Bayside Council approved additional 14 units to ‘sinking’ Mascot Towers

The drama plagued Mascot Towers was ‘modified’ in May 2006 before construction started with the approval of 14 extra units. The news comes as structural engineers updated residents with news the building is ‘moving in a downward motion’.

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The architects of the troubled Mascot Towers — which is currently “moving in a downward motion” — successfully pushed to increase the number of units in the building by more than 10 per cent prior to construction.

Documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph reveal Bayside Council approved an “application to modify” the development from Krikis Tayler Architects in May 2006, adding an additional 14 units.

The application involved “increasing the number of units within building 1 from 77 to 85” and “increased (sic) number of units within residential building 2 from 38 to 44”.

It took three months to be approved from the time it was lodged.

The building was evacuated on June 14. Picture: Damian Shaw

Residents have lobbied the NSW Government for support. Picture: David Swift.

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The estimated cost of the work, which also included axing plans for a rooftop restaurant to make room for the extra units and “internal changes relating to lift locations and apartment layouts”, was $22 million.

The deed for Mascot Towers, developed by J & B Elias, was signed a year later in May 2007 by a string of companies owned by the Elias family.

It comes as an engineering update to owners and residents confirmed two senior geotechnical engineers would be deployed to the site this week to examine the cause of building movement.

“It appears that the building is moving in a downward motion,” the update added.

Owners and tenants were seen carrying their personal items out of the building over the weekend. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

The government is offering a one-off temporary residential package for displaced residents. Picture: John Feder

Owners corporation spokesman Patrick McGuire quickly moved to clarify the statement, insisting media reports referencing the word “sinking” were“not accurate”.

However he said there “has been some differential settlement resulting in the currently observed building movements, at least in part”.

Residents are unable to return to the building for at least a month until engineers discover the cause of cracking which sparked an evacuation on June 14.

Better Regulation Minister Kevin Anderson and the owners corporation say engineers’ investigative efforts have been hampered because council has allegedly failed to supply the building’s structural plans, a geotechnical report and a hydrology report.

This suggests one line of inquiry concerns looking at issues regarding the water table, which was reported by The Telegraph earlier this month.

The site sits on the sandy Botany Aquifer, meaning engineers have to contend with shallow groundwater about 1.5m below the surface.

A sign is seen at the Mascot Towers last week. Picture: Danny Casey

Bayside Mayor Bill Saravinovski denied allegations on Tuesday that council was withholding documents, some of which he said dated back to 2004.

“These records need to be recovered from offsite archiving facilities,” he said.

“If it would speed things up I will drive to the Hunter Storage Facility and pick up the files myself.”

Cr Saravinovski and Heffron state Labor MP Ron Hoenig also revealed that homeowners from the building will have their council rates and water bills deferred.

Krikis Tayler Architects did not respond to a request for comment.

They also have residential apartment projects in Darlinghurst, Erskineville, Mortlake and Little Bay, according to their website.

The NSW government will today hand down a building discussion paper outlining proposed industry reforms.