By JILL L’ESTRANGE

Ironically, it was pressure from Jack Mundey and Bob Carr that persuaded the Howard Government to give the defence land at Middle Head and Georges Heights in 2001 to the people of Australia, and now it is the Labor Government that wants to sell off the remainder of this heritage defence site for development, most likely housing!

All this, notwithstanding that the Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, himself says, “the heritage value of these properties …belongs to the people of Australia”. Correct!

The Commonwealth Heritage Listed, HMAS Penguin, forms part of the historic defence installations at Middle Head, where a military presence was first established in 1801 to protect the colony of NSW. This is a national site unequalled for its heritage and environmental values.

The stated reason for the sale is that the sites are costing millions to maintain.

The sale of any part of the HMAS Penguin will severely impact the heritage values of the remaining assets.  Any proposal to adaptively reuse or further develop the built environment would need careful consideration to avoid impacting those heritage values.

If the divested site includes several hectares of angophora forest that is currently a buffer between HMAS Penguin and suburban Mosman, then, notwithstanding that maintenance costs of this area for defence would have been and will be in the future minimal, the windfall from a sale of the forest to developers will be huge. The loss to the community will be the destruction of an exceptional natural asset.

Don’t be misled into thinking that developers will put up affordable housing – the location and views are such that it is most likely that luxury housing will be built.

All sides of politics should be appalled at the proposal to sell off parts of HMAS Penguin, as it is likely to impact the heritage and environmental values of the highly prized Middle Head.

• Jill L’Estrange is President of the Headland Preservation Group