‘Dead in my own bed’: Claremont woman packing bags amid McGill Rise development chaos
A Claremont woman has packed her bags after being warned that falling ‘boulders’ from the disastrous McGill Rise subdivision could smash into her bedroom, leaving her dead. HER STORY >>
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- Tenants of McGill Rise subdivision share horror stories as council investigates
- Residents at Claremont subdivision forced out of uncompliant homes that could ‘wash away’ in rain
CLAREMONT woman Karen Oliver doesn’t sleep in her bedroom anymore.
She says she’s been warned that falling debris and “boulders” from the disastrous McGill Rise subdivision could cause her bedroom wall to cave in, leaving her “dead in my own bed”.
Ms Oliver’s story is not unique – she’s one of a number of Claremont resident who have come forward with horror stories about the ill-fated development that looms over the hill from her rented unit.
Last week, the Mercury revealed that eight out of 22 homes in the McGill Rise development were vacated when Glenorchy City Council said an audit deemed them uninhabitable, with the potential for heavy rains to collapse embankments and potentially harm or kill residents.
Ms Oliver doesn’t live in McGill Rise, but as a resident in adjacent Abbotsfield Road she’s had to deal with the fallout all the same.
“I watched them build the last lot. I laid in bed and rocks were coming down the hill,” she said.
“I had rocks coming down and hitting my home. The guy from the council came into my house and said if that wall gives way and you are in bed, you are dead.
“For the past 12 to 15 months I’ve slept in my loungeroom. I’m moving out, I’ll live in my car, I can’t have my grandkids here.”
Ms Oliver said despite the warnings, she hadn’t yet been evacuated from the property.
Stuart Collins, the Tasmanian Housing Industry Association regional executive director, said there were a “number of steps and processes” in place to prevent situations like that of McGill Rise.
“It’s disappointing when you hear these things because it tarnishes the reputation of the Tasmanian housing industry as a whole,” he said.
“I’m not in a position to say where the deficiency is. You don’t just buy a parcel of land and then go and build on it. There’s a significant amount of work that needs to be done and submitted to council experts to be reviewed.”
Mr Collins said at the initial zoning application, the developer would have needed to address geotechnical engineering, hydraulic engineering, whether the land was suitable for construction, and whether it included overlays or was subject to flooding or slippage.
McGill Rise residents have also revealed a host of other problems including leaky toilets, wet walls, electrical faults and mould and mushroom growth.
The council and the state government’s Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) are investigating the stability of cuts, fills and embankments within the subdivision.
CBOS has also begun disciplinary action against the building service providers involved in the development.
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