New Reporter
16-10-23, 18:25
OPINION: Housing demand for Bukit Merah to increase after transformation
October 10, 2023
The Singapore government has implemented a number of transformative changes for town centres and community spaces under the Remaking Our Heartland (ROH) programme. Since it was first introduced in 2007, 13 towns have gone through or are undergoing the programme.
Punggol, Dawson, and Yishun were in the pioneer batch, followed by East Coast, Hougang, and Jurong Lake in 2011, and Woodlands, Toa Payoh, and Pasir Ris in 2015. The most recent batch was announced in 2020 and comprises Bukit Merah, Ang Mo Kio, Queenstown, and Choa Chu Kang.
Bukit Merah has excellent locational attributes
Bukit Merah is located within the Central Region of Singapore and is very well-connected to the rest of the island via the Ayer Rajah and Central Expressways. Residents in Bukit Merah are a short drive away from Orchard Road and the CBD. They also have easy access to six operational MRT stations, namely Redhill, Tiong Bahru, Havelock, Labrador Park, Telok Blangah, and HarbourFront MRT Stations. Furthermore, HarbourFront MRT Station is an interchange station for the North-East Line and Circle Line (CCL). Residents can look forward to even more convenience when Keppel and Cantonment MRT Stations on the CCL are completed in 2026.
Other amenities in Bukit Merah include 10 schools, VivoCity, Tiong Bahru Plaza, Tan Boon Liat Building, IKEA Alexandra, Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre, ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre, Delta Sports Centre and Swimming Complex, SAFRA Clubhouse (Mount Faber), Singapore Cruise Centre, and Singapore General Hospital.
Planned transformation of Bukit Merah
The Bukit Merah Planning Area comprises several estates, namely Redhill, Telok Blangah, Tiong Bahru, Mount Faber, and a part of Tanjong Pagar. It also encompasses the Greater Southern Waterfront, which extends from Pasir Panjang to Marina East. Waterfront homes and amenities are expected to be developed over the next five to 10 years in the Greater Southern Waterfront.
As part of the ROH program for Bukit Merah, the existing sheltered stage in Bukit Merah Town Centre will be replaced with a new and larger sheltered event space. Additional seating and play areas will be installed near the pedestrian malls to encourage community bonding. To enhance access to the town centre from Redhill MRT Station, new landscaped pedestrian and cycling paths will be introduced.
The common areas of Neighbourhood Centres will be upgraded with amenities such as seating, greenery, play facilities, and spaces for community events.
More than one-third of the residents in Bukit Merah are 60 years old or above, so senior-friendly amenities such as additional ramps and non-slip flooring will be installed. To encourage active aging among the elderly residents, therapeutic gardens, fitness trails or corners, and exercise equipment will be added to various parks in the neighbourhood.
To make wayfinding easier for senior citizens, signage with larger and more colourful fonts, and distinctive murals on building facades will be introduced. Some of the murals may incorporate historical elements that showcase the rich historical heritage of Bukit Merah.
There are several popular blue and green spaces in Bukit Merah, but some of these spaces need improvement. Access to the Rail Corridor will be enhanced with a new pocket park in Bukit Merah Central. Together with new cycling paths in the town centre, the future park will seamlessly connect Bukit Merah Town Centre to the Rail Corridor. Additionally, the pedestrian paths along Henderson Road that connect Alexandra Canal, the Southern Ridges, and Telok Blangah Estate to the future Greater Southern Waterfront will be enhanced with new landscaped rest points.
Furthermore, the fitness amenities at Telok Blangah Hill Park and Mount Faber Park will be upgraded. Access and wayfinding to both parks will also be improved. Alexandra Hill Park and Bukit Purmei Park will have more greenery, sheltered pavilions, and multi-generational facilities.
