Farce as ridiculous underground carpark blunder at St Kilda apartment complex results in 120 cars being trapped indefinitely

A maintenance bungle in an underground carpark bungle has left more than a hundred residents of an apartment complex unable to leave or enter in their cars, severely disrupting their lives. 

A water drainage issue at the carpark on-ramp at the Fitzroy St apartment building in St Kilda in Melbourne’s south-east stopped furious residents from leaving the premises on Monday. 

The problem left around 120 cars trapped inside the four-level carpark. 

The blockade was caused when a contractor tasked with fixing a drainage issue in the carpark accidently cut into the concrete of the entrance on-ramp. 

The cut left a gaping hole in the ramp that is expected to take weeks to fix. 

The area has now been cordoned off with a roadwork fence, several construction signs and barricade tapes. 

Residents whose cars are not inside the building now face a parking nightmare as some are forced to park their vehicles several kilometres away if they can’t find a space outside the apartment complex. 

Parking spaces nearby are also very expensive, adding to the inconvenience of residents. 

Residents have complained they have not been told when the issue will be fixed by the building’s management. 

One resident, Steph Young, told 3AW radio presenter Jaqui Felgate on Wednesday that there had been a lack of communication between the building management and tenants about the issue. 

‘No communication has been [made] to any of the residents or the owners about our cars physically in the building,’ Ms Young said. 

‘We really don’t know how long it’s going to take… the building manager just kept referring us to the body corporate.’ 

Ms Young said residents are not eligible for parking permits because the apartment complex was recently built.  

The issue was caused after a contractor accident drilled a hole in the ramp (pictured) to fix a water drainage issue

Residents have been forced to use Ubers and hire cars to get to and from work.

Another tenant was slapped with a $100 fine by Port Phillip Council because she was forced to park on the street overnight. 

Councillor Marcus Pearl said the council has been made aware of the incident and has voiced his concern about the issue.

He urged the building management and the contractors to arrange alternative parking for residents and tenants and said whoever received a fine should contact him directly to work through the matter. 

‘We are looking into it now and I would encourage anyone that got a fine to send that fine to my email address and we will look into making sure we investigate those claims as soon as we can,’ Mr Pearl told 3AW.  

A Port Phillip Council spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia they are working with building management to provide temporary parking for residents. 

‘We have reached out to the body corporate to help them contact nearby commercial off-street parking operations to quickly arrange alternate parking for their residents,’ the spokesperson said. 

‘The body corporate is also trying to arrange temporary access to their own car park.’

‘We are also looking at how we might be able to arrange access to other parking spots to affected residents as an interim measure.’