Residents are living in dangerous 'time bombs' after buying into a government-sponsored affordable housing project, writes Sky News Australia Darwin Bureau Chief Matt Cunningham.
It’s May 2017, just three years after her family bought into what they thought was the great Australian dream.But that dream had turned into a nightmare.The steel beams holding up the house had already started to corrode. It was worst when it was windy.Ten months later Afrin and her family would be forced to flee as Cyclone Marcus approached Darwin.
Known as “Titan Homes”, they were marketed as affordable and tough when they first went on the market in 2012.By 2014 the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics began receiving complaints about the homes.Their fears were confirmed later that year when a letter arrived from the developer, Perth-based Brierty Ltd, telling them their houses might not be safe in a cyclone, and offering to reimburse costs if they sought shelter in a hotel.
On April 13, 2021, seven years after it started receiving complaints, the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics issued a public statement about the houses after receiving an engineering assessment report into some of the properties.The homes were marketed as affordable and tough when they first went on the market in 2012. They proved anything but. Picture: Supplied
“In the event of a high wind event, such as a during a cyclone, thunderstorm downburst or tornado, the nature of the potential failure of the house structure is that the TBS panels become airborne debris, endangering the surrounding community and houses,” the report says. “Never seen anyone, never heard from anyone,” said one neighbour who has rented a home next to one of the houses for more than five years and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“It is the professional opinion of the authors that the house structurally presents a safety risk of serious injury to the occupants and the community, and that consideration is given to the demolition of the house without undue delay.” “The report concluded that the only feasible risk management strategy is to mitigate the risk by moving the occupants out of the homes with the threat of a cyclone. The Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics has acted on that advice and all owners were informed of the report’s findings.”Last year they were among nine homeowners paid compensation for the total value of their home which has now been demolished.Others, like Afrin and her family, cut their losses and moved interstate.
But when he drove past it one day he noticed there were people who seemed to be conducting rectification work beneath the building. But if I was to build a house for you and I didn’t get a certifier to come and check it over, I couldn’t get you a certificate of occupancy.”
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