The Housing Board announced on Monday that two upcoming Build-to-Order (BTO) projects in the mature estates of Queenstown and Bukit Merah will use the prime location public housing (PLH) model (May 23).
Two BTO projects will be for sale in May, along with five other sites.
In Bukit Merah, about 1,660 three- and four-room units will be built on a site bordered by Henderson, Tiong Bahru, and Lower Delta roads.
Both the Redhill and Tiong Bahru MRT stations will serve the people who will live there in the future.
Near the Buona Vista MRT station on Ghim Moh Road in Queenstown, about 860 three- and four-room apartments will be built.
BTO projects that are part of the PLH model have stricter rules about buying and selling, such as a minimum occupancy period of 10 years and a subsidy clawback at the first sale.
National Development Minister Desmond Lee said that around 4,500 BTO units will be released this month in the mature estates of Bukit Merah, Toa Payoh and Queenstown, as well as the non-mature estates of Yishun and Jurong West.
This month, there were going to be two BTO projects in Bukit Merah, but Mr. Lee said that one has been moved to the sales exercise in August.
“More time is needed to review the project, and the shift is to better spread out the locations of projects in mature and new estates at each launch,” he said.
At the same time, there will be a Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercise, which offers flats in different towns all over the island.
The minister said that SBF flats are either already being built or have already been built, so buyers can get these flats sooner.
This year, HDB is on track to open up to 23,000 BTO flats.
Mr. Lee said that a large number of the BTO units for sale in May will be in established neighborhoods to meet the high demand.
“They will make it easier for young families who want to live near their parents to do so. This will help everyone take care of and help each other. So, buyers have more choices now than they did before.”
Mr. Lee said that the number of applications for BTO projects in mature estates is likely to stay high. He suggested that buyers apply for flats in non-mature estates, like Jurong West and Yishun, to increase their chances of getting a flat.
Soon, HDB will start the Build-to-Order (BTO) exercise for May 2022. Those who apply can expect about 4,500 BTO…
Since the PLH model was announced in October of last year, two BTO projects have been started in Rochor and Kallang/Whampoa.
The model is meant to keep HDB flats in prime and central locations affordable and easy for Singaporeans to get to.
In his post on Monday, Mr. Lee said that about 80% of the successful applicants who were invited to choose flats at the first PLH launch at Rochor have booked their flats. This is higher than the average of 60% for most BTO projects.
“We will keep looking at the project’s location and market value, and if there are available and good sites, we will continue to offer PLH projects in future sales,” he said.
