A stop work has been issued on eight units in a 15 apartment Queenstown complex.

Queenstown Lakes District Council regulatory contractor CivicCorp issued the stop work on Friday, November 5, after the builder and developer allegedly failed to meet several requirements under the building code, CivicCorp building manager Peter Laurenson said.

The complex, known as Heritage Heights, is located at Anderson Heights.

"Routine inspections revealed a number of contraventions which resulted in our issuing both a Notice to Rectify and a Dangerous Building Notice on eight of the apartments," Mr Laurenson said.

The alleged contraventions included: unacceptable fire exits; inadequate wall linings between apartments; inadequate insulation; and inadequate retaining on a bank behind the apartments.

"Both the developer (Heritage Heights Limited) and the builder (Sinclair Bros Building Limited) were made aware of the failings but have not resolved the issues, leaving the Council with no option but to issue the stop work and other notices. We are now working with them to attempt to resolve the issues," Mr Laurenson said.

In addition, CivicCorp was considering running checks on the seven, now completed apartments in the complex, which had already been sold.

"All the appropriate checks and inspections were carried out on the completed units and the plans produced were fully complying, however it may be prudent in light of recent matters to run some double checks. We will be discussing this with the new owners of those apartments," Mr Laurenson said.

Builders and developers in the Queenstown Lakes District should be in no doubt that the Council would not tolerate non-compliance, QLDC chief executive Duncan Field said.

"Substandard practices in this district are not acceptable to the Council and they are not acceptable to our community. Any developer or builder that chooses to cut corners, wittingly or unwittingly, takes an enormous risk," Mr Field said.

ENDS

For further information please contact Peter Laurenson 03 442 4777

By: Kiri