AUSTRALIA risks losing a unique and valuable part of its history if plans to revamp the nation's only remaining pristine Georgian-era square are approved, local activists say.
Community Action for Windsor Bridge (CAWB) says parts of the historic Thompson Square in Windsor, northwest of Sydney, are being threatened under plans to replace the nearby Hawkesbury River bridge.
The Roads and Maritime Services said the work is required because the existing bridge is more than a century old and deteriorating.
It said no heritage buildings in the square would be demolished but work will potentially impact on its "heritage values and archaeology".
Construction is scheduled to start mid to late 2013 once planning is approved.
Historian Peter Luck said the nation will lose another part of its unique and valuable history if the work goes ahead.
"We are in danger of ... saying a familiar farewell to a piece of Australia which embodies the Macquarie era, the beginning of Australia's so called 'age of enlightenment'," he said in a statement on Sunday.
"Thompson Square is a gem, miraculously preserved until the 21st century.
"It would be a great pity if it survived so brilliantly, only to be destroyed by historical carelessness and short-sightedness."
He said the bridge was still "in good nick" for use by moderate traffic, but was not suitable for heavy traffic.
"Perfect colonial Georgian buildings and incessantly rumbling B-doubles make a bad mix."
CAWB said a rally scheduled for Sunday to protest against the plans has been met with opposition from locals, after finding a number of their promotional placards removed from their posts in the morning.
"We know there is very small group of locals who seem to have a passionate commitment in getting rid of the historic bridge," spokeswoman Kate Mackaness told AAP.
"People don't seem to have the best interest of Windsor at heart, and I'm not sure what's generating this."
Ms Mackaness said during the construction of the bridge will also be a "disaster" for local business.
The group has so far 12,000 petition signatures and is gaining more support, she said.
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