ITEMS from historic homes in Ashfield and Haberfield are being sold off by private contractors employed to demolish houses to make way for the WestConnex motorway.

In a form of double-dipping, contractors with lucrative deals to demolish homes were given the green light to recycle any items not earmarked for preservation including tiles, bricks, light fittings, and lead light doors and windows.

Haberfield Association spokesman Vince Crow compared the ransacking of the houses to Medieval times when soldiers from conquering armies were given permission to ‘loot’ the villages.

media_camera Items from heritage houses at Haberfield are being recycled by demolition contractors.

Individual heritage items from the Federation era and in good condition can attract thousands of dollars each — a set of leadlight double hung bay windows with seating were advertised on eBay by a seller from Croydon with a starting bid of $11,000.

Mr Crow said the promise to salvage items for re-use was not happening.

“Houses are being demolished but there is no transparency as to what happens to their components.”

Resident Cynthia Moore saw a ute being loaded with window frames, shutters, timber painted doors.

“Obviously there is a huge discrepancy between the Government view of what should be happening and the view held by Haberfield residents,” Ms Moore said.

media_camera Heritage houses have been gutted ahead of demolition to make way for the WestConnex motorway.

Department of Planning compliance officers are investigating whether the Sydney Motorways Corporation and the Roads and Maritime Services are salvaging heritage items with proper supervision under the conditions approved by the Planning Minister.

A Sydney Motorway Corporation spokesman confirmed the recycling of items by contractors saying it was “standard industry practice non-heritage items can be salvaged at the subcontractor’s expense for future commercial use.”

He said in accordance with the conditions of approval for the M4 East, an independent heritage consultant was overseeing the process.

media_camera Demolition work in Haberfield/Ashfield for WestConnex motorway. Picture by CinemAir Aerial Photography.

The definition in the Infrastructure Approval for the WestConnex states a heritage item includes “a place, building, tree, movable object or precinct of heritage significance that is listed under a Local Environmental Plan under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979”.

Mr Crow said as the Haberfield Conservation Area constituted such an LEP, it was a heritage item, as were the individual components.

Residents believed all items of significance that could be re-used would be salvaged and made available to them including sought-after bricks and tiles.

media_camera Demolition work in Haberfield/Ashfield for WestConnex motorway. Picture by CinemAir Aerial Photography.

According to Bahar Yildirim, Senior Correspondence Officer of the Sydney Motorway Corporation, in an email to Mr Crow dated May 24, “heritage items identified for salvage by hand include terracotta roof tiles, timber front doors, leadlight windows and fireplaces.

“I can confirm that the heritage consultant didn’t identify any properties in Wolseley St as having items of heritage value,” Mr Yildirim wrote.

Mr Crow said there was photographic evidence that 3 Wolseley St and 2 Northcote St had original 1920s roof tiles but these tiles were not salvaged.

WHAT HERITAGE ITEMS ARE WORTH:

A pair of leadlight double hung bay windows with seating were advertised on eBay by a seller from Croydon with a starting bid of $11,000.

Items listed on Rozelle’s Chippendale Restorations website include: leadlight French doors for $9000, leadlight window for $6600, two double hung leadlight windows for $4400, 1920s leadlight door for $1100, Porteous tiles from $33 each and Art Deco light switches from $30 each.