Health Infrastructure (HI) has applied to Orange City Council for a demolition order on the 1937-built former nurses’ quarters and the 1960s-era nurses’ accommodation block, claiming the cost to remove asbestos from the buildings was probably greater than their value.

However, James Nicholson of Adaptive Architects in Orange, said the asbestos removal would still have to be done if the building was knocked down.

“They can’t demolish the building and let the asbestos go wherever it may, so they need to do it first and then demolish the building,” he said.

“So it isn’t really a factor between reusing the building or demolishing it. They’ll have to give a clean bill of health before they can knock it down.”

HI’s development application (DA) said it would cost about $2.4 million to clean up the asbestos.

Mr Nicholson said he did not believe it would be much cheaper to remove asbestos from a building to be demolished than from one that was being re-used.

MAP: Where is Caldwell House and the nurses’ quarters?

“They can’t do it with large machines so they have to do it with Hazmat suits and vacuums, I believe,” he said.

Mr Nicholson said he had not seen the inside of the buildings, however he had completed a study of the adjacent former Orange Base Hospital building that had been similarly trashed by thieves who ripped out asbestos to steal copper piping and wiring.

“Largely they went for the ceilings,” he said.

“I think once they cleaned up the place the bones of the building will be there. It could be developed into a nice hotel or decent offices.”

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Mr Nicholson said the government should be trying to preserve heritage buildings, adding he would write an objection to the DA, and urged others to do the same.

A HI spokesman said NSW Health was “working through options” for the future use of the site, and the process for the DA had been “run separately” to a government decision to move the Department of Primary Industries onto the adjacent site.

“The cost and methodology of removing asbestos varies from site to site, depending on the extent of hazardous material throughout the building,” the spokesperson said.

“In the case of the vacant nurse’s quarters, the building is no longer fit for habitation and would require significant work to meet contemporary standards and building codes.”