Page 3754 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 15 October 1991
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A report prepared by W.P. Butler in November 1988 examined the following options:
- the do nothing option
- premium upgrade option
- sale to tenants option .
- withdrawal options
- sale
(2) The method of acquisition of a very large complex, through fast track design and construction coupled with a new and untried (to Canberra) building method led to physical and social problems. These were:
Social:
Poor access to shops, public transport, schools and other community facilities; high proportion of emergency housing and non-English speaking people, atypical social mix, poor public and self image, isolation, high density of flats and people, low level of privacy, poor traffic planning, unenforced lease conditions.
Physical:
_ Inadequate ventilation, condensation, water penetration, mould, general dampness, poor orientation/siting, lack of effective maintenance, inadequate landscaping/maintenance.
(3) The external concrete wall panels were not waterproof.
Wet areas were located internally with inadequate ventilation.
Detailing around doors, windows and at roof wall junctions were poor.
Orientation and siting was poor.
The problems which flowed from these included:
-water penetration
-condensation
-lack of privacy and security
(4) Poor access to shops, public transport and other community facilities, high proportion of emergency housing, and non-English speaking people, inadequate mix, isolation and high density of flats.
The size of the complex and the concentration of a large number of low income people exacerbated the design and siting problems.
(5) See Attachment 1 which lists 11 studies on Melba Flats and a summary of their findings.
(6) A large number of studies were carried out on Melba Flats. Each of these studies included design, structural and social problems.
In 1986/87 12 flats in 3 blocks were upgraded in a prototype study, to see whether it was possible to correct the problems of water penetration, mould arid
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