Technical Paper 2 – Heritage Assessment - Transport for NSW ...

ItemDarling Harbour Rail Corridor(Map Reference 2)Heritage Listings • SHFA S170 RegisterStatement ofSignifi canceThe Darling Harbour goods line was part of the fi rst railway opened in New South Wales in 1855,the current corridor corresponds with that purchased from the Harris family in 1853 for this purpose.It therefore has a high degree of signifi cance as a place. The Ultimo Road Bridge is believed to beconstructed in the 1850s, and is therefore one of the only remaining features of the original railway whichjoined Darling Harbour and Granville (Parramatta Junction) in 1855. The siting of the railway along whatwas the edge of Darling Harbour strongly infl uenced the development of Pyrmont and Ultimo. Becauseof it, wool stores, engineering works and other industries were built here after the 1870s, giving thispart of Ultimo its industrial, rather than residential, fl avour. The site also contains two railway bridges.The Railway Square road overbridge (outside the curtilage of this listing) built in 1855 is historicallysignifi cant as the oldest railway bridge to be constructed and still in use in New South Wales. It is astrong connection to the fi rst railway construction and the original Redfern (Sydney) Station. The Ultimorailway underbridge is a mid 19th century construction with classic revival inspired cast iron columnsand mid 19th century sandstock brick abutments. Both items are assessed individually as historicallyrare, scientifi cally rare, archaeologically rare and socially rare.RecommendedManagementon the InventoryListingWith any archaeological remains it is preferable to leave them undisturbed. In the case of the Ultimocorridor, the site is covered in a layer of approximately 350-450mm of ballast which potentially protectsany potential archaeological remains.Proposed works • Removal of columns, rail beams, concrete pedestals, stations, maintenance facility and controlroom over and alongside the light rail corridor and Darling Drive.Heritage Impact • The Monorail stabling and maintenance facility, and control room, have been constructed over theextant rail corridor at Darling Harbour, which is currently utilised for the light railway.• The removal of the monorail infrastructure from this historic and contemporary transport corridor isconsidered to be a neutral heritage outcome for this item, given its role as an infrastructure corridor.• Archaeological assessment is outside the scope of this report. The curtilage and management ofthis heritage item in terms of its archaeological values is discussed in the report prepared by AHMS.MitigationMeasures• Preventative measures to be taken as necessary to avoid any physical impact on to this item.29Monorail Removal ProjectStatement of Heritage ImpactNovember 2012Graham Brooks & Associates Pty Ltd