Installation of Escalators & Modifications to Egress Doors at The
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INSTALLATION OF ESCALATORS & MODIFICATIONS TO EGRESS DOORS AT THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT TO ACCOMPANY A MAJOR PROJECT APPLICATION UNDER PART 3A OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING & ASSESSMENT ACT Prepared on behalf of The Sydney Opera House Trust March 2008 30755R10 LEVEL 14 44 MARKET STREET SYDNEY 2000 A.B.N 38 056 751 350 TELEPHONE(61.2)92992699 FACSIMILIE(61.2)92991221 EMAIL [email protected] CONTENTS Executive Summary 3 1. Introduction 4 2. Site Details 6 3. Background 8 4. Description of the Proposal 10 5. Statutory Planning Considerations 12 5.1 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 12 5.2 Heritage Act 1977 12 5.3 State Environmental Planning Policy (Major Projects) 2005 13 5.4 Other Environmental Planning Instruments & Controls 13 5.4.1 Sydney Regional Environmental Plan (Sydney Harbour Catchment) 2005 14 5.4.2 The Sydney Harbour Foreshores Area DCP 15 6. Other Matters for Consideration 16 6.1 Design, Visual Impacts and Design Quality Principles 16 6.2 Heritage 16 6.3 Management Plan for the Sydney Opera House 18 6.3.1 Conservation Management Plan 18 6.3.2 Utzon Design Principles 19 6.4 Structural Engineers Report 20 6.5 Work Method Statement 20 6.6 Storage / Disposal 20 7. Consultation 21 8. Conclusion 22 Statement of Validity 23 Annexure A: Director’ Generals Requirement’s Annexure B: Architects’ Statement by Utzon Architects & Johnson Pilton Walker Including Plans and Section drawings by Utzon Architects Nos DA001 – DA004 Annexure C: Statement of Heritage Impact by Design 5 Architects Annexure D: Structural Engineers Report by ARUP Annexure E: Work Method Statement by John Holland Group Annexure F: Summary of Consultations The Sydney Opera House Escalators / Environmental Assessment / 30755R10 2 Executive Summary It is proposed to carry out internal alterations to The Sydney Opera House to provide two new escalators to link the Box Office Foyer with the Southern Foyers of the Concert Hall and Opera Theatre. The existing Concert Hall Stairs and the Opera Theatre stairs will be modified and narrowed to allow for the incorporation of the escalators into the existing stairwell. It is also proposed to modify the existing door niches from the Southern Foyers to the Podium to allow for better egress from the Foyer to the Podium as a result of the reduced egress arising from the narrowing of the stairs. The proposed escalators are part of a wider plan to enhance accessibility within the Sydney Opera House and to improve the functioning of the building. They will result in a significant improvement to accessibility for the increasingly elderly demographic of Sydney as reflected by Opera House patronage and those with an ambulant disability. The proposal is assessed, as required, against all relevant statutory planning controls and policies. Due to the small scale and nature of the proposed works, the only issue to arise in the assessment is the proposal is the impacts on the unique heritage significance of the site and building which has local, state, national and international heritage listings. Therefore an equally necessary Heritage Impact Assessment is made against the wide range of heritage regulations, controls and policies which apply to the site. That Assessment report finds that the proposal will have some impact on the significant spaces within the Sydney Opera House and on the arrival experience, however the design has been developed such that the impacts are now considered acceptable. This is especially the case when the impacts are balanced against the positive outcome of the proposal, specifically providing greater and more equitable public access to these significant spaces and thereby enhancing the experience of the site’s heritage value as a visual, cultural and world wide tourist icon. Prior to lodgement of the application, consultation was undertaken out with various agencies and authorities and no objection has been raised to the proposal. The proposal is therefore recommended for approval based upon its positive overall contribution to the enhancement of cultural heritage value of the original Opera House. The Sydney Opera House Escalators / Environmental Assessment / 30755R10 3 1. INTRODUCTION This Environmental Assessment is submitted to the Department of Planning to accompany a Major Projects Application under Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 for development to be carried out on a State Significant Site, being the site of The Sydney Opera House. The Department’s reference no for the application is MP 07_0142. The proposal includes limited internal alterations to The Sydney Opera House to provide two new escalators to link the Box Office Foyer with the Southern Foyers of the Concert Hall and Opera Theatre. It is also proposed to modify the existing door niches from the Southern Foyers to the Podium. For a full description of the proposal refer to Section 4. This Environmental