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FOE Presentation on the Large Erecting Shop

This is the Friends of Eveleigh presentation on the Heritage Issues concerning the "Large" to the Eveleigh Heritage Meeting on 28 October 2008.

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