SINGAPORE: Newly announced plans for public flats in the prime Bukit Timah location could have been “enabled” by factors such as housing needs as well as recent Housing and Development Board (HDB) measures, according to analysts.
On Thursday (May 23), Minister for National Development Desmond Lee announced that about 15,000 to 20,000 public and private homes are being planned for a new housing estate at Turf City in Bukit Timah over the next 20 to 30 years.
This is the first time in almost 40 years that public housing has been planned in Bukit Timah, said the minister.
The site has been mostly zoned for residential use since 1998, and was leased out for lifestyle and recreational use until the end of 2023.
Experts said the 26-year wait for development plans to be announced has to do with current needs of society.
“The housing needs in the area were likely not as pressing over the last two decades,” said PropNex CEO Ismail Gafoor.
The decision to develop Turf City now is down to how Singapore plans its land use, with the Urban Redevelopment Authority taking a long-term and step-by-step approach that considers future needs, said Dr Woo Jun Jie, senior lecturer at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Singapore's land-use Master Plans typically cater for decades into the future, he added.
"This means that the site would only be developed into housing when Singapore's housing needs requires these flats to be built in this neighbourhood or district, even if we draft these plans far ahead of time."
Assistant Professor Eric Fesselmeyer from the Singapore Management University (SMU) said the development of the Turf City site was likely put off because there was no "significant" demand for such a large plot that was already intended for future housing needs.
"Also, such a large area requires detailed planning, which takes time," he added.
Prior to the introduction of the Prime Location Public Housing model in 2021 and the HDB housing estate classification system in 2023, there were many concerns about introducing public housing in prime locations, said Mr Ismail.
Issues included pricing flats affordably, the potential windfall effect and the need to curb speculative behaviour, he added.
“With the models in place, it has enabled the government to gradually introduce more public housing projects in prime locations.”
And the public housing flats planned for Turf City are likely to come under the Prime Location model, analysts told CNA.
Such flats have a 10-year minimum occupation period and a clawback clause so the first owners have to pay back part of the subsidies when they sell the flat.
The first owners can also only sell the flat to buyers who meet certain conditions, including an income ceiling of S$14,000 for couples or families and S$7,000 for singles.
Turf City's immediate neighbourhood comprises mostly landed properties, including Good Class Bungalows, key executive officer of ERA Eugene Lim pointed out.
“It is unprecedented that we will be seeing HDB flats in the same neighbourhood,” he added.
Property watchers predicted that HDB flats would make up no more than 40 per cent of the new homes planned for Turf City.
“Adhering to the principle of highest and best use for the land, it is likely that private housing will comprise the majority of new homes to be built there,” said Mr Lim.
Mr Alan Cheong, Savills' executive director of research and consultancy, said: "If there were too many public housing, whatever one can say about the need for inclusivity, that will in itself change the perception of private homeowners in the area about how prime the location is in future."
He believes HDB flats there would be priced above average and likely to be larger units with few options for singles or renters.
Taking reference from other Prime Location launches, and how four-room flats in the Toh Yi area of Bukit Timah transacted at an average of S$800,000 in the first quarter of 2024, Huttons Asia's senior director Lee Sze Teck said four-room flats in Turf City may start from S$600,000 when launched for application in the coming years.
The Turf City site is special because several attractive features exist on a very large plot of land, said SMU's Asst Prof Fesselmeyer, who researches urban economics and the Singapore housing market.
Turf City has a significant number of heritage buildings amid green spaces. There are notable schools in the vicinity, and connectivity will be further improved in future with two MRT lines.
The estate will be served by Sixth Avenue Station on the Downtown Line and another station on the upcoming Cross Island Line, which will be completed in 2032.
Residents are expected to be within 800m or a 10-minute walk from an MRT station, complemented by buses, said authorities on Thursday.
NUS' Dr Woo noted that in land-scarce Singapore, it will always be difficult to conserve large green spaces.
"However, the plans for Turf City will involve a great extent of sensitivity towards heritage and nature," he continued, pointing out that many existing structures will be retained and adapted.
"Adaptive reuse is an important planning process that allows us to retain our urban heritage but at the same time inject new uses and dynamics into these spaces."
Other recent estates also show that including urban greenery and parks can help create new green spaces, which will "ideally offset" some of the existing green spaces that need to be removed as part of redevelopment plans, said Dr Woo.
Asst Prof Fesselmeyer noted an emphasis on building pedestrian-friendly developments with an abundance of green spaces, public transport options, and amenities within walking distance.
He cited how plans for Dover Forest were revised to preserve more of the natural landscape and wildlife.
"Incorporating nature and green spaces is an essential part of planning now as climate change continues," he said. "And residents desire more climate-sensitive designs."
