A third Sydney apartment block is under scrutiny over building and safety issues after it was revealed its residents were evacuated last year.
Residents from the 30 loft-style apartments at 19 Gadigal Avenue in Zetland, in Sydney's southwest were evacuated late last year, while City of Sydney staff had inspected the building in February and found it had "extensive and severe water damage", a city spokesman said.
"The water damage caused the failure of the internal fire-rated construction throughout several apartments. The fire-rated construction is required to separate individual apartments and common areas during a fire," the spokesman told The Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday.
The news follows the evacuation of Sydney Olympic Park's Opal Tower on Christmas Eve and the Mascot Towers on Bourke Street last month as the NSW government scrambles to overhaul building standards.
The newly built block in Sydney Olympic Park was evacuated on Christmas Eve after cracks found in the building sparked fears it could collapse.
Remedial structural works are expected to be finished in early August, but some 63 apartments will be ready for re-occupation in mid-July, builder Icon said in a statement last week.
Residents of the 132 units in Mascot Towers, in the city's south, remain unable to return to their complex.
It was evacuated in mid-June due to cracking in its primary support structure and facade masonry.
The minister responsible for building regulation Kevin Anderson is believed to be considering reforms on the industry.
