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Legal action may be taken by a group of Bucklands Beach residents - including former Manukau City mayor Sir Barry Curtis - after a series of landslips forced them out of their homes.
Following a dramatic landslip at the weekend, residents living in clifftop homes between 114 and
118 Clovelly Rd in East Auckland's Bucklands Beach were forced to evacuate.
Sir Barry - who moved into his flat in 2004 - said cracks first started to appear on the side of the building almost a year later, in mid 2005.
"But it's really over the last week or 10 days that the landslip has accelerated and has now just destroyed the home," he told Radio New Zealand.
"You've got to go through this kind of experience, with glass breaking around you at two in the morning and loud cracks, to really appreciate the movement of earth can be extremely dangerous."
Yesterday, Sir Barry said the situation he has found himself in was something he never imagined would happen to him.
He described his experiences as "shattering". He said: "When you're in bed and you see an 8ft by 4ft pane of unbreakable glass fall to the ground in front of you, the first thing you think is that it's an invasion.
"You're frightened to get out of bed because the noise is unbelievable."
Sir Barry acknowledged that the ongoing stress of being forced out of his home because of the hand of mother nature had worsened when more damage to his home occurred on Tuesday night.
"It's just continuing to deteriorate. More glass broke last evening and the lawn - or should I say the land - is continuing to sink and it would appear that massive movement is inevitable.
"When it happens to you, it imposes enormous pressure on your mind," he said.
Sir Barry said his home provided a "nice little get-away" from the stresses of working in public service.
"I really thought it was so peaceful - the outlook was superb. After working seven days and nights a week, coming home and just sitting on a chair - it was a real little getaway."
Manukau City Council spokesman Rick Walden acknowledged that legal action against the council was just speculation.
Although damage to the buildings was first identified by residents as early as 2005, Mr Walden acknowledged that the council was made aware of the situation only on Monday, following the volatile landslip at the weekend.
"There was a lot of geotechnical advice back then [three years ago] and it was reasonable to build on that site," Mr Walden said.
"The ground cracks have widened significantly and we are advised that the rock will give way at some stage."
Sir Barry - who said he had sought "expert advice" at the time the first cracks appeared, said he was unable to elaborate because of the legal implications.
Sir Barry said: "It's just so sad to see all your hard work - to see all the refurbishments we made - disappear.
"From small beginnings to a tragedy."
- NZPA