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On Thursday (May 23), Minister for National Development Desmond Lee announced that about 15,000 to 20,000 public and private homes are being planned for a new housing estate at Turf City in Bukit Timah over the next 20 to 30 years.
This is the first time in almost 40 years that public housing has been planned in Bukit Timah, said the minister.
The site has been mostly zoned for residential use since 1998, and was leased out for lifestyle and recreational use until the end of 2023.
Experts said the 26-year wait for development plans to be announced has to do with current needs of society.
“The housing needs in the area were likely not as pressing over the last two decades,” said PropNex CEO Ismail Gafoor.
The decision to develop Turf City now is down to how Singapore plans its land use, with the Urban Redevelopment Authority taking a long-term and step-by-step approach that considers future needs, said Dr Woo Jun Jie, senior lecturer at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Singapore's land-use Master Plans typically cater for decades into the future, he added.
"This means that the site would only be developed into housing when Singapore's housing needs requires these flats to be built in this neighbourhood or district, even if we draft these plans far ahead of time."
Assistant Professor Eric Fesselmeyer from the Singapore Management University (SMU) said the development of the Turf City site was likely put off because there was no "significant" demand for such a large plot that was already intended for future housing needs.
"Also, such a large area requires detailed planning, which takes time," he added.
Related:
FLATS "UNPRECEDENTED" IN NEIGHBOURHOOD
Prior to the introduction of the Prime Location Public Housing model in 2021 and the HDB housing estate classification system in 2023, there were many concerns about introducing public housing in prime locations, said Mr Ismail.
Issues included pricing flats affordably, the potential windfall effect and the need to curb speculative behaviour, he added.
“With the models in place, it has enabled the government to gradually introduce more public housing projects in prime locations.”
And the public housing flats planned for Turf City are likely to come under the Prime Location model, analysts told CNA.
Such flats have a 10-year minimum occupation period and a clawback clause so the first owners have to pay back part of the subsidies when they sell the flat.
The first owners can also only sell the flat to buyers who meet certain conditions, including an income ceiling of S$14,000 for couples or families and S$7,000 for singles.
Turf City's immediate neighbourhood comprises mostly landed properties, including Good Class Bungalows, key executive officer of ERA Eugene Lim pointed out.
“It is unprecedented that we will be seeing HDB flats in the same neighbourhood,” he added.
Property watchers predicted that HDB flats would make up no more than 40 per cent of the new homes planned for Turf City.
“Adhering to the principle of highest and best use for the land, it is likely that private housing will comprise the majority of new homes to be built there,” said Mr Lim.
Mr Alan Cheong, Savills' executive director of research and consultancy, said: "If there were too many public housing, whatever one can say about the need for inclusivity, that will in itself change the perception of private homeowners in the area about how prime the location is in future."
He believes HDB flats there would be priced above average and likely to be larger units with few options for singles or renters.
Taking reference from other Prime Location launches, and how four-room flats in the Toh Yi area of Bukit Timah transacted at an average of S$800,000 in the first quarter of 2024, Huttons Asia's senior director Lee Sze Teck said four-room flats in Turf City may start from S$600,000 when launched for application in the coming years.
"SENSITIVITY TOWARDS HERITAGE AND NATURE"
The Turf City site is special because several attractive features exist on a very large plot of land, said SMU's Asst Prof Fesselmeyer, who researches urban economics and the Singapore housing market.
Turf City has a significant number of heritage buildings amid green spaces. There are notable schools in the vicinity, and connectivity will be further improved in future with two MRT lines.
The estate will be served by Sixth Avenue Station on the Downtown Line and another station on the upcoming Cross Island Line, which will be completed in 2032.
Residents are expected to be within 800m or a 10-minute walk from an MRT station, complemented by buses, said authorities on Thursday.
NUS' Dr Woo noted that in land-scarce Singapore, it will always be difficult to conserve large green spaces.
"However, the plans for Turf City will involve a great extent of sensitivity towards heritage and nature," he continued, pointing out that many existing structures will be retained and adapted.
"Adaptive reuse is an important planning process that allows us to retain our urban heritage but at the same time inject new uses and dynamics into these spaces."
Other recent estates also show that including urban greenery and parks can help create new green spaces, which will "ideally offset" some of the existing green spaces that need to be removed as part of redevelopment plans, said Dr Woo.
Asst Prof Fesselmeyer noted an emphasis on building pedestrian-friendly developments with an abundance of green spaces, public transport options, and amenities within walking distance.
He cited how plans for Dover Forest were revised to preserve more of the natural landscape and wildlife.
"Incorporating nature and green spaces is an essential part of planning now as climate change continues," he said. "And residents desire more climate-sensitive designs."
Continue reading...