SINGAPORE — The Housing and Development Board (HDB) on Sunday (Oct 8) announced the completion of all five projects delayed by the pull-out of their former contractors — Greatearth Corporation and Greatearth Construction — over financial difficulties.
The West Coast ParkView Build-to-Order (BTO) project was delivered last month, after Marsiling Grove in March, Sky Vista @ Bukit Batok in November 2022, Senja Heights in February 2022 and Senja Ridges in January 2022.
A total of 3,000 flats across these projects were affected when construction work stopped in August 2021 and Greatearth was liquidated. The delays ranged from two to 12 months from their original estimated completion dates, said HDB on Sunday.
The projects had already fallen behind schedule due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit the construction sector particularly hard.
HDB CEO Tan Meng Dui said almost 75 per cent of BTO projects delayed by the pandemic have been completed to date.
HDB intends to complete the rest by early 2025, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee in a Facebook post.
Around a month after work stopped on the projects affected by Greatearth’s insolvency, new contractors were brought in to take over and construction resumed in October 2021.
The construction of flats was prioritised over common areas, so that flat buyers would be able to move into their new homes as quickly as possible, said HDB.
“HDB also worked with our partner agencies to assist the contractors to bring in more workers, and to allow quieter works to be carried out on Sundays and public holidays,” the agency added.
For West Coast ParkView, some common areas — such as an eating house and childcare centre — are still being built and should be completed in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Greatearth was founded in 1912 and its core business was in areas such as property development, engineering and construction. It wound up after announcing in September 2021 that it was unable to continue.
Greatearth was also involved in building a new crematorium at Mandai and a bus depot in Woodlands, among other government projects.
The Land Transport Authority previously said the depot would be completed in 2024 — same as when an inland ash scattering site at the Mandai complex is expected to be operational. CNA
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