URA GLS releases 4 plots in Central and West Region
Four sites were released under the Government Land Sales (GLS) by Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) last Friday (30th November 2018) which are located in Geylang, Downtown Core and Bukit Panjang. The four sites can potentially yield a total of 1,935 private homes and 3,500 square metres (sqm) of commercial space.
Both non-landed residential sites will be subjected to the recent revised development control guidelines on the maximum allowable housing units which has risen the average strata area from 70 sqm to 85 sqm.
The other two land parcels are zoned as mixed commercial and residential (technically termed as Residential with Commercial at 1st Floor) but are not affected by the recent control guideline above due to the planning region.
Under the 2H2018 Government Land Sales (GLS) Confirmed List, URA has released Sims Drive (residential) and Middle Road (commercial and residential). URA GLS is a bi-annual programme where state land are released to property developers for public tender.
The other two sites released under Reserve List are Dairy Farm Walk (residential) and Tan Quee Lan Street (commercial and residential). A site on the Reserve List will only be put up for sale if the indicated minimum price in the application is acceptable to the Government and the applicant is not disqualified from land sale tenders. The Government will have the final decision on the launch of a Reserve List site depending on market interest for the site.
Details of the 2H2018 Government Land Sales Programme
In the Central Region, the three sites – Middle Road, Tan Quee Lan Street and Sims Drive – can yield 1,550 housing units and 3,500 sqm of commercial space. In the West Region, the Dairy Farm Walk site can yield 385 housing units. Both Middle Road and Tan Quee Lan Street GLS sites are walking distance to Downtown Line and East-West Line serving the Bugis area.
There are several notable landmark buildings nearby such as the upcoming Guoco Midtown, recently completed Duo Residences and South Beach Residences.
Both sites are required to adopt the prevailing lower-bound parking requirement under the new Range-based Parking Provision Standards.
Bugis GLS Middle Road May Draw High Interest
The Bugis GLS site released under Confirmed List is designated as Residential with Commercial at 1st Storey and bound by Middle Road, North Bridge Road and Beach Road. With a land area of 7,467.70 sqm and has a plot ratio of 4.20, the maximum gross floor area is estimated to be 31,344 sqm which could yield up to 390 housing units.
Under the Building Height Plan, the developer can build up to 6 storeys in the low rise zone and up to 20 storeys in the high rise zone. The residential component is only permitted for apartments. Other types of housing development such as condominium, serviced apartments and strata landed houses are not allowed.
The commercial component which has GFA of 1,500 sqm is suitable for shops and restaurants including outdoor refreshment areas. The other commercial uses such as commercial school, fitness centre, gym, medical clinic may be approved by the competent authority as they deem fit. It is prohibited to for office use.
Community facilities, such as childcare or infant care centre, can be allowed and the GFA is computed outside the maximum 2,000 sqm permissible for commercial uses.
TAN QUEE LAN STREET GLS (Reserve List)
The Downtown Core GLS site released under Reserve List is designated as Residential with Commercial at 1st Storey and located above the Downtown Line MRT. It is bound by North Bridge Road and Rochor Road and will enjoy direct connectivity to Downtown Line MRT in the future. With a land area of 11,530.90 sqm and has a plot ratio of 4.20, the maximum gross floor area is estimated to be 48,430 sqm which could yield up to 585 housing units.
Under the Building Height Plan, the developer can build up to 6 storeys in the low rise zone and up to 30 storeys in the high rise zone. There is a special restriction of 4 storeys for the development immediately across the conserved shophouses along Tan Quee Lan Street. The residential component is permitted for apartments except for condominium, serviced apartments and strata landed houses.
The commercial component has a maximum GFA of 2,000 sqm is suitable for shops and restaurants including outdoor refreshment areas except for office use. The other commercial uses such as commercial school, fitness centre, gym, medical clinic may be approved by the competent authority as they deem fit.
Community facilities, such as childcare or infant care centre, can be allowed and the GFA is computed outside the maximum 2,000 m2 permissible for commercial uses.
SIMS DRIVE GLS
The Geylang site released under the Confirmed List is designated for Residential (non-landed) and within walking distance to Aljunied MRT. Located along Sims Drive, the site area measures at 16,225.20 sqm and has a plot ratio of 3.00, the maximum gross floor area is estimated to be 48,676 sqm which could yield up to 575 housing units.
Under the Building Height Plan, the developer can build up to 64 metres above mean sea level (ASML). The development is to include a Child Care Centre (CCC) for infant care and child care services at a minimum of 500 sqm in strata area size to accommodate a total of 100 children and infants. The GFA for the CCC will be computed as part of the maximum permissible GFA for the development.
DAIRY FARM WALK GLS (Reserve List)
The Bukit Panjang site released under the Reserve List is designated for Residential (non-landed) and is close to Hillview MRT Station. It is bound by Dairy Farm Heights, Dairy Farm Walk and Dairy Farm Lane. The development site measures at 15,663.20 and has a plot ratio of 2.10, the maximum gross floor area is estimated to be 32,893 sqm which could yield up to 385 housing units.
Under the Building Height Plan, the site has a low rise zone capped at 69 metres AMSL and the High Rise Zone is capped at 85 AMSL. Due to its close proximity to sensitive military installation, some parts of the development are subject to the Glazing Control. This is common regulation by Singapore Government when treating high rise developments near sensitive infrastructure.
Developers’ Interest May Turn Towards Government Land Sales
With the Singapore en bloc market losing traction since the cooling measures in July 2018, the developers may turn their attention to attractive Government Land Sales Reserve List. The success in the commercial and residential at Holland Village Government Land Sale could drive developers to trigger the reserve list.
The tender for the two land parcels under the 2H 2018 GLS Confirm List at Sims Drive and Middle Road will close at 12 noon on 28 March 2019. The developers may take cue from the Pasir Ris GLS White Site released by HDB which will close in less than 2 weeks as it shares similar land attributes to the Tan Quee Lan Street GLS.