FRIENDS OF
EVELEIGH -Heritage
Issues – Large Erecting Shop – 28th
October 2008
Friends of Eveleigh (FOE) are a voluntary advocacy group formed in 2006 following
serious community concerns regarding the failure of current State Heritage
Legislation to fully protect the Large Erecting Shop.
While protection is required for the fabric, the intangible aspects of the
item, which contribute to its significance such as skills, and social, cultural
and physical context are most vulnerable to changes created by the Redfern Waterloo Authority Act zoning. This zoning overrides and
extinguishes all heritage provisions enjoyed elsewhere in NSW.
Statement of
Significance
Eveleigh
workshops are the best collection of Victorian period railway workshops in Australia and
are considered to have world heritage significance by curators of the
Smithsonian Institute Washington DC,USA and to be of the highest significance
in the development of
the railway system and of the State. They represent the pinnacle of manufacturing achievement in NSW and the
equipment was once (and remains) the best collection of heavy machinery from
the period. The buildings are fine examples of workshop architecture and
are an important part of the historic fabric of the inner city.From
the s170 Heritage Register (information supplied by the NSW State
Government)
THE CURRENT SITUATION
The situation has not changed since the New Premier,
Transport and Planning Ministers
have changed
A new National Heritage nomination has been submitted
to the Department of Environment
Heritage and the Arts, Canberra
Reported offer to 3801 Ltd of extended occupancy
appears a negative response to any preservation of the LES because in the last 2 years ‑
- There
has been a diminished use of the building - There has been
a negative impact on volunteers not only at Eveleigh but across the state due
to the negative and coercive attitude and policy of the Government via the Office of Rail
Heritage - There has been
a diminished heritage collection with the removal of the rollingstock not
necessarily to better circumstances as reported by the Government in their replies to the community’s
letters of protest. - No
real plan for getting 3801 (locomotive) back to running order - There has
been an increase in maintenance to heritage rollingstock due to the
increased running required (to and from Thirlmere) to reach Sydney before tours can commence. - There have been less rail heritage tours.
- There has been a massive price increase for
tours. - There has
been a questionable silence from peak rail heritage bodies due to tied
grants including ARHS, RTM, Powerhouse management. - There has
been no offer to the Powerhouse to retain their collection at the -
LES, which is having an impact on their finances & volunteer
program. - Continued use
of the LES by all rail heritage operators indicates that the LES is still a vital logistical part of running
from Sydney
although the Office of Rail Heritage continue to deny this.
The offer to 3801 Ltd is vague and contains no real ongoing management
vision for the continued use of the LES
What is required is a change in policy from the Government to ‑
- Re-institute the Heritage Act to cover Eveleigh
- An open plan
for the ‘running rollingstock’ to be co-operatively shared between
groups - An
acceptance by the NSW Government that volunteers are the backbone of rail
heritage and the division of these groups will require the Government to
undertake their own maintenance due to the fall off of volunteer numbers. Railcorp
does have a statutory obligation under s170 of the Heritage Act to maintain
these locomotives and carriages. - A public
undertaking to preserve the LES as a working railway workshop - A reorganising of the RWA objectives to its
planning - Free space to
be maintained at the LES to allow various groups to stable trains for
running - A re think of
the sweet heart deals as a way of managing rail heritage by Railcorp as
it is unstable due to changing personalities, priorities and influences by
operators and developers - A re-visit
of the long term management of the building (maybe by a trust)
A new management plan for the LES could include a public program because
it has the facilities to
- A historic role in preserving the essence of
Eveleigh - Restore steam locomotives
- Have an ongoing role for training in these
fields - Provide a secure Sydney base for the Powerhouse Museum
Heritage Collection - Economic viability to run trains for all groups,
using the LES for maintenance and stabling - It could incorporate visitation to allow public
access - It could be done with little expenditure and
will generate income - It would allow for Sydney based volunteers to participate in
their pass-time - It would have to be inclusive of all groups
raising the profile of rail heritage - It would be great PR
- It would
be an honest approach to publicly owned heritage rather then slight of
hand land grab by developers