Dickson residents seek answers after wall collapse at Art Group's Northbourne Avenue site

Meanwhile more of his garden had dropped off the edge on Wednesday morning.

Fences and warning signs have been erected in backyards on Lowrie Street after an excavation wall bordering the properties collapsed around 1.30am on Tuesday.

The incident occurred at the construction site for Art Group's Calypso apartments, a 166-unit complex being built as part of the Soho precinct on Northbourne Avenue.

Residents recalled hearing loud noises and a trembling feeling before parts of their backyards, vegetable gardens and a shed fell into the pit.

No one was injured during the incident.

Alan, who did not want his surname used, said by Wednesday morning more of his backyard had disappeared.

"We just woke up in the morning and we noticed that another small tree ... plus a few more of my wife's plants had dropped off the side," he said.

"It was not a huge amount but it did indicate that the subsidence was still happening."

Alan said he and his wife were struggling with the fact they had lost access to their own backyard.

"You sort of put up with the sound and the dust and all of that while [the apartments are] being constructed, but we don't expect it to actually intrude right in and take away our freedoms," he said.

Access Canberra issued a stop-work notice for the site on Tuesday and will prepare an emergency rectification order.

Alan said a representative from Art Group had visited his home to assess the damage and an Access Canberra inspector had also been in touch.

But so far he felt there was little communication about how the incident would be resolved.

"What I'm looking for, and I guess others in the street, is someone taking the lead to keep the residents informed and to give them assurance that our situation is front of the queue and that we're clear on what the next steps are and when they're going to happen," he said.

Alan said while he was worried more land could drop away, his concerns were more about getting his backyard returned to its original condition.

"It's more about when will it be safe enough for us to get back to a normal life and the absence of communication from the people who can make it happen ... is just exacerbating that feeling," he said.

Access Canberra could not confirm what safety measures had been taken to secure the neighbouring properties when asked by The Canberra Times on Wednesday.

An ACT government spokesperson said the site was "currently stable".

"Access Canberra building inspectors and [the] senior engineer will continue to work with the builder to ensure the neighbouring sites continue to remain safe and stable," the spokesperson said.

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When asked if the ACT government was considering compensation for affected residents, the spokesperson said no further comments could be provided due to the matter being under investigation.

It marks the second wall collapse on a Canberra construction site in the past two months.

In August, a retaining wall collapsed at a Geocon work site in Phillip, bringing down hundreds of tonnes of dirt and concrete and forcing the closure of one of Woden's largest carparks.

On Tuesday, the ACT government said a senior engineer from Access Canberra will engage with similar large construction sites in the coming weeks "to ensure controls are in place to manage excavation safety".

This will include conducting inspections across ACT building sites.

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