IT would appear that the longer ALAND, the Builder of neighbouring Peak Towers blocks access for the MASCOT TOWERS Engineers … the more attention they draw from the audience of SydneySiders concerned about defective developments … and unfair debt imposed upon the Mascot Towers residents …
ALAND’s reputation as a builder it would seem is sullied … how can they believe they can ride this out? How can they possibly recover?
Mascot Towers on unstable ground due to ‘loss of soil’, owners say
By Paige Cockburn and Nicole Chettle
23 OCTOBER 2019
PHOTO: Mascot Towers, in Sydney’s inner-south, has been empty since June. (AAP: Bianca De Marchi)
RELATED STORY: ‘Absolutely devastating’: Mascot Towers cracks getting bigger, report finds
RELATED STORY: Mascot Towers repair bill hits $20m as engineers close in on cause of cracking
The owners of Sydney’s troubled Mascot Towers claim new tests have revealed a “loss of soil” under the cracking apartment complex’s north east corner.
Key points:
- The Mascot Towers Owners Corporation said new tests revealed the soil supporting the building has lost “bearing capacity”
- *They claim engineers have been refused access to neighbouring apartment block Peak Towers where there were previous groundwater leaks
- On Tuesday night the owners decided to pursue a commercial loan instead of raising money in special levies, which some could not afford
The 132-unit block was evacuated in June, and its Owners Corporation on Tuesday accused the developer of a neighbouring apartment complex, Peak Towers, of denying access to engineers as they try to determine the cause of the structural problems.
“Urgency has arisen following tests revealing a reduction in bearing capacity of soils at the north eastern corner of the building near the boundary of the Peak Towers development,” an Owners Corporation statement read.
Aland — the company that built Peak Towers — said it had not been shown the report the Owners Corporation was referring to.
The Owners Corporation urged Aland to do “the right thing” and allow them access to the building.
“If Aland is confident that Peak Towers is not of any cause for concern for Mascot Towers, then they should have no difficulty in allowing our engineers access to the site,” the statement read.
In a statement, Aland’s managing director Andrew Hrsto said his company had no control over access to Peak Towers.
A separate report released earlier this year found waterproofing systems used to excavate the basement of Peak Towers likely caused the “destabilisation” of land supporting Mascot Towers.
In a statement, Aland also said it had not been provided with the report that links the waterproofing systems to the compromised land and had only seen it “referred to in media reports”.
Patrick McGuire, the spokesperson for Mascot Towers’ Owners Corporation, said lack of access causes lengthy delays for displaced residents.
The Corporation also claimed Bayside Council records indicated Aland was pumping water out of the Peak Towers basement and discharging it into stormwater drains without approval.
The leaks in the waterproofing had now been filled with a cement-like grout compound, the Corporation said.
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Owners opt for loan due to financial stress
About 100 Mascot Towers owners attended an annual general meeting on Tuesday night and voted to rescind the $7 million special levy set up in August due to financial hardship.
Mr McGuire said a number of owners were unable to meet their financial obligations now or in the future.
Instead, the owners agreed on a commercial loan over 15 years which the ABC understands is for $10 million.
Cracks in the building industry
Earlier this year the NSW Government launched an inquiry into building standards after a series of faults emerged in buildings across Sydney.
At Sydney’s Opal Tower, all residents were evacuated last December after cracks were seen across several levels of the 36-storey Olympic Park building.
Some owners have since launched a class action law suit against the State Government.
The Mascot Towers Owners Corporation said all engineering findings were being reported to newly appointed NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler — a role created by the State Government two months ago in response to concerns about construction standards in Sydney.
Aland has refused the ABC’s request for comment.
SOURCE: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-22/mascot-towers-on-unstable-ground-owners-say/11626120
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