![The Crownview Apartments are in more hot water with the Building Commissioner after further faults were discovered. Picture by Anna Warr The Crownview Apartments are in more hot water with the Building Commissioner after further faults were discovered. Picture by Anna Warr](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/4FavSveeQdYEHssZq5umRQ/8375dbd0-416e-4b6b-ae22-3f1a3a09a02b.jpg/r0_0_5184_3456_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The developer of the trouble-plagued Crownview apartments feared further bad publicity if fresh faults were made public.
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People who have bought into the Oxford Crown Group complex on upper Crown Street have been waiting seven years to move in, thanks to an array of problems including serious defects being found by the Building Commissioner David Chandler.
In late 2022 a prohibition order was placed on the site, which stops an occupation certificate from being issued.
Among the problems were reinforced load-bearing columns in the basement that the Building Commissioner deemed "structurally inadequate" prior to the reinforcement.
Since then builder Piety Group has been working to repair the defects - with owners increasingly frustrated as their move-in dates keep getting pushed back.
Since early 2023 there have been at least four dates set but not met.
Now the wait will be even longer; in the course of carrying out remediation work, the builder found more "serious" faults.
Because of that the Building Commissioner has issued a Building Work Rectification Order - and a second Prohibition Order linked to the fresh faults.
"In the course of implementing the defects rectification under the Piety Undertaking, Piety has informed the undertaking manager that further serious defects have been identified for rectification relating to the electrical installation and to the post tensioning of certain slabs," the rectification order stated.
Before an order is issued, a developer has a chance to make submissions to the commissioner.
According to the order, the Oxford Crown Group was chiefly concerned about bad PR if word of the new faults was made public.
"These submissions indicate that the developer considers that there is a risk of adverse reporting about the development if there is any further order made," the order stated.
"I have considered this and give greater weight to the need for the building to be compliant so that any future occupant of units in the development can be satisfied that serious defects were addressed when identified before any occupation certificate is given."
Slab tensioning is where metal bars are encased in concrete to help reinforce it. The Building Commissioner's order stated that "throughout the building" there are slabs where tensioning has not taken place or areas have been left ungrouted.
The order gives Piety three months to fix this issue.
There is also a problem with electricity supply to various floors, which has "ceased for unknown reasons".
The builder has 60 days to fix that issue.