Mascot Towers repair bill dispute escalates
Furious residents of the troubled Mascot Towers will meet lawyers and engineers to determine who will foot the bill to fix urgent repairs as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian conceded the building industry needed a “complete overhaul”.
With the NSW government facing calls to mandate the registration and accreditation of those involved in the design and construction of high-rises, the developers of the Mascot Towers — the Elias family — appear to have deserted the scene.
The Australian visited three of the addresses listed for the Elias family companies and received no answer. The main developers of Mascot Towers, J & B Elias, seem to have abandoned their Homebush premises, in Sydney’s west, leaving nothing but a bundle of unopened mail.
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It comes as another company owned by the Mascot Towers developers, Oribe, was deregistered on June 9.
The Australian contacted the director of the two companies but did not receive a response.
The company is also believed to be linked to a development in Banksia Street, Botany, which was built in 2001.
Variations to the design of Mascot Towers were tabled at a development committee meeting by Botany Bay Council in May 2006 and included the addition of more studio and one-bedroom apartments, which was given consent by the committee. The developers also applied to extend the height of the building by another storey, exceeding the nine-storey limit enforced on buildings in the area. It was recommended for approval at the council’s development committee meeting in July 2004.
Labor MP Ron Hoenig was mayor of the City of Botany Bay Council and chaired the development committee from 1981 to 2012. Hoenig on Wednesday distanced himself from the crisis, telling The Australian the company that issued the construction certificate for Mascot Towers was “satisfied the certification process was sound”.
“The structural engineers’ and geotechnical engineers’ reports were peer-reviewed as well as independently assessed by RailCorp engineers,” Hoenig says.
Property Council of Australia chief executive Ken Morrison says governments around the country have done little to improve compliance and enforcement systems within the building and construction industry, and he called for more uniformed standards.
“We know what needs to be done. Industry is supportive. Our governments need to get on with the job. We have the blueprint, we need governments to take action to give it effect,” Morrison says.
The Mascot Towers Owners Corporation pressed for Ms Berejiklian to attend the residents meeting on Thursday.
“We have noted the Premier’s comments during the week on Mascot Towers and we want her to tell us what can be done by the government to assist owners and residents,” a spokesman says.
Residents were told this week they would have to cover a $1 million additional levy that included $5000 for a media consultant and a “miscellaneous” expense worth $100,000.
– with Jessica Cortis
This article originally appeared on www.theaustralian.com.au/property.
