The Powerhouse’s Museums Discovery Centre at Castle Hill is to double in size with the construction of the 8135sqm centre. It will be capable of housing aircraft, historic trains, and helicopters.
Planning Minister Rob Stokes approved the new facility on Thursday and said it would increase the Museum’s accessible storage space by 30 per cent, allowing for better community access to artefacts from the collections. The Harwood Building’s future use, including potential conversion to a lyric theatre, is currently subject to an undisclosed $5 million government business case.
The government’s expenditure review committee has been asked to fund a renewal of Ultimo, which includes plans to reorient the museum’s bare Harris St entrance to Darling Harbour and Chinatown and introduce new ground-floor restaurant or retail options. “It is not best practice to replace the functioning Ultimo support facility, with a distant store 38 km away in dense traffic,” he said. “Collection handling – the safety and security of objects – is compromised and risks are increased. Critical staff access is disrupted to the point of dysfunction.