DAMAGE from a water leak on the ninth floor of a new Newcastle West apartment building will prevent people from moving in to the lower floors next week as planned.
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The Verve Residences, two identical towers that have been constructed on King Street over the past two years, have had the final touches added in recent weeks in preparation for the first residents to move in.
However, a tested pressure pipe burst on Sunday and sent water running through the southern tower, causing damage to floors below.
"A water piper burst on the ninth level in the common area and it did do some flooding," Verve developer Warwick Miller said.
"It flooded the common area and unfortunately the elevators. It had a minor effect on some of the apartments. It will [set back people moving in], but it only has an effect on the lower part of the south tower. There will be people starting to move into the buildings next week."
Mr Miller said Miller Property Corporation "was moving forward quickly" with the clean up and "with a situation like this, you have to make sure it's completely rebuilt to brand new".
"They won't be moving into the lower part of the south tower until we have rectified any of the damage that was occurred and made new again," he said.
"The water fell from the ninth floor down to the ground floor. Not every apartment was affected but certainly it ran through the common area ceilings."
Mr Miller, a veteran developer who also built the nearby Castle Tavern (King Street Hotel) in the 1970s, said it was an "unfortunate" incident that could occur on any property development.
"I'm extremely happy to see the building finished because the buildings are unbelievable," he said.
"To have it happen at the very last second is something you never expect, but unexpected things do happen."
The two 19-storey towers are, for now, Newcastle's tallest buildings at 66 metres and have made a distinct change to the city's skyline.
They feature a combined 197 units, ranging from studio apartments to five-bedroom penthouses.
The $130 million development was approved in 2016. Construction began a year later with two tower cranes positioned on site for much of the past two years.
Work to transform Cottage Creek into a boardwalk canal linking King and Hunter streets began last month.
