Five Dock: 22 separate defects uncovered by building inspectors at 50-52 East St apartment block

Serious defects including building cracking and water leaks have been uncovered at a newly-built apartment block following an inspection by the state’s building watchdog.

Defects have been identified in the multimillion dollar building

Serious defects including building cracks and water leaks have been uncovered at a newly-built Five Dock apartment block following an inspection by the state’s building watchdog.

Fair Trading NSW has issued a building rectification order to the developer of the five storey building at 50-52 East St to fix 22 separate defects relating to waterproofing, fire safety, structural systems, and essential building services.

The $5.2m development – known as ‘Cinque’ – was approved by Canada Bay Council in 2016 and is currently occupied by tenants.

An inspection report released by Fair Trading this month shows the defects included “uncontrolled water ingress” into the basement and inadequate cladding material installed on all levels of the building,

Uncontrolled cracking of 2mm in basement walls was also observed during the Fair Trading inspection.

A photo of the Five Dock building identified by Fair Trading

The Fair Trading order identified further concerns over fire safety including inadequate installation of a fire door in the basement which Fair Trading stated contained a 60mm gap under the door.

Inadequate installation of fire hydrants and fire exit signs were identified in various sections of the building and a smoke detector was absent in a common area of the building.

Other defects identified by Fair Trading included inadequate installation of mechanical ductwork in the basement and inadequate drainage measures in the basement, which Fair Trading said is causing an accumulation of excess water.

The development was completed in 2019, planning records show.

The rectification order was issued to developer Northern Group Pty Ltd on March 14 and will remain in place until revoked by Fair Trading NSW.

NSW Acting Building Commissioner Elizabeth Stewart has set a six-month deadline for the defects to be fixed.

“I accept that the order requires considerable further building work that is likely to be costly. However, the cost to the developer must be balanced against the benefit to the occupiers in having the development constructed to the Building Code of Australia and Australian standards,” she said.

Planning records show the development was completed in 2019 and is currently advertised to buyers as offering “chic” apartments that are “peacefully located in the heart of Five Dock”.