5 BTO projects in Bukit Batok, Clementi, Bukit Panjang and Woodlands face further del

[reporter2]

5 BTO projects in Bukit Batok, Clementi, Bukit Panjang and Woodlands face further delays as contractor goes bust

The Build-To-Order projects include Sky Vista @ Bukit Batok

26 August 2021


SINGAPORE - More than 2,900 home buyers in five Build-To-Order (BTO) projects in Bukit Batok, Clementi, Bukit Panjang and Woodlands will face an even longer wait for their homes as the main contractor for these projects has gone bust.

Sky Vista @ Bukit Batok, Senja Heights and Senja Ridges in Bukit Panjang, and Marsiling Grove in Woodlands have been affected.

The fifth one is West Coast Parkview in Clementi, located opposite West Coast Park. This serves as one of the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme replacement sites for residents in Blocks 513 to 520 West Coast Road.

There are a total of 2,982 units in the five projects.

On Wednesday (Aug 25), HDB informed the affected home buyers that the main contractors, two related companies called Greatearth Corporation and Greatearth Construction, had “run into financial difficulties” and the projects would be further delayed.

HDB did not specify the length of the delay but said home buyers would be kept updated on the situation once new contractors have been appointed and the construction schedules worked out.

Greatearth informed HDB last week that it was unable to complete the five BTO projects under its management, despite the government assistance provided, HDB said in a statement on Thursday.

HDB said it had explored possible options to resolve Greatearth’s challenges, such as through advance payments, but Greatearth did not have the financial ability to continue operations.

Since Aug 20, all works at the five sites have stopped.

Prior to this, the progress of works was satisfactory and there was no sign of work slow-down or any sudden reduction of supplies or workers on site, added HDB.

New contractors will be appointed as soon as possible to complete the remaining works, said HDB.

Contingency contractors will be brought in to secure the work sites and carry out housekeeping and vector control until new contractors are appointed.

The 230-unit Senja Ridges in Bukit Panjang was earlier slated to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year, while the 552-unit Senja Heights was due to be completed in the first quarter of next year.

The 257-unit Sky Vista @ Bukit Batok was slated to be completed in the third quarter of next year, the 1,246-unit Marsiling Grove in Woodlands in the fourth quarter of next year, and the 697-unit West Coast Parkview in the second quarter of 2023.

The completion dates for these projects had already been pushed back because of manpower and supply disruptions in the construction sector caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“These delays will affect home buyers and disrupt their life plans and they will understandably be disappointed by this latest development,” HDB said in its statement.

“HDB will do our utmost to bring the replacement contractor/s on board as soon as possible, to minimise the extent of any delays while ensuring that safety and quality are not compromised.”

[reporter2]

More delays at 5 BTO projects in Marsiling, Bukit Panjang, Bukit Batok, West Coast after main contractors pull out

August 26, 2021

• The main contractors at five BTO projects told HDB last week they could not continue work
• The reason is the firms have hit financial difficulties, despite some government assistance
• The projects had already been affected by pandemic-related delays and are set to be set back further, HDB said
• HDB is working to bring in new contractors as soon as possible

SINGAPORE — Buyers of flats at five Build-to-Order (BTO) projects that had already been delayed because of Covid-19 are now facing a longer wait as the main contractors have hit financial difficulties.

In a statement on Thursday (Aug 26), the Housing and Development Board (HDB) said that the two contractors, Greatearth Corporation and Greatearth Construction, told the statutory board last week that they are no longer able to continue work on the projects.

The latest development will affect home buyers of 2,982 units in a total of 13 blocks. HDB said all affected flat buyers were notified on Wednesday.

The projects had been due to be completed as early as the fourth quarter of this year after they had their original end dates pushed back as a result of Covid-19-related delays.

HDB said it expects further delays because of the latest development.

The affected projects are:

Senja Ridges in Bukit Panjang

Senja Heights in Bukit Panjang

Sky Vista @ Bukit Batok

Marsiling Grove

West Coast Parkview

All work at the five sites has stopped since last Friday and HDB is now working with Greatearth to bring in new contractors to complete the remaining work as soon as possible.

Before this, the progress of work at the projects was satisfactory and there were no signs of a slow-down in work or any sudden reduction of supplies or workers on-site, HDB said.

HDB said the contractors had run into financial trouble in spite of government assistance they had earlier received.

“HDB had also explored possible options to resolve Greatearth’s challenges, such as through advance payments, but Greatearth does not have the financial ability to continue its operations,” HDB said.

“We will also keep them informed of the revised completion date of their flats once we have worked out the construction schedule after the new contractors have been appointed,” HDB added.

In response to TODAY’s queries, an HDB spokesperson said the board is unable to provide an estimated completion date until it finds a contractor.

