Next year’s supply may even exceed this year’s record 16,000 new flats

HOME buyers could have more than 16,000 new build-to-order (BTO) flats to choose from next year if demand continues at its present pace, said National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan.

The flats will be offered in mature HDB estates such as Tampines and Pasir Ris as well as outlying housing areas.

Mr Mah told the media yesterday: ‘If demand remains at this level, we will certainly push out a new supply of HDB flats at the same level, if not higher.’

Demand is now strong and while there are signs of an economic slowdown, the momentum should continue.

‘Going forward, I can safely say that we will continue to see this growth, and therefore we are preparing for continued supply,’ added Mr Mah, who was speaking on the sidelines of his ministry’s National Day Observance Ceremony where he presented awards to staff.

‘We are confident it will be taken up. It will be at least 16,000 new flats.’

The Government has pushed up the supply of BTO flats to 16,000 this year – about 80 per cent more than for last year and likely the highest in a decade.

The HDB had gone on an intensive building drive in the boom years of the 1990s, only to stop building new flats in new towns in 2002 as it had some 17,500 unsold flats.

The increased supply now is to meet sizzling demand, as BTO projects continue to be oversubscribed and surging HDB resale prices continue to scale new highs.

Mr Mah said late last month that the supply and demand imbalance will be arrested soon by the record number of HDB flats being released this year with prices likely to stabilise in about a year or so.

He also noted yesterday that new flats will be launched in areas other than Punggol and Sengkang, where most of the existing available land is.

‘We’re now looking for pockets of land in other parts of Singapore now that we have fulfilled our promise to Punggol,’ he added.

Mr Mah said Punggol has achieved a critical mass of 21,000 to 22,000 flats, a level that can support facilities like a new shopping mall and a town centre.

The minister also said that many young couples want to live near their parents, their children’s schools or their workplaces, so there is a demand for new flats in mature estates.

These estates will not be in downtown Singapore but could be in Tampines and Pasir Ris, he said.

He said more details will be available once the land is identified and prepared.

‘Each site is chosen very carefully… We want to build close to amenities… What HDB is doing is they are now looking for all these different pieces of land,’ he added.

‘But the direction is to start to spread out the building programme into other areas.’

The HDB will also be building flats in entirely new estates.

‘One day, we’ll have to look at opening up new land, new estates… as eventually, we will run out of available land.’

But this will require a lot of preparation and is costly as the Government will have to put in brand new infrastructure and sewerage systems, he said.

Earlier this year, Mr Mah had mentioned that the Government will consider building flats in new areas such as Simpang in the north-east, along the Strait of Johor and Tengah in the west.

He reiterated yesterday that priority will continue to be given to first-time home buyers.

Second-timers can head for the resale market, though they should not rush in if they can afford to hold off.

‘If it is not so urgent, I would advise you to hold back for a while because you already have a flat to stay in… Consider holding back till the resale market stabilises,’ Mr Mah said.

When asked about the recent tweak to the project completion period for private residential sale sites from six to five years, he said that it should not affect many developers but it does give better assurance of the supply coming onstream.

‘The longer the (completion period), the more uncertain the supply projections going forward.’

Meanwhile, five teams from the National Development Ministry received awards for their projects on work such as eating well for less by choosing frozen meat as an alternative to chilled meat, assisting HDB lessees in financial difficulty and the master plan 2008 review.

Source: Straits Times, 7 Aug 2010

THE Government yesterday launched three mass market residential sites for sale and cut from six to five years the time developers have to complete a housing project.

The sites – in Hougang Avenue 7, at the corner of Punggol Drive and Punggol East, and the junction of Pasir Ris Drive 3 and Pasir Ris Drive 4 – are expected to yield about 1,260 units. Their tenders close separately next month.

The three 99-year leasehold plots are the first to have the new five-year project completion period for private residential sale sites applied to them.

From today, all such sites released for sale will have to conform to the new rule, which is to ‘further ensure more timely supply of private housing to meet demand’, said the Housing Board in a statement yesterday.

Experts believe the change – it does not apply to executive condominium (EC) sites which have to be built in four years – will not have a major impact on the market.

Cushman & Wakefield managing director Donald Han said: ‘In a peak market like now, it’s not a problem at all. Developers usually take three to four years to build a mass market condo.

