Ashfield-Leichhardt SES building reportedly sinking into the ground

By LINA NAFIE

Reports that a State Emergency Services building in the Inner West is ‘sinking’ and undergoing significant structural damage have emerged last week.

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said that the Ashfield-Leichhardt building has sunk into the ground by 10 centimetres due to construction on the WestConnex tunnel, which runs underneath. Cr Byrne sent a letter to the NSW Government asking for the relocation of the SES from the Ashfield-Leichhardt building to a new premises.

“SES volunteers do an amazing job protecting our community. It’s shocking that they now need protection themselves” Cr Byrne said in a Facebook post.

“It is an unacceptable risk for our SES volunteers.”

Cr Byrne said the sinking has caused structural damage to the SES building, adding that the corruption of the building “has prevented fire escape doors from shutting, caused plumbing pipes to break, damaged electrical wiring and caused the roof to leak”.

A NSW SES spokesperson confirmed  to City Hub that while the Ashfield-Leichhardt building has suffered structural damage, it has not been abandoned, and is currently being used with precaution. Safety rules and signs have been added until a relocation space is found.

“The Unit has not vacated the building and it continues to be used following assessments” the spokesperson said.

“As a precaution some parts of the facility have warning signs and the Unit continues to monitor the situation.”

NSW SES also confirmed they are working alongside Transport for NSW to help the Inner West Council make sure the volunteers have appropriate access to facilities, and a safe environment to work.

“The NSW SES and Transport for NSW remain committed to working with the Inner West Council to ensure that NSW SES volunteers have suitable facilities to execute their critical work in protecting local communities”.

WestConnex contractors say SES building cleared for use

A Transurban spokesperson shared that the contractor of the WestConnex tunnel project has been working closely with the Council and the SES in order to minimise any damages.

“Throughout the project, the Contractor has worked to minimize any disruption and reinstate or repair any issues.”

The spokesperson also said that a structural engineer has cleared the building for use, and that interim repairs had been carried out.

The spokesperson said the “Tunnel Contractor has consulted with Inner West Council to ensure regular specialist independent inspections have been made at the SES site”.

“Ground settlement in this area has also been monitored regularly by the Contractor and it remains within the project’s strict limits and consistent predictions”.

NSW SES are waiting for full relocation of their staff, volunteers and facilities by the local councils.

The NSW SES spokesperson shared that “Under section 17 of the State Emergency Service Act 198o, local councils are responsible for providing free of charge office accommodation to support the functions of the Local Commander”.