Revelations residents were removed from Zetland apartments follows evacuation of Opal Tower and Mascot Towers

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A third Sydney apartment block is under scrutiny over building and safety issues after it was revealed its residents were evacuated last year.

Residents from the 30 loft-style apartments at 19 Gadigal Avenue in Zetland, in Sydney’s south-west, were evacuated late last year, while City of Sydney staff had inspected the building in February and found it had “extensive and severe water damage”, a city spokesman said.

“The water damage caused the failure of the internal fire-rated construction throughout several apartments. The fire-rated construction is required to separate individual apartments and common areas during a fire,” the spokesman told the Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday.

Recommendations from Opal Tower debacle not acted on Read more

The news follows the evacuation of Sydney Olympic Park’s Opal Tower on Christmas Eve and the Mascot Towers on Bourke Street last month as the New South Wales government scrambles to overhaul building standards.

The newly built block in Sydney Olympic Park was evacuated on Christmas Eve after cracks found in the building sparked fears it could collapse.

Remedial structural works are expected to be finished in early August, but some 63 apartments will be ready for re-occupation in mid-July, builder Icon said in a statement last week.

Residents of the 132 units in Mascot Towers, in the city’s south, remain unable to return to their complex.

It was evacuated in mid-June due to cracking in its primary support structure and facade masonry.

The minister responsible for building regulation Kevin Anderson is looking at reforms to the industry, with the government releasing a discussion paper in June.

The consultation period closes at the end of July and Anderson on Wednesday urged the public to comment on the policy which would ultimately form legislation.

The state government has also committed to appointing a building commissioner.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Wednesday said she wanted to assure the public that the government knew there was a problem around building regulations.

“We know there’s a gap in legislation. We allowed the industry to self-regulate and it hasn’t worked,” she told reporters on Wednesday.

“There are too many challenges, too many problems and that’s why the government’s moving to legislate.”

Opposition leader Jodi McKay said NSW Labor didn’t oppose the government taking time to consult on legislation, but wanted to know when the building commissioner would be in place.