Griffith's Sherene Blumer says the demolition of the former Matron's Cottage on the Griffith Base Hospital site is a wake-up call.
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The building was demolished last week as part of the next stage of construction for the future non-clinical services building.
Mrs Blumer said had the cottage been in Sydney, it would have been kept as part of the development.
"It's only a small piece of history, but if we get rid of all the small parts, there's nothing left," Mrs Blumer said.
The Matron's Cottage, and the former nurse's quarters, have both previously been identified as items of local heritage it Griffith City Council's 2014 Local Environmental Plan (GLEP).
Council's sustainable development director Phil Harding said the hospital's re-development was classed as a state significant development under the NSW Environment Planning and Assessment Act.
"The site is listed on the GLEP as containing locally listed heritage items know as Former Matron's House and Nurses Quarters at Base Hospital. Both the Nurses Quarters and Former Matron's House have been previously approved for demolition on the authority of the NSW State Government," Mr Harding said.
A number of buildings which had been identified as having heritage value in the GLEP.
"This is a wake-up call, we need to protect our heritage," Mrs Blumer said.
"As a community if our council isn't interested in protecting our heritage, we have to be."
Mrs Blumer also took aim at the scope of the demolitions which saw entire buildings being cleared from the site.
She said with some careful thought and some conversations between state government departments, air-conditioner units could have possibly been re-used elsewhere in Griffith, rather than simply seeing them head to landfill.
A NSW Health Infrastructure spokeswoman said the most recent use of the cottage was for student accommodation, before a work health safety audit found it didn't meet contemporary standards.
"The former matron's house was not being used for health related activities, was in poor condition and contained hazardous materials including asbestos, deeming it unfit to occupy," she said.
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They said no submissions about the former Matron's House were received during consultation in June.
"The former matron's house at Griffith Base Hospital was identified as a local heritage item, however it was not listed on the State Heritage Register."
A heritage impact statement was produced before the cottage was demolished and recommended 'heritage interpretation works' are included in the new hospital.