Ultimo Building Site Scaffolding Collapses for Second Time

A construction site in inner-Sydney Ultimo has been hit by a second collapse in as many months, after high winds brought down a section of multi-storey scaffolding onto a busy street.

Security footage captured the moment a wall of steel scaffolding, stacked roughly two storeys high, buckled and crashed down from the Wattle Street building site. The falling structure crushed two parked cars below and narrowly missed a cyclist and a passing motorist, who both escaped with seconds to spare.

Emergency crews who attended the scene found a section of scaffolding about 20 metres long and 10 metres high sprawled across several lanes of traffic. Crews searched the crushed vehicles to check whether anyone had been trapped inside, and confirmed both cars were empty at the time of the collapse.

No one was injured in the latest collapse, but it is the second time in recent weeks that part of the same building has come down. Last month, two men were seriously injured after being buried under a falling wall of bricks at the same site, in what witnesses described as a miracle survival.

Nearby residents and workers said they were shocked the site had failed a second time. One local said whoever was responsible for the building needed to be held accountable, adding there was no excuse for a repeat incident so soon after the first.

Authorities are now investigating how the same construction site could produce two dangerous collapses within weeks of each other. A fire service spokesperson said the exact cause of the scaffolding failure had not yet been confirmed, but pointed to severe weather in the area at the time as the likely trigger, with strong winds battering the city.

Behind the scaffolding, the building itself is being stripped out and redeveloped to make way for new student accommodation. The redevelopment has now been linked to two separate structural failures in as many months, raising questions about site safety oversight while construction continues.

Investigators are expected to examine whether wind speeds alone caused the failure or whether inadequate bracing and installation of the scaffolding contributed to it collapsing under pressure. Workplace safety regulators are likely to take a close interest given the site's recent history.

For now, authorities say the priority is securing the site and surrounding street to prevent a third incident, with the road expected to remain affected while crews clear debris and assess the structure's stability.