Government refuses offer to restore historic Pyrmont weighbridge

By Roje Adaimy

The NSW Ministry of Transport has flatly rejected a Pyrmont volunteer group’s plan to rehabilitate a neglected piece of local history.
In a letter to Pyrmont-Ultimo Landcare, the department denied the group’s request to restore the Davey Flour Mill weighbridge, which lies adjacent to Wentworth Park Light Rail station.
Volunteers had offered to fence the weighbridge to protect it from vandals and local animals, as well as remove weeds from the site and replant it with natives.
“It’s a significant part of the industrial heritage of Pyrmont, and it’s a real shame that we may not be allowed to help bring it back to life,” convenor of Pyrmont-Ultimo Landcare, Elizabeth Elenius told The City News.
The group initially approached the leasee of the land, Veolia Transport, who welcomed the proposal and were happy for the work to proceed. However, they later retracted and said it was the responsibility of the owners, the NSW Ministry of Transport, to grant permission.
Ms Elenius said that a “very strongly worded letter” from the department cited safety as the primary reason the work could not be undertaken. Of particular concern was the site’s proximity to the Light Rail track and overhead wires.
But Pyrmont-Ultimo Landcare and Pyrmont Action have since gained the support of the NSW Minister for Volunteering, Linda Burney, who visited the site last week.
Ms Burney – whose late partner, Rick Farley, founded Landcare – said she would be happy to consider the proposal and pass on a recommendation to the Minister of Transport.
A local engineer specialising in heritage sites will volunteer his time to supervise the project, which is expected to cost approximately $7,000 and funded by the City of Sydney.