DESIGN 5 - ARCHITECTS

WHITE BAY Power Station at Balmain, NSW

CLIENT Harbour Foreshore Authority

DURATION 2002 - 2003

DESCRIPTION CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN White Bay Power Station at 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 (a second boiler house was demolished in the 1970s), turbine hall, switch house, handling shed, a rail line spur, two steel chimney stacks and various items of machinery. Design 5 - Architects was engaged with a multi-disciplinary team to prepare a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for this site. Other team members included Godden Mackay Logan Industrial Archaeologists, Hughes Trueman Consulting Engineers and JBA Urban Planning. The place is owned and managed by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority who wish to provide a new future for the place. The CMP establishes the exact nature of 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. The White Bay Power Station Conservation Management Plan was awarded a National Trust of (NSW) Heritage Award in 2004.