Embattled developer dumped by A-league team as staff stood down

The Western Sydney Wanderers have terminated a sponsorship agreement with a collapsed developer, as staff at the company are stood down without pay after it entered voluntary administration.The Wanderers confirmed on Friday its sponsorship agreement with Bathla Group has been terminated.“The club remains in a strong position and is focused on delivering on- and off-field success for our members, fans, partners and the western Sydney community,” the A-league club said in a statement.The Wanderers have terminated a sponsorship agreement with collapsed developer Bathla.Getty ImagesBathla Group entered voluntary administration on Tuesday and corporate restructuring agency Teneo was appointed to oversee the company and its hundreds of related entities, including Universal Property Group and Raj & Jai Construction.The collapse has left hundreds of buyers who purchased off the plan in limbo, after major developments in Box Hill and Castle Hill were plagued by delays. Work on some western Sydney Bathla projects recently stalled. Tradesmen walked off sites and some said they had not been paid.Some Bathla staff have been stood down without pay ahead of a meeting on Monday morning at the developer’s Girraween headquarters, on which it owes $400,000 in rent.A Bathla construction site at the corner of Cosmos Way and Hynds Road in Box Hill in Sydney’s outer north-west.Janie BarrettBathla’s collapse adds further pressure to the state government’s housing agenda, which is struggling amid concerns about the feasibility of apartment construction west of Parramatta.As of July, NSW was tracking about 40 per cent behind the rate required to meet the Minns government’s commitment to build 377,000 homes by mid-2029 under the National Housing Accord.Bathla had about 220 construction projects running concurrently – and about 45 of them were in the construction phase – when it entered voluntary administration, the NSW Supreme Court heard on Thursday.Creditors face a weeks-long wait to find out whether they will get any money back and anxious home buyers have been left in limbo over whether their homes will be completed.The Wanderers are set to play Sydney FC in a cross-town derby to kick off the A-League men’s season at Allianz Stadium on October 16.Get alerts on breaking news as it happens. Sign up for our Breaking News Alert.From our partners