27 November 2006
The Hon Morris lemma MP
Premier
Level 40, Governor
Macquarie Tower
1 Farrer Place
Sydney
NSW 2000
Dear Premier
EVELEIGH LARGE ERECTING SHOP AND 3801 LOCOMOTIVE
I write on behalf of concerned residents and the Friends of
Eveleigh group who have again contacted me about the future of the 3801 steam
locomotive and the Large Erecting Shop on Locomotive Street, Eveleigh. I share
their concern that the recent removal of the 3801 is to make way for the
redevelopment of the Large Erecting Shop for non-rail related uses.
I support residents’ view that the 3801 steam locomotive
should be maintained in the former major workshop complex where steam trains
were made and serviced for over a century.
Friends of Eveleigh inform me that much of the original
machinery used for railway purposes has been maintained in the Large Erecting
Shop, making the entire contents of the workshop important. They say that it is
the only workshop of its kind that remains in its original internal and
external condition and which is still in use for its original purpose. Housing
and servicing the 3801 steam locomotive is critical to the heritage of the
site.
In a submission to the previous Premier Bob Carr, I called
for a State rail museum, which would recognise the site’s importance to rail
transport in opening up and connecting the State, and demonstrate the
industrial processes carried out there where employees worked under tough and
dangerous conditions. Such a museum would reinforce the cultural and emotional
connection many New South Wales
residents have with the steam era and the Eveleigh complex.
Surrendering the site to non-rail related development is a
lost opportunity for Sydney
and the State, and diminishes our important industrial and cultural heritage.
Since plans to link Eveleigh with the Powerhouse Museum,
which included running steam trains between the two institutions, was
abolished, Government policy has instead focused only on redevelopment of the
site.
The situation is now worsened by divided responsibilities
between multiple Ministerial portfolios, and people complain that their
representations have been passed back and forth between the Redfern-Waterloo
Authority, the Department of Planning and RailCorp, with no one body claiming
overall responsibility, let alone long term planning.
While the Large Erecting Shop is listed on the heritage
schedule of the Redfern-Waterloo State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP),
this only recognises the building’s structural value. The SEPP rezones the
Large Erecting Shop for commercial use with a height of 12 storeys permissible.
The building’s value as cultural and industrial heritage and
its integral part of the interpretation of the remaining complex have been
ignored. With the recent removal of the 3801 steam locomotive from the site,
many residents believe that the Large Erecting Shop is being positioned for
redevelopment for non-rail related use.
Given the removal of the 3801 Steam Locomotive and the uncertainty over
the development of the Large Erecting Shop, I ask you to urgently review the future
of the existing remaining Eveleigh complex and its possibility as a unique
working museum and valuable Sydney visitor attraction.
Other State Governments have celebrated rail heritage. The
Western Australia State Government has supported a “living museum” of
rail heritage at the Midland Railway Workshop and the Queensland Government has
initiated an interactive rail heritage museum at the Ipswich Workshops
Rail Museum.
I believe such a museum on the Eveleigh Railway site would
be popular and be an added and important Sydney
attraction, especially if working steam trains were included.
Over 500,000 passengers have travelled on the 3801 heritage
steam locomotive since it was restored, giving first hand working experience of
NSW’s important railway history and heritage.
The remaining Eveleigh buildings including the Large
Erecting Shop are also historically, aesthetically and socially significant to New South Wales and Australia. The complex played an
instrumental role in the development of the country’s rail network, and is a
rare example of 1880s industrial Georgian architecture. The simple, strong
functional forms of the buildings are landmarks to generations of city rail
commuters. The remaining tools and equipment demonstrate past processes of
Australian heavy industry, and the hard work, skills and capacity of workers of
the time.
It is critical that the remaining historic buildings and
their contents on the Eveleigh site be protected from development and preserved
from deterioration by age or neglect. It is critical that historic associated
rolling stock including Locomotive 3801 be retained as an integral part of the
historic precinct. It is important that the heritage site be planned and
managed by one agency dedicated to its preservation and future.
Could you please urgently coordinate action between NSW Government
agencies to ensure that this significant heritage is protected?
Could you please inform me about the Government’s short term and long
term plans for the 3801 Locomotive, the entire contents of the Eveleigh Large
Erecting Shop, and for the Eveleigh Large Erecting Shop?
Yours sincerely
Clover Moore
Member for Bligh
Cc: Minister for
Transport
Minister for Redfern Waterloo
Minister for Planning