The expansion of the Anzac Memorial was first considered in March 2007. Following a review of the Memorial Trustees’ Vision and Mission statements, the Memorial’s Conservation Management Plan and the Sydney City Council’s Hyde Park Plan of Management, the Trustees developed a brief of the spatial requirements relevant to both the current and future operational needs of the Memorial over the next 25 years. The NSW Office of the Government Architect was commissioned to prepare a concept plan and feasibility study for the potential development of an education and interpretation centre underneath the Anzac Memorial building; the idea was to have work on the project completed in time for the Memorial’s 75th anniversary in 2009.

The Government Architect and the Heritage Architects (now part of the Public Works Heritage Advisory Group), have had a long association with the Memorial as honorary architects and custodians of the Memorial’s original drawings and heritage information, with oversight for ongoing works to the building. Following the Memorial’s State Heritage listing on 23 April 2010, and changes to the Anzac Memorial (Building) Act 1923, the Government Architect was appointed a Trustee.

The Government Architect’s concept included the design and integrated construction of a cascade fountain in Hyde Park, extending along the Memorial’s major north–south axis, from its southern end to the park’s Liverpool Street boundary, based on the original 1930s concept design by Bruce Dellit, the Memorial’s architect.

The proposed education and interpretation centre was intended to support the dual-purpose nature of the Memorial – as both a shrine of remembrance and an education and exhibition facility – through the physical separation of these spaces and recognition of the different qualities they each require. The extension would enable the key functions of education and interpretation to be delivered more effectively. These educational facilities, including a small library and resource centre, were needed to inform and educate schoolchildren as part of their curriculum. Complementary and flexible exhibition spaces would enable the existing exhibition and collection material to be better displayed and allow for travelling exhibitions to be accommodated and viewed in high-standard exhibition environments with adequate storage space. The provision of associated accommodation for managerial, administrative, educational, curatorial, guiding, security and volunteer personnel within a discreet but strategic location was also required in the new structure.

 Plans for the extension were put on hold, however, when priority was given to a $6.7 million capital works program of essential repairs, internal refurbishment, conservation works and the development, design and installation of a new exhibition for the Memorial’s 75th anniversary.

In March 2012 the Trustees commissioned the Government Architect to review and update the 2008 education and interpretation centre concept plans and perform a value management assessment on the proposal.  The project scope, scale, staging and timing for the education and interpretation facilities and the water cascade, and the various costs associated with construction, were reviewed. Several options for the underground facility were developed. Eventually, the 2007–08 proposals were abandoned in favour of aligning the underground facility and public access to the south of the Memorial.

On 11 December 2013 the Trustees endorsed an option known as E7. It was chosen for providing the best value for money and long-term sustainable outcome for the Memorial. At an estimated cost of $38.3 million, this option called for the construction of two lower ground floor levels skirting the southern half of the Memorial, with the water cascade leading to Liverpool Street doubling as a new entry point into the Memorial at that level. This plan rationalised the configuration of spaces: there would be one lower ground floor area to serve as the entry and public spaces (including education and exhibition spaces), and another lower floor level to be used as exhibition spaces; in addition, there would be a consolidation of staff offices and amenities. Option E7 also reused the Memorial’s ground floor level areas as an exhibition and interpretative space, while retaining some of the existing office spaces for community and volunteer use.

The project was approved by State Cabinet in July 2014. It was envisaged that it would serve to complete the original 1930s concept design by architect Bruce Dellit delivering a contemporary interpretation of his intended water cascade to the south of the Memorial, and additional education and interpretation spaces to inform current and future generations about those Australians who have represented the nation and made sacrifices in wars and conflicts, with a particular focus on the NSW story.

On 4 August 2014, as the world marked 100 years since the Great War began, the NSW Government announced the project as the centrepiece of the NSW Centenary of Anzac Commemorative Program and committed to providing $20.3 million towards it.  

At the time of funding it was recognised that the appointment of a principal design consultant, to work with the Government Architect, was a priority. It was agreed that an eminent architect with experience in complex heritage projects in the Sydney CBD should be engaged through a direct negotiation process. The Trustees recommended that Richard Johnson, Founding Director of Johnson Pilton Walker (JPW), be considered as the architect for the project. JPW’s significant experience in the design of public and cultural spaces, including memorials, underpinned their final selection as the nominated supplier for the project.

The project’s design concept was launched by the NSW Premier, the NSW Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, a Commonwealth Government representative and the Trustees at a media event at the Memorial on 19 July 2015, the anniversary of the laying of the Memorial’s foundation stones and the date of commemoration for the battle of Fromelles. Notably members of the Dellit family were present to acknowledge the intent to complete Bruce Dellit’s original design concept.

A new forecourt at Hyde Park’s Liverpool Street entrance would allow for equitable access to the park and new underground education and interpretation facilities. Memorial visitors would enter the new Hall of Service (named to mark 100 years of military service since the Great War) via a walkway through the water cascade. The hall would function as a greeting and orientation space for the public, including tour groups and schoolchildren, and as a venue for ceremonies and functions, flowing onto exhibition galleries and education facilities.

On the northern edge of the Hall of Service, opposite the walkway, a set of stairs and inclined lifts were planned to take visitors up to the ground floor of the Anzac Memorial and the Hall of Silence, where the sculpture Sacrifice stands. An oculus, an architectural reference to the Well of Contemplation in the existing Hall of Memory, would be centred above the Hall of Service providing a view out to the Memorial’s exterior.

The new spaces were to be finished with high-quality materials: contemporary equivalents of the noble and honest materials used for the original building. The refurbishment of the existing Memorial ground floor and basement areas would restore original layouts and pay respect to the significant heritage of the Memorial. 

THE DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION PROCESS

The Government Architect engaged urban planning consultancy group MG Planning to prepare the development application. Although not requiring development consent by virtue of the provisions of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Infrastructure) 2007 (Infrastructure SEPP) the Trustees desired to work collaboratively with the City of Sydney as a Trustee to achieve the works and opted to seek approval through a DA to the CoS. The Memorial extension below ground and works to the existing building was the subject of a DA under Part 4 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act). Construction of the water cascade to the south and the associated temporary and long-term landscape changes to the park to accommodate the cascade affecting existing paving, plantings, trees, memorial plaques, light poles and changes to park access were subject to assessment under Part 5 of the EP&A Act and a review of environmental factors also had to be performed.

A team of consultants, including JPW, Government Architect, MG Planning, Tree IQ and Australian Museum Consulting (to assess arboriculture and Aboriginal cultural impacts respectively) and Morris Goding Accessibility, prepared the Review of Environmental Factors (REF). They found the cascade works would result in a positive transformation of the landscape of Hyde Park and allow for greater appreciation and experience of the Anzac Memorial. The proposed water cascade and other landscaping were seen to enhance the visual quality and recreational experience for the community in this section of Hyde Park.

The Local Government Act 1993 requires a Plan of Management to be prepared for all public land that is classified as ‘community’ land under that Act. Hyde Park is classified as ‘community’ land and therefore a Plan of Management is in place to guide its management and use.

The Hyde Park Plan of Management and Master Plan (the PoM) was first adopted by the CoS in October 2006. It identifies management objectives for the park to ensure that the park is managed and maintained at a standard appropriate to its significance and remains a safe and accessible environment. The plan also outlines how events in the park are to be managed to minimise impact and how to maintain the public’s awareness, participation and consultation in the use, management, planning and development of the park and its resources.

The REF was accepted by the CoS and the Development Application was determined by the Council on 4 May 2016.