‘It’s just a precautionary measure. The Government just wants to ensure that what has been tendered out will be completed in five years, so that supply can meet demand.’

Experts note that few developers want to take too long to build on leasehold sites.

‘Based on development trends in the last eight years, we found that the actual completion period for sale sites for private residential developments was generally about four years on average,’ said the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). Only about 13 per cent of these projects took longer than five years to complete, it said.

Prior to 1997, the project completion period for government residential sites was four to five years. It was extended to eight years in late 1997 due to the then economic crisis, said the URA.

This was cut to six years in 1999 and has remained so, although the Government in last year’s Budget allowed developers to apply to extend completion periods by up to one year with applications having to be made by Jan 21 this year.

Of the sites launched yesterday, the Hougang plot is 15,630 sq m in size with a maximum gross floor area of 43,765 sq m.

The Punggol site is 15,700 sq m in size with an allowable gross floor area of 53,380 sq m. It is earmarked for executive condos and is near Kadaloor LRT station.

The Pasir Ris plot is a short distance from NTUC Downtown East, has a site area of some 20,000 sq m and an allowable gross floor area of 42,000 sq m.

Ngee Ann Polytechnic lecturer Nicholas Mak predicted that the sites would attract less aggressive bids given that they are not near MRT stations.

The Hougang site may attract bids of $320-$370 per sq ft per plot ratio (psf ppr), while the one at Pasir Ris may garner bids of $350-$390 psf ppr, he said. The Punggol EC plot, being in a new estate, may draw bids of $250-$290 psf ppr, added Mr Mak.

Source: Straits Times, 5 Aug 2010

New covered linkways, new windows and grilles in homes possible

SOME 54,000 households in Hougang, Tampines and Pasir Ris can look forward to new amenities in their neighbourhoods with upgrading works now under way.

The improvements could include new covered linkways, car porches and upgrading of children’s playgrounds.

Residents may also get upgrades to their flats, such as new waterproofing for their bathroom floors, and new windows and grilles.

No target completion date has been given for the works but the Government has set aside an extra $550 million for the three HDB towns under the Main Upgrading, Interim Upgrading and Lift Upgrading programmes.

As long as the Government had the financial resources, it would continue to rejuvenate housing estates, said Deputy Prime Minister and adviser to Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC grassroots organisation Teo Chee Hean yesterday. He was speaking at the launch of a community roadshow in Tampines Central to cap HDB’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

Tampines, Hougang and Pasir Ris are mature towns that were developed in the 1980s and early 1990s. Together with the newer towns of Sengkang and Punggol, they are home to 197,100 flats, about 22 per cent of the total number of HDB homes in Singapore.

Some $540 million has already been spent to improve amenities for more than 67,000 households in the three towns.

Of the extra $550 million, around $263 million will go towards estates in Tampines; $180 million to Hougang and $107 million to Pasir Ris.

Mr Teo, noting how the three housing estates have transformed over the years into modern and bustling towns, said commercial and other social facilities will also be upgraded to keep up with renewed residential areas.

For example, six sites in Tampines and Hougang have benefited from HDB’s Revitalisation of Shops Scheme (ROS) to increase the vibrancy and competitiveness of shops in the heartland.

Under the scheme, HDB provides partial funding for shopkeepers to spruce up their shopfronts and carry out promotions to attract more customers. The scheme will be extended to seven more sites in the two estates.

Loyang Point shopping centre in Pasir Ris will also be revamped at the end of the year.

Long-time residents welcomed the improvements to their neighbourhoods and shopping areas.

Mr Lee Kam Mun, who has lived in Tampines Central since 1998, said residents have got a lot out of the upgrading programmes.

Said the 42-year-old terminal manager in the oil and gas industry: ‘We have a nicer outlook in the estate. You come back and feel relaxed. There are also more common areas that encourage us to meet and make friends with neighbours.’

Source: Straits Times, 26 Jul 2010

MEGASTORE shopping just got safer, easier and more convenient for Pasir Ris West residents, with a new overhead bridge that was officially opened yesterday.

The $3.5 million bridge, spanning 340m, links the 60,000 residents in 191 blocks to the trio of superstores – furniture store Ikea, hypermarket Giant and electronics store Courts – across the Tampines Expressway (TPE).

Residents had raised their concerns about safety and connectivity about two years ago when the stores were being constructed, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is also an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC. He was the guest of honour at yesterday’s opening.

