Garage wall collapses onto edge of notorious Mount Waverley excavation pit

The site in Highbury Road, Mount Waverley on Thursday. Photo: Jason South

A garage wall on a townhouse in Mount Waverley next to a notorious excavation pit has fallen down.

Nobody was injured in the incident, which affected a townhouse that has not been occupied since a landslip occurred in the excavation pit in July 2015.

In a written statement on Thursday, the City of Monash confirmed the wall had fallen.

Photos taken at the site of the pit in Highbury Road on Thursday show what appears to be debris from the wall on the pit’s edge.

“Props (poles) to secure the townhouse structure remain in place and appear not to have shifted,” the council said.

“Council has issued a 24 hour Emergency Order to the owner of the townhouse to have the props inspected and verified as safe as a precaution. Council has also informed the land owner’s insurer that an Emergency Order has been issued.

“Council will continue to work with the property owner and his insurer to ensure the townhouse is safe,” the council said.

In July 2015, Jim Nicolaou​ of Action Master Builders was forced to fill the crumbling construction pit after the 15-metre-deep hole he was digging collapsed following heavy rainfall. The backfill job reportedly required about 1700 truckloads of dirt to be dumped on the site.

Mr Nicolaou has reportedly applied for permission to build an apartment block, childcare centre and medical suite on the site.

Last month Mr Nicolaou told The Age that the townhouses that had teetered on the edge of his site were not damaged, and did not need to be sitting vacant.

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