Patterson Lakes balcony collapse blamed on botched deck repair, no permits
A botched repair job has been blamed for bringing down three entertaining areas along the Patterson River, forcing the evacuation of three properties. And it can also be revealed several balconies and decks were constructed without permits.
South East
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A botched deck repair has been blamed for bringing down three waterfront entertaining areas at Patterson Lakes, it can be revealed.
And four balconies and three decks between 67 and 73 Scarborough Drive were constructed against council permits, according to marina management.
The revelations come after residents at numbers 69, 71 and 73 were forced to evacuate their homes on Monday after their balconies came crashing down about 11am.
Speaking on behalf of the Patterson Lakes Marina, special counsel Adam Zuchowski, of Sutton Laurence King lawyers, told the Leader the balconies on all properties and decks at numbers 67 and 71 should have been resting on a pad footing situated behind the seawall rather than the seawall itself.
“The deck and the balcony structures have been affixed to the marina seawall without permission to do so,” Mr Zuchowski told the Leader.
“In respect of the decks attached to numbers 67 and 71, these should have been constructed clear spanning the seawall rather than on the marina seawall itself.
“More particularly, those structures were not constructed in accordance with the approved permit drawings.”
Expert engineers confirmed the downpipe which discharged water from the roofs of numbers 67 and 69 into the marina became compromised two months ago when the deck at number 67 was replaced.
“As the downpipe was compromised the water that would have been ordinarily discharged into the marina basin did not discharge, but rather accumulated behind the seawall,” Mr Zuchowski said.
“This resulted in the soil behind the seawall liquefying and creating pore pressure behind the seawall and when low tide occurred, the increased pore pressure compromised the seawall.
“As the deck and balcony structures were attached to the seawall, they then failed.”
Mr Zuchowski confirmed the owner’s corporation was “liable and responsible” for the damage.
Kingston City Council Mayor Georgina Oxley told the Leader that affected residents had since organised their own accommodation.
“Council is continuing to monitor the situation and is making regular inspections of the site,” she said.
“Council will be raising with the parties responsible, the need to ensure it is appropriately maintained and managed.”
“The safety of the community is Kingston Council’s priority.”
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