In order to get to the superstores, which see 80,000 or so visitors every week, residents had to make a long detour and cross a major intersection where cars turn out of or into the expressway – usually at high speed.

Even employees who work at the store sometimes complained about the inconvenience, said Ikea Tampines’ deputy store manager Lars Svensson.

‘They wanted to go over to Pasir Ris to eat meals, and you could see it (Pasir Ris) in clear sight across the road. But getting there was too difficult,’ he said.

So the area’s grassroots leaders, the Land Transport Authority and the stores worked together to make it happen.

Said Mr Teo: ‘Major roads like this one (the TPE) can divide communities…

‘With this bridge, residents get more convenience, without the congestion of the shops being in the middle of the town.’

He added that it was part of a larger plan to improve services and connectivity for Pasir Ris residents. Other recent improvements included bicycle tracks and pathways in the housing estate.

A pedestrian crossing within the shopping district was also officially opened at the same event yesterday.

Source: Today, 24 Aug 2009

RESIDENTS in five neighbourhoods will be the first to get improved cycling facilities under a $43 million programme to promote it as a mode of transport.

Work will begin on 6.9km of cycling tracks for Tampines residents in the second half of this year, while 7.5km of tracks will be added in Yishun from next year. Plans are also in the pipeline for tracks in Sembawang, Pasir Ris and Taman Jurong.

These will either be dedicated 2m-wide cycling tracks or, where space is restricted, the tracks will join existing pedestrian footpaths but have painted markings to clearly identify them for cyclists.

The five were chosen because they have strong support for cycling, are relatively compact and
have land available for the cycling tracks.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Transport) Teo Ser Luck announced these measures yesterday during the budget debate on estimates for the Transport Ministry.

He was responding to Ms Irene Ng (Tampines GRC), Madam Cynthia Phua (Aljunied GRC), Mr Wee Siew Kim (Ang Mo Kio GRC) and Mr Ang Mong Seng (Hong Kah GRC) who, while encouraged by the increasing use of bicycles, were concerned about safety and how cyclists would interact with pedestrians and other motorists.

Mr Teo, in acknowledging the competing demands for space, said the authorities had taken ‘a very careful and deliberate approach to finding that balance between the various stakeholders’.

And while there was still some way to go before Singapore could be considered a ‘cycling nation’, he outlined initiatives to move the country in that direction.

First, a scheme to allow foldable bicycles on public transport has been approved after a six-month trial.

Foldable bicycles will be allowed on buses and trains during the off-peak periods of 9.30am to 4pm and after 8pm on weekdays, and all day on weekends and public holidays.

Other initiatives include 823 additional bicycle racks at three MRT stations – Pasir Ris, Tampines and Yishun – and safety signs on popular cycling routes.

An avid cyclist, Ms Ng, said that while cyclists were now allowed to share bus lanes, they were constantly squeezed out by buses. She called for markings on bus lanes to make them ‘bike-bus lanes’.

Responding, Mr Teo said too many markings may confuse users. He suggested education and publicity as an alternative approach.

Mr Ang – who brandished a model of a bicycle, photographs and a bicycle light and bell when speaking during the debate – wanted bicycles to have licence plates so cyclists could be held responsible if they were reckless.

Mr Teo said this may not be practical or feasible to implement, and noted that bicycle-friendly cities like Paris and Amsterdam did not have such a regulation.

‘Instead, we should focus on improving cyclist and pedestrian behaviour, which is really the crux of the matter,’ he said. ‘This is why we can move only at a pace that people are reasonably comfortable with, all the while actively consulting and engaging the various groups before taking the next step.’

Source: Straits Times – 13 Feb 2009

SINGAPORE: More is going to be done to promote cycling in Singapore.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will spend S$43 million to design and construct dedicated cycling tracks next to pedestrian footpaths in HDB estates.

The first phase of this programme will be implemented in Tampines, Yishun, Sembawang, Pasir Ris and Taman Jurong.

Foldable bicycles will also be allowed on MRT trains and public buses during off-peak hours on weekdays and all-day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, from March 15.

The scheme follows an earlier six-month trial where an average of 70 foldable bicycles were brought on board trains and two foldable bicycles on board public buses each week.

LTA said eight out of 10 train commuters and about seven out of 10 bus commuters surveyed support the initiative.

Source: Channel News Asia – 12 Feb 2009