18 HDB neighbourhood renewal projects delayed by over six months
With the COVID widespread posing severe challenges to the building and construction industry, 18 out of Thirty Two NRP ventures that are unfinished have already gotten postponed by beyond 6 calendar months, revealed the Ministry of National Development.
“All 18 properties have actually returned to building and construction works slowly from Oct2020, and are assessed to be concluded within the coming a couple of years,” it explained in Parliament on Mon 1 Nov.
It was addressing MP Ng L.L., that inquired about the number of Neighbourhood Renewal Programme ventures that have actually gotten postponed by more than 6 mths plus the projected time to eliminate the stockpile.
About whether support for unprocessed material costs might be expanded to buildings contractors handling such jobs, Ministry of National Dvlpmt pointed out that support for unprocessed material prices is applicative for HDB BTO properties which “contain a constitutional agreement for safeguard of cost change of specified products”.
And considering that labors at Neighbourhood Renewal Prog jobs are normally not as complicated, the Town Councils “do not take in such a lawful provision for the service providers in their tenders”.
Hence, the help solution for raw material charges does not use on building contractors of NRP jobs.
“Nevertheless, Neighbourhood Renewal Program contractors impacted by COVID can get on various other alleviation measures granted within the COTMA, and Town Councils will examine if the relief procedures (e.g. prolongation as well as labor costs) apply to their NRP commitments,” said Min of National Dvlpmt.
The ministry guided that the Bldg and Construction Authority had similarly broadcast on 3November2020 the common Lengthening of Time of 122 days for exclusive as well as universal sector agreements impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On this, Town Councils are able to “also assess more lengthening of time durations with the buildings contractors as needed”.
