Construction begins for Surf Beach emergency services precinct fives years after Black Summer

Construction has finally commenced on a vital replacement for a South Coast RFS and SES facility half a decade after the Black Summer inferno burnt the existing centre to the ground.

Construction has finally started on a long-awaited emergency services hub on the NSW South Coast, five years after the Black Summer fires destroyed the region’s former facility.

The new $5.6m Surf Beach precinct, jointly funded by Eurobodalla council and the federal government, will house the Batemans Bay units of the State Emergency Service and Rural Fire Service.

It was first announced by Eurobodalla Council in 2020, just months after the inferno destroyed the existing facility.

But the Tallgums Way site, earmarked for the new hub, has sat untouched sparking community outrage over years of inaction, after the bushfires scorched more than 270,000 hectares in the Eurobodalla alone.

Mogo resident and business owner Lorena Granados, who lost her home and leather shop on December 31, 2019, slammed the delay.

The $5.6m facility was announced five years ago. Picture: Tom McGann

“It’s very concerning that there have been no interventions to prevent future bushfires,” she said.

“Artist impressions won’t save us in a fire. Important issues are being overlooked.”

Artist impression of the new facility. Picture: Supplied

Former Bega MP Andrew Constance, who fought to save his Malua Bay home during the fires, also lashed the inaction.

“I’m livid it hasn’t been built,” he said.

“It’s appalling and unacceptable and the stakeholders aren’t short of funding.”

A Eurobodalla Council spokesman said the project was being delivered by NSW Public Works under an agreement between council and federal government.

Former Bega MP Andrew Constance fought to save his Malua Bay home in the Black Summer fires. Pictures: Tom McGann, Supplied

“The SES and RFS assumed responsibility for the final design and building the facilities at the precinct and have engages NSW Public Works to manage delivery of the facilities,” he said.

Meanwhile, a NSW RFS and SES spokesman confirmed work on the vital facility was now, finally, underway.

“After recent setbacks due to ongoing wet weather, construction works commenced,” he said.

“Subject to weather conditions, the project is scheduled for completion in early 2026, at which point the RFS and SES will be able to move into their new base.”

Got a story? Email [e-mail]

Originally published as Construction begins for Surf Beach emergency services precinct fives years after Black Summer