Assessment has been carried out independently by Byrnes and Associates on behalf of The Sydney Opera House Trust and is based on the information provided by The Trust including: • Plans and Section drawings by Utzon Architects Nos DA001 – DA004 • Architects’ Statement by Utzon Architects & Johnson Pilton Walker • Statement of Heritage Impact by Design 5 Architects • Structural Engineers Report by ARUP • Work Method Statement by John Holland Group • Summary of Consultations This assessment addresses the Director General’s requirements set out in the Annexure to the Department’s undated letter to Catherine Hyland (copy at Annexure A ). It provides a description of the site (Section 2), background to the proposal and reasons for the proposed development (Section 3) and a detailed description of the proposal (Section 4) It also addresses the Key Issues raised by the Director General and the following table outlines the further sections where those Key Issues are addressed: The Sydney Opera House Escalators / Environmental Assessment / 30755R10 4 Key Issue Where Addressed 1. Statutory & Other Requirements: Refer to Section 5 of this report: • Sydney Regional Environmental Plan (Sydney Harbour Section 5.4.1 Catchment) 2005 • State Environmental Planning Policy (Major Projects) 2005; Section 5.3 • The Sydney Harbour Foreshores Area DCP; Section 5.4.2 • Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999; Section 5.1 • The Heritage Act 1977 Section 5.2 2. Design, Visual Impacts and Design Quality Principles Section 6.1 Architects’ Statement ( Annexure B ) 3. Heritage Section 6.2 Statement of Heritage Impact ( Annexure C ) 4. Management Plan for the Sydney Opera House Section 6.3 5. Structural Engineers Report Section 6.4 Copy of Report at Annexure D 6. Work Method Statement Section 6.5 Copy of Report at Annexure E 7. Storage / Disposal Strategy Section 6.6 Details of the consultation process are outlined in Section 7. The conclusion is provided in Section 8. The Sydney Opera House Escalators / Environmental Assessment / 30755R10 5 2. SITE DETAILS The site of The Sydney Opera House has the real property reference of Lot 5 in Deposited Plan 775888 and Lot 4 in Deposited Plan 787933 . The location of the building is usually referred to as Bennelong Point. The boundary of The Sydney Opera House under the Sydney Opera House Trust Act 1961 is shown in the following plan: The site of The Sydney Opera House and it relationship to the city of Sydney and Circular Quay in particular, is very well known. A very significant proportion of the Australian population has either visited The Sydney Opera House and its surroundings or has seen them illustrated through the popular media. Beyond that, the site is inextricably related to a world perception of Australia and its attributes, and the public that is aware of the site extends well beyond the borders of the nation. Its recent inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List demonstrates its world wide importance as an item of cultural heritage. The Sydney Opera House serves as one of the visual buttresses to the principal entry to central Sydney via Circular Quay with the other being the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In addition, because of its location on a promontory, The Sydney Opera House constitutes an exceptionally visible and obvious component of the Sydney Harbour panorama with a background provided by the towers of the city itself. The Sydney Opera House Escalators / Environmental Assessment / 30755R10 6 The Sydney Opera House was originally designed by Danish Architect Jørn Utzon who won the design competition for the site in 1957. In 1999 Jørn Utzon was engaged to create a set of design principles for the Sydney Opera House and following a New South Wales Government grant in 2001, a Venue Improvement Plan and Strategic Building Plan were established, aimed at redressing some of the practical limitations affecting the day-to- day workings of Sydney Opera House while preserving its unique heritage. As a result various upgrade and refurbishment works having been carried in recent years with the Western Foyers upgrade project currently under construction. The Sydney Opera House Escalators / Environmental Assessment / 30755R10 7 3. BACKGROUND: ACCESS ISSUES & OPTIONS Community expectations have changed since the Opera House was first constructed. There is now a recognised need to provide equitable access for all persons within the Sydney Opera House. The Strategic Building Plan (2001) aims to enhance accessibility within the Sydney Opera House and includes provision for both new escalators and lifts to improve the functioning of the building. As part of the Western Foyers upgrade project currently under construction, a new lift is being installed which will provide long overdue public access from the Lower Concourse level to the Box Office level. However from the Box Office Level to the Southern Foyers there is currently only limited access to lifts. Access is via back of house lifts which must be pre-arranged and with assistance from staff.