Sydney’s Maroubra construction site a ‘nightmare’ for neighbours

One man has been forced to move out of his home and another is without vital wheelchair access due to a building disaster in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

Neighbours are counting the cost of a shambolic building disaster which has left one man homeless, another without wheelchair access, and a property developer facing a ­financial black hole.

Residents next to the ­Maroubra construction site on Yorktown Pde in Sydney’s eastern suburbs are hoping developer Nazem Islam can fix the problem.

However Mr Islam, the sole director of company ABDC Holdings, says he is ­unsure whether his construction site or recent “torrential rain” caused a driveway to break like a biscuit and a separate house to crumble.

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Pictured is side access to a house in Maroubra that is owned by David McIntyre. Picture: Richard Dobson

Since construction started on the $7 million project to build nine units next door, Mr McIntyre said his driveway has been crumbling.

“The developer has said absolutely nothing,” Mr McIntyre said of Mr Islam. “He’s not once come up to say sorry for the inconvenience.”

Mr McIntyre said his nephew was unable to leave the house without assistance because of the gaping cracks in the driveway.

Pictured at Maroubra in Sydney is David McIntyre and Hayden Alexander. David owns a house next door to a construction site where Hayden lives. Picture: Richard Dobson

The state government has since paid for an alternative accessible entrance to the property, but the damage has also meant they have to park on the road to get Mr Alexander inside.

“It was like a sinkhole down the side of my house,” fellow tenant James Ward-Collins said, adding he was forced to move out of his home with just 12 hours notice.

“All the bricks started to fall. I got a call from the builder saying that the house is starting to crack and it’s bad.”

The developer says it is unclear if rain caused the damage or not. Picture: Richard Dobson

Mr Ward-Collins spent six weeks homeless, and claims he was given $4500 by Mr Islam to relocate. Mr Islam said he has given Mr Ward-Collins more than $5000.

The developer said he was unsure whether the damage to Mr McIntyre’s rental home was caused by his project or the recent record rainfall.

“If it’s our fault then we will definitely fix it,” Mr Islam said. “We have not (yet) done an engineering report.”

It is understood Mr Islam paid $2.8 million for the 600 sqm site in 2018.

Originally published as Sydney’s Maroubra construction site a ‘nightmare’ for neighbours