Owners of the embattled building are taking legal action against a developer
Owners at Mascot Towers have voted to sue the developer of a neighbouring building almost a year after residents were evacuated over serious structural defects.
NSW
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Owners at Mascot Towers have voted to sue the developer of a neighbouring building almost a year after residents were evacuated over serious structural defects.
The owners voted last week to launch legal action against developer Aland, which built the neighbouring Peak Towers, and also to review the option of selling the trouble-plagued building.
It comes 11 months after cracking was discovered in the slab and structural beams of the building in June 2019, prompting a dramatic nighttime evacuation.
A spokesman for Mascot Towers Owners Corporation on Monday alleged the cracking was discovered following excavation work carried out when Peak Towers was being constructed.
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“That is not a coincidence,” the spokesman alleged.
“The soil that supported Mascot Towers was removed by those constructing the Peak Towers basement, meaning that the Mascot Towers building loads could no longer be fully supported.
“Now that Mascot Towers’ geotechnical engineers and contractors have successfully restored the supporting foundation beneath Mascot Towers to allow for structural repairs to get under way, the owners believe it is time to ensure that those responsible for last year’s damage are held accountable”.
Aland – which sponsors the Parramatta Eels – has repeatedly denied blame for damage to Mascot Towers and has stressed there was no proof that works contributed to the cracks.
Aland has previously said engineers undertook a dilapidation report in 2017 of surrounding buildings, including Mascot Towers, before starting the Peak Towers project.
Aland was contacted for comment.
The Mascot Towers Owners Corporation spokesman said owners intended to show Aland’s shoring system at Peak Towers was under-designed, that the piles were incorrectly built and that waterproofing was insufficient.
“We’re confident we have a very strong legal case and we intend to see it through,” the spokesman said.
“Mascot Towers calls on Aland … to do the right thing by the people at Mascot Towers and to come forward, accept responsibility and to offer compensation.”
Now infamous, Mascot Towers, along with Opal Tower at Sydney Olympic Park, have become synonymous with troubles plaguing the NSW building industry.
The Mascot Towers Owners Corporation spokesman said research for a collective sale of the building had also begun after owners voted to review the option of selling the building.
“Owners have faced the additional burden of personal financial hardship as a result of COVID-19, which has resulted in some owners struggling to pay their loan levies to fund the repair of the building," he said.
“However, this does not mean a collective sale has been approved.”