Police say there is no immediate risk of a collapse as residents await advice on when they will be able to return

Residents have been forced to leave a Sydney high-rise apartment complex because of concerns over reports of movement in the building.

Those residing in all 122 units in Mascot Towers and nine units in surrounding buildings were unable to sleep in their own homes after concerns about the structural integrity were raised about 6pm on Friday.

“There has been some concern with movement in the building,” NSW Fire and Rescue superintendent Adam Dewberry said.

Engineers were inspecting the decade-old building to check on its integrity and signs of movement, he said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Residents wait outside the Mascot Towers building in Sydney. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

A police spokesman said there was “no immediate risk of the building collapse”.

“There have may have been an ongoing issue but it is still a matter to be determined,” he said.

Monitoring equipment is also being used on the building to help identify the problem.

A temporary shelter was established at Mascot Town Hall as residents waited for the “all clear”, police said.

“It will be a process. It won’t be a simple fix, it will be very methodical,” Dewberry said.

He said that because the incident was “still evolving”, it was yet to be determined when residents would be able to go home, or if they would need a permanent relocation.

Derrick Krusche (@derrick_krusche) Works had been carried out for the last six weeks on the Mascot tower before engineers noticed the cracking tonight and raised the alarm https://t.co/eoL5IPLYjf

In a letter from the building management, residents were advised that an engineer had inspected cracking that had developed in the “transfer slab beams supporting the primary building corner”.

“Following the inspection, the engineer raised concerns over the safety for residents in the building,” the letter read.

“It has been determined that there will be a partial evacuation of the building, pending further monitoring of the transfer beams over the course of the next week.

“This will determine if the building is safe for reoccupation.”

In December, hundreds of residents had to be evacuated from the Opal Tower in Sydney’s Olympic Park after a crack developed in a load-bearing concrete panel and the building shifted 2mm – causing plaster to crack and doors to stick in their frames.

In February, an independent report found that multiple design and construction faults had led to damage at the Opal Tower.

The tower’s builder Icon is continuing to reimburse affected owners for rental loss but in May stopped covering costs for tenants’ alternative accommodation.



