He loved the private, bushy view from the back verandah, particularly the big camphor laurel that obscured the neighbours who live over the back fence on Riley Street.

He loved the trickle, or the gush, of the little creek, technically a stormwater channel, and the frogs and water dragons that were at home there.

The tranquil, natural setting was the main reason they bought the house 22 years ago, Mr Chase said.

It all came to an end recently when Hurstville Council sent in the bulldozers to flatten the little creek and turn it into a proper drainage channel with concrete culverts.

The big tree has gone, along with the privacy.

Mr Chase maintains this was done by stealth — no warning, no development assessment, no environmental impact study.

"They destroyed a natural waterway, ripped down 50-year-old trees and all I had was less than one day's notice," Mr Chase said.

"I don't want to be a nark, but I just want some answers.

"The council has to be accountable and do things properly."

Mr Chase said he knew there had been a complaint to the council two years ago from a Riley Street resident about how the creek was a danger to children, but he had heard nothing until January 17 when he received a letter from the council saying work would start on January 19.

He said most of the households bordering the creek were unlikely to complain about the work as some stood to gain more land once the creek was concreted.

And others agreed that the work was necessary.

But he would have liked to have been consulted.

"Why demolish a natural waterway and bushland," he said.

"The money they are spending (estimated to be more than $200,000) could have gone into something else, like aged care."

A council spokeswoman said consultants had spoken with the affected residents, undertook necessary surveys and undertook an environmental impact assessment which concluded that there would be no significant environmental impact as a result of the proposed works.