Evacuated Tauranga residents living on unsafe ground due to 'shoddy work'

Wednesday, 14 March 2018

Properties at the Bella Vista development in Tauranga remain fenced off.

Families from 16 evacuated homes at Tauranga's failed Bella Vista development face an uncertain future as the extent of the poor workmanship comes to light.

On Friday the residents of at the end of Lake Boulevard were given 24 hours notice to evacuate their homes in fear Cyclone Hola could cause slips to occur or roofs to be flung off.

Families from 16 evacuated homes at this failed Tauranga development are still unable to return home.

Fences have since been erected around the properties and no one has been allowed to return.

At an emotionally-charged public meeting on Tuesday night residents looked on in shock as Tauranga City Council contractors outlined the full extent of the building, and earthwork issues, that Bella Vista left property owners with after they went into liquidation.

The evictions notices from Tauranga City Council were put up at Bella Vista homes last Friday.

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Even though the storm danger has passed the dangerous construction and foundation work pose ongoing safety risks.

BCD Group engineer Colin Jacobson said in his 30 years in the job he'd 'never seen such poor workmanship'.

Jacobson inspected three unlined properties and uncovered roof bracing, bottom plate fixings, joist hangers and steel beam connections that were either not installed, or installed improperly at three properties.

'These three buildings were dangerous and needed urgent work to be completed.'

Without invasive testing it is impossible to know if completed buildings face the same issues.

One resident said he no longer felt safe in his own home.

'I worked seven days for three years to get that home,' he said. 'We said let's live the dream in Tauranga and now that dream is shattered.

'How am I supposed to sell my home now?'

AECOM principal Geotechnical engineer Mike Trigger said a number of drainage issues caused concern for the state of foundations and large cracks appearing in the fill could mean deeper problems underneath.

In some houses the foundation slab can be seen atop eroding landfill.

For some home owners the realisation of the future they face began to set in.

In the face of such overwhelming construction issues many home owners put pressure on council and asked how code of compliance certificates were ever approved for their properties.

'This should have been picked up in council inspections,' one resident said.

Tauranga City Council's Kirsty Downey said engineers would be assessing properties to assess a timeline as to when home owners could return.

'There are lessons to be learned through this,' she said.

'Now is not the time to lay blame. '

Downey said engineers will be assessing properties to give some certainty as to when property owners might be able to return and figure out what needs to be done to make their properties safe.