Wonder Apartments faults repaired after nine months

The complex - which also includes the as-yet unconstructed Grand Pacific Hotel on top - fell foul of Building Commissioner David Chandler when he visited the site in August 2022 and found defects including cracking, ceilings being propped up and columns that required reinforcing.

The commissioner issued a stop work order and then later that year also slapped on a prohibition order on the Young Street site which prohibits the issuing of an occupation certificate until the order is lifted.

Put in place in November 2022, the order is still in force 18 months later.

After that order was issued, the development was taken over by project financier Windlock after the collapse of developer Wonderfield, who appointed Illawarra builder Advanced Constructions to complete the work.

To this point that had been limited to "make-safe" work, designed to rectify any faults that posed a risk to safety.

The Mercury understands that took nine months to complete and included having to X-ray concrete slabs to ensure there were no hidden faults.

In the meantime, Windlock has placed the development on the market with a view to selling it for more than $30 million.

With the repair work completed Advanced Constructions is no longer on site, as any buyer of the site will employ their own builders to complete the building.