GOVERNMENT bean counters look set to expose the nation’s most elite soldiers to direct threat from wealthy neighbours, spies and possibly even terrorists.

Troops at the high-security Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) barracks at Swanbourne near Perth will be within sniper and “listening” range of millionaire housing if a plan to sell off Defence Housing Authority (DHA) houses at the SAS “married patch” on prime ocean front land goes ahead.

media_camera DHA concept plan ... SAS married quarters Seaview Village, Swanbourne, near Perth. Picture: Supplied

Officials from the taxpayer owned DHA have decided that dozens of houses occupied by SAS families at Seaward Village — next door to Campbell Barracks — must be bulldozed and rebuilt and at the same time about 30 per cent of the area sold to developers.

media_camera Former SAS Major ... Vice-chairman of the SAS Association Andrew Leahy. Picture: Supplied.

The sale would reap a $160 million windfall that would be ploughed into rebuilding the married quarters on smaller blocks, but according to SAS Association vice chairman and former SAS Major Andrew Leahy a Parliamentary Report had already ruled out joint occupation of the site.

“For operational and social reasons deriving from the responsibilities of the Special Air Service Regiment there is no scope for the Defence Housing Authority to develop Seaward Village as an estate containing a mixture of civilian and defence housing,” the Joint Public Works Committee report said in 1991.

Mr Leahy said he had been advised that a report accepted by both Houses of Parliament could only be overturned by both Houses.

Chairman of the SAS Association and former Commanding Officer of the Regiment Terry Nolan said the big picture issue was undoubtedly the sale of DHA.

media_camera Chairman of the SAS Association ... Former SAS commanding officer Terry Nolan. Picture: Supplied.

He said it was remarkable that no security assessment had been produced yet regarding the planned development of the “married patch”.

“We need to be reassured on a whole lot of security issues including possible espionage and the security of personnel and their families,” he said.

The last security assessment of the site was conducted in 1995.

“The threat levels are far higher now than they were 20 years ago,” Mr Nolan said.

SAS wives who live at the village told News Corp that the DHA viewed the development as nothing more than a business transaction.

“There is nothing wrong with our houses and this is a complete and utter waste of time and money,” a wife, who cannot be identified for security reasons, said.

“Our lives are often challenging enough. Our husbands need their home to be a place of refuge to decompress from the stress of their jobs and repeated deployments.”

media_camera Could soon be sold ... Views of the facilities provided for SAS families at Seaward Village Swanbourne near Perth. Picture: Supplied

According to the DHA the houses did not meet modern standards in areas such as ensuite bathrooms and they were too small and had back yards that were too big.

“Most families like having a big backyard for the kids to play in,” Mr Leahy said.

News Corp has been told that a deal to have the entire Seaward Village handed to defence in exchange for other properties around Australia was knocked back by Department of Finance bureaucrats.

The private homes adjacent to Swanbourne beach will be million dollar plus seaside residences and SAS insiders fear the new owners will be unhappy about noise levels as their elite neighbours train with Blackhawk helicopters, explosives and live rounds at all hours of the day and night.

“Once the millionaires move in it will be only a matter of time before they will force the base to shift,” Mr Leahy said.

media_camera Demolished ... Most SAS houses will be bulldozed and rebuilt with smaller yards and an ensuite bathroom. Picture: Supplied

Former Prime Minister John Howard and ex-Labor leader Kim Beazley both intervened to save the barracks from earlier attacks by developers.

“The SAS has got to fight wars and train people — they shouldn’t be filling out forms as to why their land is surplus. If you’ve been to Swanbourne there’s nothing surplus at Swanbourne,” Mr Howard said in 2007.

Defence Personnel Minister Stuart Robert said many of the houses at Seaward Village were substandard and had to be replaced.

He said nothing would be done until a full security assessment had been completed by Special Operations Command in the middle of the year.

“The project will be informed by that assessment and there will be no line of sight views into the barracks,” Mr Robert said.

Originally published as The threat our SAS troops face