HDB flats in Bukit Merah are very popular with buyers
According to the latest annual report from HDB, 54,157 flats were managed by HDB as at end-March last year, which represents 4.9% of all HDB flats in Singapore that were managed by the government body. The same report also stated that there were about 130,480 residents living in HDB flats in Bukit Merah as at end-March last year, which represents about 4.2% of the population residing in HDB flats then.
Four Build-To-Order (BTO) projects were launched in Bukit Merah in recent years. Alexandra Vale, Havelock Hillside, and Bukit Merah Ridge were launched last year, while Telok Blangah Beacon was launched in 2021.
With the exception of Telok Blangah Beacon, the BTO projects were launched under the Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) model. This could be because Telok Blangah Beacon was launched in May 2021, before PLH was first introduced in November 2021. All four projects only feature three- and four-room flats, and all flat types in the four projects were oversubscribed.
More BTO projects can be expected for Bukit Merah. According to HDB’s website, a BTO project in Bukit Merah will be launched in December. The project is bounded by Alexandra Canal and Alexandra Road and will consist of 900 units of two-room flex flats, as well as three and four-room flats. Nearby amenities include Redhill MRT Station, Redhill Market and Food Centre, Alexandra Primary School, and Gan Eng Seng Primary School.
Furthermore, about 9,000 homes, including 6,000 public housing flats, will be built on the former Keppel Club golf course as part of the plans for the Greater Southern Waterfront. The first BTO project in the Greater Southern Waterfront is expected to be launched within the next five years.
Future BTO projects in Bukit Merah are expected to be launched under the PLH model due to its central location and numerous amenities in the neighbourhood. PLH flats tend to be launched at higher prices than their non-PLH counterparts. Therefore, prices for new HDB flats in Bukit Merah are expected to remain high.
The price growth for resale HDB flats in Bukit Merah managed to keep pace with their counterparts islandwide. Since 2012, the average resale prices for HDB flats in Bukit Merah and islandwide have grown by 25%, while the average resale price for their counterparts in the Central Region grew at a slightly slower pace of 24%. It is noteworthy that the average resale price for HDB flats in Bukit Merah is consistently higher than the average prices for flats in the Central Region and islandwide.
More at: https://www.edgeprop.sg/property-news/housing-demand-bukit-merah-increase-after-transformation
October 10, 2023
The Singapore government has implemented a number of transformative changes for town centres and community spaces under the Remaking Our Heartland (ROH) programme. Since it was first introduced in 2007, 13 towns have gone through or are undergoing the programme.
Punggol, Dawson, and Yishun were in the pioneer batch, followed by East Coast, Hougang, and Jurong Lake in 2011, and Woodlands, Toa Payoh, and Pasir Ris in 2015. The most recent batch was announced in 2020 and comprises Bukit Merah, Ang Mo Kio, Queenstown, and Choa Chu Kang.
Bukit Merah has excellent locational attributes
Bukit Merah is located within the Central Region of Singapore and is very well-connected to the rest of the island via the Ayer Rajah and Central Expressways. Residents in Bukit Merah are a short drive away from Orchard Road and the CBD. They also have easy access to six operational MRT stations, namely Redhill, Tiong Bahru, Havelock, Labrador Park, Telok Blangah, and HarbourFront MRT Stations. Furthermore, HarbourFront MRT Station is an interchange station for the North-East Line and Circle Line (CCL). Residents can look forward to even more convenience when Keppel and Cantonment MRT Stations on the CCL are completed in 2026.
Other amenities in Bukit Merah include 10 schools, VivoCity, Tiong Bahru Plaza, Tan Boon Liat Building, IKEA Alexandra, Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre, ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre, Delta Sports Centre and Swimming Complex, SAFRA Clubhouse (Mount Faber), Singapore Cruise Centre, and Singapore General Hospital.
Planned transformation of Bukit Merah
The Bukit Merah Planning Area comprises several estates, namely Redhill, Telok Blangah, Tiong Bahru, Mount Faber, and a part of Tanjong Pagar. It also encompasses the Greater Southern Waterfront, which extends from Pasir Panjang to Marina East. Waterfront homes and amenities are expected to be developed over the next five to 10 years in the Greater Southern Waterfront.
