Two Wollongong CBD apartment complexes have been found to have "serious" defects by Fair Trading.
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One is the largely completed Crownview Apartments on upper Crown Street and the other is the Wonder Apartments in Young Street, which has previously had a run-in with the NSW Building Commissioner.
Late last year both complexes were hit with prohibition orders, which ban the issuing of an occupation certificate - essential for residents to move in - until the complexes are cleared by Building Commissioner David Chandler.
It also bans the registration of a strata plan for a strata scheme.
Assistant Building Commissioner Matthew Whitton inspected the 21-storey Wonder Apartments on October 31 and found what the prohibition order listed as three separate "serious" defects.
This included "honeycombing" and cracking on a level six load-bearing wall.
"The honeycombing and cracking indicates to me that the structural integrity of this wall is reduced making it inadequate to support weight placed upon it including the weight of upper levels of the building," the prohibition order stated.
This included "honeycombing" and cracking on a level six load-bearing wall.
- One of the "serious" defects Fair Trading found in a Wollongong CBD apartment complex
On the same level, gaps between concrete and another load-bearing wall were discovered.
On level seven there was a "misalignment" involving a load-bearing wall which could lead to an "uneven load transfer" affecting the building's stability.
It is the second time in less that 12 months Wonder had fallen foul of the Building Commissioner.
In August Mr Chandler inspected the site and complained about a "minefield" of safety issues before issuing a stop work order.
"When I look at the building there are cracks, it's got propping," Mr Chandler said at the time. "It's got reinforcement being added to other columns to make the column stronger."
However, when the stop work order was issued it contained no mention of any structural defects.
The only problem stated was insufficient fire suppression facilities.
So five days after the order was slapped on the site, it was lifted because the developer had updated the fire suppression system.
"The developer, in consultation with an independent manager, is taking steps to have repairs designed so work on the building can resume in a compliant manner," a Fair Trading spokesman said of the current prohibition order.
The Oxford Crown Group development Crownview - made up of a 20-storey and 10-storey towers - sits empty at the top end of Crown Street.
Mr Chandler inspected the site on November 9, where he found a "serious defect".
In this case it was a basement column that had undergone remediation work.
"The column is an element of the internal load-bearing component of a building that is essential to the stability of the building, or a part of it," Mr Chandler's report stated.
"That remediation works were carried out in relation to the column indicates to me that the column was structurally inadequate prior to the remediation works.
"Further, from inspection of the remediation works, it is apparent that the column has been 'jacketed' with high-strength concrete to thicken it. An inspection of the jacketing indicates an absence of adequate horizontal ties/connectors."
Despite the prohibition order stopping residents from moving in since it was issued, the Oxford Group's website is still advertising apartments for sale.
A Fair Trading spokesman said the department was in contact with the Crownview developer and builder about rectifying the problem.
"The prohibition order is an example of Fair Trading's proactive approach to building compliance, where audits are carried out on apartment buildings under construction to improve consumer protection and lift industry capability," the spokesman said.
In both instances, the prohibition orders will remain in place until the defects are rectified.
Representatives for both developments were contacted for comment.
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
