Metro consultation fails to bridge divide
Sydney Metro’s Design Workshop has left some invitees scratching their heads over why they were invited, and what the purpose of the meeting had originally been.
Thirty-six groups and organisations were invited by Sydney Metro to attend the consultation forum, which was intended to hear views on the design of the metro stations. Of these groups, just under half – 17 – did not attend, according to community group Pyrmont Action.
Some chose to boycott the forum, while others attended in the hope their opposing voices would be heard.
Co-convener of Pyrmont Action, Elizabeth Elenius, attended the first meeting but chose to boycott last week’s workshop after her group’s name appeared in a Sydney Metro media release titled ‘Successful Metro Design Workshop Held’.
“I refused to attend the second workshop following the issuing of a press release by the CBD Metro after the first workshop which listed participants and which was, of course, full of laudatory statements about how wonderful the whole experience was,” Ms Elenius said in a statement.
“I believe that they are acting prematurely in getting into detailed designs, and undergoing negotiations with various consortia who may get the contract. It’s as though they know that [Planning Minister Kristina] Keneally will approve the EA as-is, and there’s nothing we can do about it. We did indicate that we would see them at the barricades.
“We did our best but came away with the view that they are under a very tight political timeline and this is what is driving them to not properly consider the alternatives.”
The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA), who were also invited to the workshop, likewise did not attend. They asked not to be quoted in this article, saying they were not “an appropriate source for the story”.
Absent, too, were community group 10,000 Friends of Greater Sydney. “[Our] position on the CBD Metro is that we consider that the $5.8 billion or so could achieve a lot greater benefit to transport in Sydney if spent on other transport projects that on the Metro – for example in converting some of the existing double-deck systems to Metro operation,” a FOGS spokesperson said in a statement.
But National Trust Advocacy, who were represented at the meeting, said they supported Sydney Metro. “This is an opportunity for today’s designers to make a positive contribution to Sydney’s sense of place,” said manager Graham Quint. “Heritage did not end in 1901 but continues to be created and interpreted through successive generations.”
A Sydney Metro spokesperson said the workshop was more concerned with the aesthetics of Metro stations rather than their location. “The aim of the workshops was to produce key design principles to help shape the look and feel of Pyrmont and Rozelle metro stations,” she said.
“The workshops were not about the location of the stations, and people with differing views on location were still entitled to voice their opinions on how the stations should look.
“It is important to Sydney Metro to ensure that the designs take into account the community’s views and the workshops will result in a clear direction for the contractors who will build the metro stations.”
by Ehssan Veiszadeh
