The co-operative itself was formed in 1945 and developed over the years to become one of the top fishing co-operatives in NSW, with the building construction beginning in the late 1940s, extended upon from 1964-1967 and completed by the addition of a seafood restaurant upstairs in 1975.

According to notification by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) demolition and decommissioning were both expected to take about 12 weeks.

But Eden resident Richard Jermyn was concerned about the speedy demolition process which he said was "quite disgracefully handled" with the loss of "much salvageable material".

Mr Jermyn said he planned to contact the company to ask about the materials but by the following day the site was "completely bare".

Community members observed that when demolition was taking place there were at least two excavators on site, dumping smashed debris into the back of trucks while water was hosed on the scene by another worker.

"There was extraordinary haste and almost covert action conducted throughout. There was purported to be asbestos in the building, but what happened to the water that drained through the material and into Twofold Bay?" Mr Jermyn said.

A DPIE spokesperson said asbestos was removed from the site prior to demolition and a clearance certification obtained from Keane Environmental Pty.

"Hosing is a common safety practice used during demolition to minimise the spread of dust," the spokesperson said.

Mr Jermyn tried to track down a large load of hardwood timbers he ascertained was being taken to Wanatta Lane waste facility, but was told all the materials were already "in the pit and buried underground".

"There must have been some thought as to picking those salvaged parts out - I do think there are two responsible authorities in this that have not acted responsibly, namely the lands department that instructed the contractor and secondly the shire council who caused all the material to be covered up," Mr Jermyn said.

"It was worth a lot of money and useable, yet was wantonly destroyed. It should have been separated out and handled responsibly, I am sure many in the town would feel like this."

The DPIE spokesperson said that whenever possible, building materials such as concrete and metals were collected and recycled in accordance with the conditions of the demolition contract.

"Due to safety and public liability reasons, building materials could not be extracted or given to the general public," the spokesperson said.

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