One year on from a major excavation collapse behind their homes, a group of Dickson residents finally have access to their backyards again but are still without answers or compensation.
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The ACT government confirmed the investigation into the incident was still under way but would not provide detail on the process.
In October 2022, residents woke in the early hours of the morning to loud noises and their homes trembling, as an excavation wall behind their properties gave way.
The large pit had been dug for the development of a new apartment complex called Calypso, by local developer Art Group.
![A year on from the Dickson pit collapse, residents have access to their backyards again. Picture by Keegan Carroll A year on from the Dickson pit collapse, residents have access to their backyards again. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/146508744/a384bd04-ced4-4caf-9efe-d13f967b2e7e.jpg/r0_367_5000_3189_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Gardens, sheds, fences and belongings of three households fell into the eight-metre-deep hole. A powerline also fell in, leaving residents temporarily without power to their homes.
No-one was injured in the incident.
Until about a month ago, residents of Lowrie Street weren't able to access a large portion of their backyards, which were fenced off as remediation work took place.
Residents were told last year the remediation work was on track to be completed by last Christmas, but work dragged on for another nine months after the initial deadline. In the last month, the collapsed portion of their yards was refilled and new fences were installed.
Now, as they each begin rebuilding their gardens, the residents' focus has turned to compensation through insurance providers and legal action.
![The collapsed excavation site in October 2022. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong The collapsed excavation site in October 2022. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/146508744/0236a610-d2e0-474e-816b-8dd7835e0579.jpg/r0_101_5700_3306_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
It is understood the residents were unable to pursue a class action lawsuit, so they would be pursuing legal action individually.
Residents did not wish to be quoted in the story, saying they wanted to move on from the incident.
Remediation work continues
Remediation work continues on the site to rebuild the excavation walls and install new anchors to support the walls.
An ACT government spokesperson said the work was expected to be completed by the end of the year.
They said new rock anchors had been installed in the existing and new shoring walls.
"Work has been completed on the construction of the engineered fill embankment to the section of wall that collapsed. This has allowed for the adjacent backyards, which had partially collapsed, to be reinstated with replacement fences and soil," they said.
![Backyards have been refilled and fences reinstalled, 12 months after the Dickson excavation collapse. Picture by Keegan Carroll Backyards have been refilled and fences reinstalled, 12 months after the Dickson excavation collapse. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/146508744/5ea35896-34c2-4cdd-8244-15b1d324f850.jpg/r0_256_5000_3078_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Internal steel braces have been installed on the western wall, closest to Northbourne Avenue, while work is progressing on the eastern wall that adjoins the Lowrie Street houses, the spokesperson said.
"The builder is ensuring that geotechnical and structural engineering inspections are undertaken at all critical stages," they said.
Residents want answers
As well as compensation, residents were eager to understand why the collapse occurred. One resident said communications from WorkSafe ACT included little detail about what steps were being taken.
Despite 12 months passing, WorkSafe was unable to provide an indication on when the investigation into the collapse would be completed.
"This matter is still under investigation and the expected date of completion is still yet to be formally determined by WorkSafe ACT," a government spokesperson said.
The spokesperson would not comment on what steps are involved in the investigation.
There was no guarantee the outcome of the investigation would be made public, the government spokesperson confirmed.
![One resident's backyard after the collapse. Picture by Karleen Minney One resident's backyard after the collapse. Picture by Karleen Minney](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/146508744/a645e28c-8699-4cb9-a52a-59342e9bef8f.jpg/r0_285_5568_3428_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Due to privacy restrictions, Access Canberra does not generally make public the outcome of an investigation," the spokesperson said.
"However, the outcome of any occupational discipline made on a licensee by the construction occupations registrar may be made public."
Construction occupations registrar Nick Lhuede said the wellbeing of residents was a priority.
"Access Canberra will continue to closely monitor the situation until the remediation work is completed and is prioritising the wellbeing of the affected residents," he said.
WorkSafe ACT fails to achieve some targets
WorkSafe ACT met its annual target of major investigation completions but failed to meet its target on investigation commencement, its annual report shows.
Of the seven investigations completed in 2022-23, five (71 per cent) were completed within 12 months, meeting its target of 60 per cent.
WorkSafe aims for 100 per cent of investigations to be opened within 14 days of notification of a serious incident. In 2022-23 the regulator only achieved 27 per cent, opening three out of 11 investigations within the timeframe.
MORE PROPERTY NEWS:
WorkSafe ACT visited 868 residential construction sites during the 2022-23 financial year, the annual report showed.
The visits resulted in 44 infringement notices, 1002 improvement notices and 430 prohibition notices.
WorkSafe established a new dedicated civil construction team to focus on compliance around excavations and trenches. Of the 101 workplace inspections, the regulator issued 10 infringement notices, 52 improvement notices and 40 prohibitions notices.
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