Erskineville development residents in limbo amid toxic concerns
Nick Rehac, 75, paid $1 million in 2016 for a one-bedroom unit but has never been allowed to live in it. He’s one of hundreds of homeowners unable to move into the Erskineville development built on toxic land.
NSW
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Hundreds of homeowners have been unable to move into new apartments after an Erskineville development was built on toxic land.
Nick Rehac, 75, bought a one bedroom apartment in the Sugar Cube building for $1 million in 2016 and has never been allowed to live in the building.
“I’m not even allowed to walk on the footpath in front of my building,” he said.
“I have no rights here I’m not allowed to do anything. I bought this place after selling my old house. Now I’m paying $1100 in rent each week for a place nearby.” He’s now considering legal action.
The latest developer disaster follows the evacuation of thousands of residents from the Zetland, Mascot and Opal Tower due to cracks, water damage and other significant defects.
And it comes just 24 after an emergency state and federal government over the country’s mounting building standards crisis.
The 109 “Sugarcube” apartments and 18 “Honeycomb” terraces were built at the old Ashmore industrial estate in Erskineville, with construction finished in April 2018.
A City of Sydney spokeswoman told The Daily Telegraph residents had been told not to enter as “the safety of current and future residents is our priority”.
“The development approval for this site included several conditions requiring remediation of the site due to contaminated groundwater and detections of heavy metals, hydrocarbons and asbestos,” she said.
“The contaminants are believed to be associated with the former industrial use of the site involving manufacturing activities.
“City staff have been in ongoing discussions with the developer, who has not complied with the development consent conditions concerning remediation of the site.”
The developer, Golden Rain Development, won approval in January 2016 to demolish the existing industrial warehouse and built its $46 million residential development.
The company’s website describes itself as having “a strong reputation of property development”.
Golden rain has completed 30 projects across Asia and the Erskineville development is its flagship project in Sydney.
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Building defects will happen ‘again and again’
Mascot unit ‘riddled with cracks’ since building an adjacent tower
Blame game over Opal Tower cracking
The building is on the corner of Metters and Zenith Street, about 400 metres from Erskineville station.
Furious residents have taken to social media to vent their anger.
A City of Sydney spokeswoman said they “understanding this is a most frustrating situation”.
“We will continue to work with the developer until we are satisfied they’ve taken all necessary steps to ensure the site is suitable for residential purposes,” she said.
“The City is acting to ensure that the land is safe for future residents and the public, as well as avoiding any ongoing onerous management requirements being placed on future residents.”
State and federal ministers yesterday struck an agreement to pursue nationally consistent building standards as The Daily Telegraph revealed three University of Sydney buildings were among a dozen CBD structures at the centre of the city’s potentially deadly flammable cladding crisis.
Hundreds of existing buildings still have dangerous combustible cladding that need to be replaced, with the industry also dealing with defective and faulty buildings, and soaring insurance premiums.
The Daily Telegraph today revealed apartment owners of a high-rise covered in a similar cladding to the type which caught fire and engulfed London’s Grenfell Tower are suing its builders in what is believed to be the first class action of its kind in NSW.
Parramatta Rise apartment owners are taking legal action against Toplace Construction over the aluminium cladding on the 28-storey tower, which they claim is combustible and now illegal in NSW.
The company is defending the action and argues its cladding is compliant with state laws.
It comes as NSW apartment owners are being quoted up to $80,000 per unit to replace flammable cladding, with the state’s peak strata body warning $1 billion is needed to resolve the “crisis”.
More than 600 buildings in NSW have been identified as being at risk.
Originally published as Erskineville development residents in limbo amid toxic concerns
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