The unfinished Wakaden Street project remains an eyesore. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Dozens of tradespersons are still chasing millions of dollars in unpaid invoices for working on two Griffith affordable housing projects and a Hanwood Oval amenities block after the principal contractor went into administration in February.
Region understands that a local builder is poised to take over the projects, but that’s little consolation for those who endured a year of hardship.
Frustrated tradies owed millions
Griffith electrician Paul Ellis ($118,000), Canberra plumber George Zouch ($109,000), Howlong bricklayer Kyle Cofield ($42,000) and Riverina Skips owner Stephen Violi ($11,000) all told Region they were still owed substantial amounts since the collapse of Sydney-based company Greenwich Build Pty Ltd and were disappointed at the lack of updates about it.
“We did all the wiring and lights for the park and community hub for the Griffin Green affordable housing project and we haven’t been paid a cent,” Mr Ellis said.
“It’s been very, very stressful. We are owed $118,000. But nothing is happening. We’ve heard nothing from Griffith Council or the administrator.”
Mr Cofield said: “The last year has been tough, but I’m living my life as if I’ll never get paid.”
Mr Zouch has spent nine months chasing money he’s owed on both Canberra building projects and the Griffith community hub.
“I don’t expect to hear anything until February next year; they’re probably hoping everyone forgets,” he said.
“Nobody cares about the tradies; the rules are designed for builders and developers.”
Creditor reports list a string of other local mum and dad businesses, such as Griffith City Fencing and Vardanega Building, as owed thousands for Greenwich projects.
The stalled construction projects
Griffith City Council donated land to not-for-profit Argyle Housing to construct affordable housing townhouses on the corner of Wakaden and Crossing streets in 2020.
For the past 10 months, this unfinished construction site has been an eyesore for those passing by.
Argyle chose Greenwich as the principal contractor for this project and to construct a community hub at Dave Taylor Park, which supported an Argyle/council affordable housing partnership in south Griffith called Griffin Green. This also remains unfinished.
“We are extremely disappointed that the obligations of Greenwich Build have not been met,” Carolyn Doherty, CEO of Argyle Housing said.
“We stand in solidarity with the local tradespeople and suppliers who have been left out of pocket. To the best of our knowledge, Greenwich Build remains under administration, and we are eager to see all creditors receive the payments they are owed.”
In a separate project, Griffith Council contracted Greenwich to build new changing rooms and toilets at Hanwood Oval. This was thought to be completed in December 2024 but remedial work needs to be done to fix building faults.
Griffith Council’s perspective
In an August meeting, council passed a motion to “prepare a report detailing outstanding debts owed to local contractors for the Hanwood amenities block, [including] options on how council can assist resolving these debts after the Greenwich voluntary administration process.”
Region asked the council for an update on the administration process and how it was assisting unpaid tradies.
“Council is not involved in the management of Greenwich contractors and is unaware of specific matters relating to any debt or recovery prospects,” a spokesperson said.
“Council has not yet made any resolution regarding [its August motion]; this matter will be pending the outcomes from the finalisation of the ASIC proceedings.”
We also asked council if it knew when the Wakaden Street and community hub projects would be finished.
“These projects are under the remit of Argyle Community Housing who is the owner of these two projects. Any comment in relation to these buildings should be made by Argyle Community Housing,” the spokesperson said.
Hope for completion
Argyle Housing said it had been working diligently behind the scenes to assess what was required to complete the Wakaden Street townhouses and the community hub.
“These projects are vital to the Griffith community, not just in terms of providing affordable housing, but also in creating spaces that bring people together,” Ms Doherty said.
“We are hopeful that we will have some good news to share in the coming weeks regarding the resumption and completion of both builds.”
What happened to Greenwich Build?
Greenwich Build Pty Ltd went into voluntary administration on 24 February. Parramatta-based insolvency expert Graeme Beattie was appointed as the company’s administrator.
A report Mr Beattie submitted to the federal business regulator reveals Greenwich allegedly owes just over $3 million to tradespersons and $600,000 to other creditors.
Region contacted Mr Beattie for an update on the administration process but he did not respond. Unpaid tradies we spoke to said they had not had an update from him since April.
We also attempted to contact Greenwich Build, without success. NSW Fair Trading records indicate the company’s building licence was suspended on 12 March 2025 until 1 January 2099.
If you know more about this story, call Oliver on 0498 843 181 or email: [email protected].
