beneath Barangaroo Reserve were lodged by Infrastructure NSW on March 2,one day before the start of the caretaker period which pauses major government decisions in the lead-up to an election.
The NSW government’s latest vision for the Cutaway as a multipurpose space.Infrastructure NSW
The proposed refurbishment converts the interior into an event hall,gallery,and community spaces capable of hosting arts and music festivals,commercial exhibitions,gala dinners sitting up to 1860 people,corporate events,community presentations,and fashion shows.
Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council chief executive officer Nathan Moran received formal notice five days after the environmental impact assessment had been lodged. He was part of an all-Indigenous taskforce that had worked to develop plans for the state’s first dedicated Indigenous facility,known as Buruk,inside the Cutaway before those plans were controversially abandoned in May 2021.
“It’s sad. The Cutaway was meant for us,and it’s not going to us,” he said. “It is just an indication of how government does not want to let go of control of our identity and culture and heritage. That’s the hardest thing to swallow,that they continue with a failed model of trading and interpreting our culture when we should be the ones managing it.”
Moran said the council would continue to advocate for a dedicated Indigenous culture centre,co-designed by the community and managed in equal partnership after the election. Labor has not publicly stated if it will support Coalition plans at the Cutaway.
The bid for planning approval comes three months after the Herald revealed a paper trail showed the government had scrapped plans for the Indigenous cultural centreat the Cutaway. An early feasibility study,design plans and spatial analysis were underway for Buruk by this time with investigations stretching back to 2016.
The change of heart triggered a last-minute search across central Sydney for a new location to house an Indigenous centre with the Perrottet government subsequently backing an Indigenous cultural centre at the Museum of Sydney,site of Australia’s first Government House. Indigenous leaders said they were left in shock and some tearful when told the Indigenous centre would not proceed.
The EIS submission sidesteps the controversy over the Cutaway stating only that alternative designs had been explored and discussed with key stakeholders leading to a “consensus agreement that a large,flexible civic space and temporary exhibition space is the best outcome for Sydney”.
Detailed design work by architect FJMT Studio calls for the enclosure of the existing roof openings and internal alterations to create a main entry and facade next to Nawi Cove,an event hall,cafe,temporary gallery space and an education and community learning space. The event space at Barangaroo would complement the refurbishment of Walsh Bay arts precinct,it said.
First Nations cultural events and exhibitions could be staged in the Cutaway as part of its program. There would be opportunities for the Cutaway to maximise the influence of Aboriginal culture and heritage through design,naming,signage,management and programming of the space.
The proposal includes an interpretation of the demolished Sydney Ports Harbour Control Tower which is to rise four levels outside the entry and appears to resemble a giant stemmed sculpture,similar in form and scale to large plinths in the main hall. Artist Jake Nash is consulting on the final form.
It’s planned the Cutaway would operate on a 24-hour basis allowing for overnight cleaning,kitchen operation,security operating or bumping in/out. Infrastructure NSW said it encouraged the public to have its say on the project via the planning portal.
A cultural guide to going out and loving your city..