Distributor destruction

IN just one day last week, 100 years of Bulli's history was reduced to a pile of rubble.

The first of a line of five wooden Federation-era houses in Farrell Road was demolished to make way for the continued extension of the Northern Distributor.

The four remaining houses will soon suffer a similar fate and many locals are not happy.

"It's a disgrace," local historian Michael Organ said.

"The RTA (Roads and Traffic Authority) doesn't seem to give a damn about heritage."

The five houses, which the RTA acquired, date back to the late 19th and early 20th century.

Mr Organ said the houses were once granted local heritage listing and were a rare example of a group of historic houses surviving the test of time.

"They represent what it was like to live in the northern suburbs 100 years ago," he said.

The construction of? the Northern Distributor extension began last August with the demolition of houses in Russel and Campbell Streets in Woonona.

Further houses have since been knocked down in Park and Kialoa Roads.

According to the RTA, the demolition of the remaining houses in Farrell, Park and York Roads and commercial buildings on the Princes Highway will be completed in the near future.

Bulli resident Jill Walker said the extension of the road would not benefit locals and labelled the destruction of the properties as "RTA vandalism".

Ms Walker said the demolition of the Farrell Road houses would be a particularly tragic waste.

She said the RTA should have paid to relocate the buildings.

"They can spend $72 million on the road, but they wouldn't bother to relocate the houses," Ms Walker said.

"These are not just shacks, these homes are our heritage."

Ms Walker said the houses could have been sold to private residents or donated to charities.

"They could have been taken anywhere, they could have given five families a home, but instead they are just wrecking them."

An RTA spokesperson said independent heritage consultants had conducted a detailed heritage impact management study of the Farrell Road houses.

"The study investigated the potential for relocation of the houses within the local area and concluded that any relocation of the houses individually would diminish their heritage significance as a group," the spokesperson said.

"Investigations by a builder concluded that only one house was structurally suitable for relocation, but the opportunity to relocate has not been taken up by interested parties despite the RTA making the houses available free of charge."

The spokesperson said the contract for the demolition of the houses included strict requirements for the salvage, reuse and recycling of as much of the heritage items and building materials as possible.