Sydney’s construction crisis deepens: Hundreds of residents are evacuated from ANOTHER apartment block over terrifying defects – just a suburb away from troubled Mascot Towers
- An apartment building in the Sydney suburb of Zetland evacuated over fire risks
- Garland Lofts in Zetland was evacuated eight months ago and remains empty
- The revelation follows two other residential tower evacuations over safety fears
- Sydney’s Opal Tower was evacuated in December and Mascot Towers last month
An apartment building just a suburb away from Mascot Towers has been evacuated.
Garland Lofts in Zetland, which contains 30 apartments, was emptied in December 2018 due to water damage.
But the evacuation was kept quiet until an investigation by the Sydney Morning Herald found the block still empty this week.
The building had to be evacuated because water damage made it unsafe in the event of a fire.
Garland Lofts in Zetland (pictured) remains empty after residents were forced to moved out eight months ago amid concerns over water and fire safety defects
A City of Sydney spokesman said: ‘A City of Sydney officer inspected the building in February, 2019, and found the building to be vacant with extensive and severe water damage.
‘The water damage caused the failure of the internal fire-rated construction throughout several apartments.
‘The fire-rated construction is required to separate individual apartments and common areas during a fire’.
Stephen Goddard, the chair of the Garland Lofts Owners Corporation Network, claimed owners had kept the evacuation quiet to protect the value of their homes.
He told the Herald owners have known about defects for years but there was a ‘conspiracy of silence’ due to confidential legal settlements.
The block was built ten years ago by Garland 204 Pty Ltd.
According to the Herald, there has been ongoing litigation between multiple parties over the defects.
A City of Sydney spokesman said it is watching the situation closely.
‘Following our inspection, an order was issued to ensure the building was kept in a safe condition while vacant,’ the spokesman said.
‘We will continue to monitor the situation’.
The building is only a suburb away from the Mascot Towers apartment block where residents of 132 flats were evacuated last month due to cracking.
The Mascot Towers apartment block where residents of 131 flats were evacuated last month due to cracking
It comes amid widespread fears that new apartment buildings in Sydney may not have been built properly.
Opal Tower at Sydney’s Olympic Park was deemed unsafe just before Christmas after building materials began to crack.
The State Government is currently working on a slew of potential reforms for the building industry in the wake of the evacuations.
The ‘Building Stronger Foundations’ package is expected to include a new registration scheme for building designers and a Building Commissioner to regulate the industry.
Meanwhile, lasers are being used to monitor movement in Mascot Towers and drones will soon film the building’s facade.
What caused the 10-year-old building to develop cracks in the primary support structure and facade masonry remains unclear.
Opal Tower (pictured) at Sydney’s Olympic Park was deemed unsafe just before Christmas after building materials began to crack
Residents have been forced to stay elsewhere after the building was evacuated on June 14.
‘Engineers are continuing to investigate the cause of the building movement,’ residents were told in a written update on Friday.
The main focus was on earth movement and the water table.
Engineers were monitoring the groundwater for ‘potential geotechnical causes of building movement’ and investigating ways of securing the building’s foundation slab, the update said.
Crack gauges are recording the extent of the damage, laser stations are monitoring movement and drones will soon be deployed.
‘A close examination of (the) external facade via drone will be conducted over the following weeks,’ the update said.
The IGA supermarket on the bottom floor of the building was expected to re-open for business on Monday.
Fair Trading is currently processing reimbursements of temporary accommodation expenses for residents.