Vicinity units, Canterbury: Toplace development hit with fresh order to fix ‘serious defects’

Embattled developer Jean Nassif has been handed another building blow with fresh orders to fix “serious defects” at one of his company’s Sydney properties.

Toplace’s Vicinity apartments at Charles St, Canterbury, which has now been slapped with a third building work rectification order. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Embattled developer Jean Nassif’s company has been handed another building blow with fresh orders to fix “serious defects” at one of his Sydney properties, which could result in a “threat of collapse”.

It comes as this publication revealed on Thursday how the “wanted man” – who remains in Lebanon even after NSW Police issued a warrant for his arrest over fraud allegations – was stripped of his building licence for 10 years, alongside the permanent revocation of his company Toplace’s own licence.

NSW Fair Trading has now slapped Mr Nassif and Toplace with a fresh order to remedy slabs and support columns of 11-15 Charles St, Canterbury, which forms part of its Vicinity apartment complex, to make them “structurally sound”.

Fair Trading said the worst-case scenario – if not fixed – could result in a “threat of collapse” or “destruction of the building”.

The building work rectification order - the third now slapped on the property - was issued on Friday, a day after Nassif and Toplace were stripped of their ability to work or amend defects on existing properties.

High-profile property developer Jean Nassif has been in Lebanon since December. Picture: Liam Mendes

That decision, handed down by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, means Nassif and Toplace will have to find other contractors willing to carry out the defect orders.

It is unclear, however, who that will be and whether Thursday’s decision to re-suspended the developer and his company will delay the remedial work.

In June, this publication revealed how residents of the complex had complained of “cracking sounds” in the night. Another of Toplace’s developments, at Castle Hill, was hit with fresh fire-safety breaches in late June.

Construction outside of 11-15 Charles St, which forms part of Toplace’s Vicinity complex at Canterbury. Picture: Justin Lloyd

11-15 Charles St, which forms part of Toplace’s Vicinity complex at Canterbury. Picture: Justin Lloyd

The defective slabs and columns are littered around the basement levels of the complex and, Fair Trading’s Matthew Whitton said in his order, needed immediate monitoring and work to prevent a “threat of collapse”.

It follows a separate March 2023 order and another from February 2022.

Fair Trading will require immediate works to ensure the slabs on the basement floor are “structurally adequate”, and support the ground and level one floors of building C.

They ordered Toplace to conduct real-time monitoring, detail the specific work required, submit a design declaration, carry out the works and complete any “consequential repairs” as a result of the rectification work, which is expected by Fair Trading to be carried out within three months.

The work, Mr Whitton predicted, would be “costly” but he gave “greater weight to the seriousness of the defect”.

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