Two of five BTO projects affected by Greatearth liquidation completed
The wait for some flat owners is over, with work completed ahead of revised deadlines in two of the five Build-to-Order (BTO) projects affected by Greatearth Corporation and Greatearth Construction going bust.
The 782 owners of units in three Housing Board blocks in Senja Ridges and Senja Heights have begun to receive keys to their new homes.
The three other delayed projects - Sky Vista @ Bukit Batok, Marsiling Grove and West Coast Parkview - are "progressing well" and "on track to be delivered" by their amended deadlines, HDB said on Sunday (Feb 27).
The completion dates of the five projects had been delayed by about three months. Work was passed last year to replacement contractors after Greatearth said it could no longer fulfil its obligations, running up $70 million in debt despite government aid.
HDB's update comes as it continues to work on BTO projects that have been delayed by the pandemic, during which the construction sector was badly hit by a Covid-19 outbreak in workers' dormitories and slowdowns caused by safe management measures.
Some couples have had to seek interim housing after their weddings while awaiting their new homes. But National Development Minister Desmond Lee said last year that the average waiting time for BTO flats being built remains between four and five years, the same as before the pandemic.
The two completed projects are a block of 230 units in Senja Ridges, completed by Teambuild Engineering & Construction, and two blocks with a total of 552 units in Senja Heights by Newcon Builders.
The completion date of Senja Ridges had been postponed from the fourth quarter of 2021 to this quarter and work was finished in January, HDB said.
The two blocks in Senja Heights had been slated to be finished in the fourth quarter of last year and the first quarter of this year, but completion was each pushed back by a quarter.
Work wrapped up in December last year and February this year.
HDB said on Sunday that the replacement contractors have been able to meet their deadlines, or even finish the flats earlier, due to efforts that have allowed them to hit the ground running and acquire much-needed supplies and workers.
After Greatearth went bust last year, HDB provided new contractors with a list of Greatearth's sub-contractors and material supplies so that they could work out arrangements to keep changes to a minimum.
In both Senja projects, most sub-contractors and suppliers were retained, HDB said, with the continuity enabling work to resume much more smoothly.
HDB also worked with partner agencies to bring in more workers, accelerating progress by up to three weeks.
Some inspections, such as those for light installation, were conducted virtually, where a worker on-site would take HDB's engineers around the premises through a video call, although HDB reiterated that comprehensive physical inspections were still done to make sure workmanship standards were met.
The three remaining projects are the 257 units of Sky Vista@ Bukit Batok, with Welltech Construction as the contractor, to be completed in the fourth quarter of the year; 1,246 units of Marsiling Grove (with CES Engineering & Construction) in the first quarter of next year; and 697 units of West Coast Parkview (with Newcon) in the third quarter of next year.
HDB chief executive officer Tan Meng Dui said: "Despite the extremely challenging environment brought about by the pandemic, HDB has been able to catch up and recover from most of the delays caused by the unfortunate exit of Greatearth.
"I would like to thank our flat buyers for their patience and understanding. The remaining three projects are currently progressing well, with structural works and even some architectural works already in progress."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
