CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
2002 – Ongoing
White Bay Power Station at Rozelle was built to supply electrical power to the Sydney railway and tramway system. It was operational between 1917-1983 and was the longest serving power station in metropolitan Sydney. The large industrial site includes a boiler house, turbine hall, switch house, coal handling shed, a rail line spur, two steel chimney stacks and various items of machinery.
Under the owner, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, Design 5 were engaged with a multi-disciplinary team to prepare a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for this site with assistance from archaeologists, engineers and planners. The CMP sets out the cultural significance of the place and puts in place policies to safeguard that significance and guide future development and changes. Community consultation with stakeholders, including former workers and local communities, was also carried out as part of the process of assessing the place’s social significance. The CMP is a key component of the process for calling Expressions of Interest for the future use and redevelopment of the place. The CMP includes an extensive inventory and ranking of significance of built structures, spaces, elements and industrial equipment. The development guidelines are graphically illustrated with diagrams showing zones, spaces and elements of significance and options for development potential.
In collaboration with Place Management NSW, the 2022–23 works with Design 5 as lead and heritage architects focused on remediation and conservation to make safe, stabilise and secure the building and its machinery contents. A second phase of the project involved modest changes and insertions so that parts of the building can be accessed and used by the public for cultural and community use; the first being the 24th Biennale of Sydney to be held from March to June 2024.
AWARDS
2004 National Trust of Australia (NSW) Heritage Award (Conservation Management Plan category)