, but these concerns have since been relieved.

To help offset the costly move, the state government will consider rezoning the site for more than 100 apartments along with retaining a cultural space within the precinct, outlined in The Australian on Monday.

Landmark museum for Western Sydney

In a move that marks the biggest investment in cultural infrastructure for Western Sydney, the state’s largest museum will be built on the Parramatta riverbank with a science and technology focus, Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Arts Minister Don Harwin announced on Saturday.

Spanning 30 metres wide, it will also feature the biggest dome planetarium in Australia.

World-class cultural infrastructure is in line with the vibrant and active city envisioned by the local community explained City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Andrew Wilson.

“The new museum will help in delivering that,” Wilson said.

“It will be the anchor for a new arts and cultural precinct in our City, which will include the redevelopment of the much-loved Riverside Theatres.

“It will help to address the significant inequity in arts and cultural funding for this region that has been ignored for too long.”

The NSW government has spent more than $100 million acquiring the riverbank site to build the new museum.

Early work on the new museum will begin in 2019 and the venue is expected to open to visitors in 2023.