“Flat buyers who are unable to find alternative housing arrangements in the interim with family members, relatives or on the open market may contact HDB, and we will try our best to assist them.”

In the interim, HDB has arranged for contingency contractors to secure the worksites and carry out housekeeping and vector control until new contractors are appointed.

The construction industry has been among the hardest-hit sectors from the Covid-19 pandemic, with materials cost rising and a manpower crunch due to border restrictions.

TODAY earlier reported that upgrading projects in some estates has had to be scaled down or delayed because of the rise in construction costs.

“More than 18 months after Covid-19 first hit our shores, the challenges of work slow-down due to onsite safe management measures, shortage of construction workers and disruptions to the materials supply chain remain,” HDB said.

It added: “These delays will affect home buyers and disrupt their life plans, and they will understandably be disappointed by this latest development.”

However, HDB added that it would work to bring the new contractors on board as soon as possible, in order to minimise delays “while ensuring that safety and quality are not compromised”.

Covid-19 restrictions have resulted in most of HDB’s residential projects to be delayed by about six to 12 months.

HDB said that as of July this year, it needed 25,000 workers across all its work sites but only about 19,000 workers are available now, representing a shortfall of about 6,000 workers.

“About half of our projects under construction are operating with less than 80 per cent of the required workforce,” it said.

[reporter2]

Greatearth goes bust; five BTO and two public projects hit

Aug 27, 2021


[SINGAPORE] FIVE ongoing Build-To-Order (BTO) housing projects will be delayed and two public projects face possible hold-ups as the main contractor for these sites has gone bust.

This will impact more than 2,900 homebuyers across these affected BTO projects: Sky Vista @ Bukit Batok, Senja Heights and Senja Ridges in Bukit Panjang, and Marsiling Grove in Woodlands. The fifth one is West Coast Parkview in Clementi, located opposite West Coast Park. This serves as one of the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers) replacement sites for residents in Blocks 513 to 520 West Coast Road.

There are a total of 2,982 units in the five projects.

The two affected public projects are the Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium under the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Gali Batu bus depot under the Land Transport Authority.

On Aug 25, HDB informed the affected homebuyers that the main contractors, two related companies called Greatearth Corporation and Greatearth Construction, had “run into financial difficulties” and the projects would be further delayed.

HDB did not specify the length of the delay, but said homebuyers would be kept updated on the situation once new contractors have been appointed and the construction schedules worked out.

Greatearth informed HDB last week that it was unable to complete the five BTO projects under its management, despite the government assistance provided, HDB said in a statement on Thursday.

HDB said it had explored possible options to resolve Greatearth’s challenges, such as through advance payments, but Greatearth did not have the financial ability to continue operations.

Since Aug 20, all works at the five sites have stopped. Prior to this, the progress of works was satisfactory and there was no sign of work slowdown or any sudden reduction of supplies or workers on site, added HDB.

New contractors will be appointed as soon as possible to complete the remaining works, said HDB. Contingency contractors will be brought in to secure the work sites and carry out housekeeping and mosquito control until new contractors are appointed.

The 230-unit Senja Ridges in Bukit Panjang was earlier slated to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year, while the 552-unit Senja Heights was due to be completed in the first quarter of next year.

The 257-unit Sky Vista @ Bukit Batok was slated to be completed in the third quarter of next year, the 1,246-unit Marsiling Grove in Woodlands in the fourth quarter of next year, and the 697-unit West Coast Parkview in the second quarter of 2023.

The completion dates for these projects had already been pushed back because of manpower and supply disruptions in the construction sector caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“These delays will affect home buyers and disrupt their life plans and they will understandably be disappointed by this latest development,” HDB said in its statement. “HDB will do our utmost to bring the replacement contractor/s on board as soon as possible, to minimise the extent of any delays while ensuring that safety and quality are not compromised.”

Greatearth is a home-grown company that has worked on more than 400 projects, including the Raffles Town Club, Mount Elizabeth Hospital and Nanyang Technological University’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine campuses in Boon Lay and Novena.

NEA said that it expects the completion date of the new crematorium complex in Mandai to be delayed, given the change of main contractor. It was originally set for the end of next year.

For the Gali Batu bus depot off Woodlands Road, LTA said it is currently in discussion with Gamuda Berhad Singapore, an engineering and construction company that was partnering Greatearth on the project, on how to ensure project continuity and minimise the impact on the completion timeline.

The bus depot, which will be able to accommodate around 500 buses, is currently around 15 per cent completed and is slated to be completed around 2024.

Greatearth has two other ongoing public projects – Bulim Square and the infrastructure in Jurong Innovation District – under JTC Corporation. Both projects were joint ventures with other partners who have agreed to take over and fulfil the contract commitments, said JTC. “At this juncture, we do not foresee delays to the ongoing works resulting from Greatearth’s financial difficulties,” it added.