To its supporters it is a needed and elegant expansion of a gallery that has long suffered for lack of room, and a refreshing indication that authorities retain a commitment to public art.

To its critics it is an unwarranted land grab, an incongruous incursion on rare open space, and a missed opportunity to better disperse cultural institutions through the city.

Artist's impression of the proposed Sydney Modern expansion of the Art Gallery of NSW. Credit:Jacob Saulwick

Plans for the "Sydney Modern" expansion of the Art Gallery of NSW continue to inspire a mixed response from the public, architects and planners.

But its incursion onto the Domain is a dominant theme among a majority of submissions to the development application for Sydney Modern that are opposed to the project. This is an issue which, for some, has not been ameliorated by changes to an earlier design that won over an early critic, Paul Keating.