As part of the ROH program for Bukit Merah, the existing sheltered stage in Bukit Merah Town Centre will be replaced with a new and larger sheltered event space. Additional seating and play areas will be installed near the pedestrian malls to encourage community bonding. To enhance access to the town centre from Redhill MRT Station, new landscaped pedestrian and cycling paths will be introduced.
The common areas of Neighbourhood Centres will be upgraded with amenities such as seating, greenery, play facilities, and spaces for community events.
More than one-third of the residents in Bukit Merah are 60 years old or above, so senior-friendly amenities such as additional ramps and non-slip flooring will be installed. To encourage active aging among the elderly residents, therapeutic gardens, fitness trails or corners, and exercise equipment will be added to various parks in the neighbourhood.
To make wayfinding easier for senior citizens, signage with larger and more colourful fonts, and distinctive murals on building facades will be introduced. Some of the murals may incorporate historical elements that showcase the rich historical heritage of Bukit Merah.
There are several popular blue and green spaces in Bukit Merah, but some of these spaces need improvement. Access to the Rail Corridor will be enhanced with a new pocket park in Bukit Merah Central. Together with new cycling paths in the town centre, the future park will seamlessly connect Bukit Merah Town Centre to the Rail Corridor. Additionally, the pedestrian paths along Henderson Road that connect Alexandra Canal, the Southern Ridges, and Telok Blangah Estate to the future Greater Southern Waterfront will be enhanced with new landscaped rest points.
Furthermore, the fitness amenities at Telok Blangah Hill Park and Mount Faber Park will be upgraded. Access and wayfinding to both parks will also be improved. Alexandra Hill Park and Bukit Purmei Park will have more greenery, sheltered pavilions, and multi-generational facilities.
HDB flats in Bukit Merah are very popular with buyers
According to the latest annual report from HDB, 54,157 flats were managed by HDB as at end-March last year, which represents 4.9% of all HDB flats in Singapore that were managed by the government body. The same report also stated that there were about 130,480 residents living in HDB flats in Bukit Merah as at end-March last year, which represents about 4.2% of the population residing in HDB flats then.
Four Build-To-Order (BTO) projects were launched in Bukit Merah in recent years. Alexandra Vale, Havelock Hillside, and Bukit Merah Ridge were launched last year, while Telok Blangah Beacon was launched in 2021.
With the exception of Telok Blangah Beacon, the BTO projects were launched under the Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) model. This could be because Telok Blangah Beacon was launched in May 2021, before PLH was first introduced in November 2021. All four projects only feature three- and four-room flats, and all flat types in the four projects were oversubscribed.
More BTO projects can be expected for Bukit Merah. According to HDB’s website, a BTO project in Bukit Merah will be launched in December. The project is bounded by Alexandra Canal and Alexandra Road and will consist of 900 units of two-room flex flats, as well as three and four-room flats. Nearby amenities include Redhill MRT Station, Redhill Market and Food Centre, Alexandra Primary School, and Gan Eng Seng Primary School.
Furthermore, about 9,000 homes, including 6,000 public housing flats, will be built on the former Keppel Club golf course as part of the plans for the Greater Southern Waterfront. The first BTO project in the Greater Southern Waterfront is expected to be launched within the next five years.
Future BTO projects in Bukit Merah are expected to be launched under the PLH model due to its central location and numerous amenities in the neighbourhood. PLH flats tend to be launched at higher prices than their non-PLH counterparts. Therefore, prices for new HDB flats in Bukit Merah are expected to remain high.
The price growth for resale HDB flats in Bukit Merah managed to keep pace with their counterparts islandwide. Since 2012, the average resale prices for HDB flats in Bukit Merah and islandwide have grown by 25%, while the average resale price for their counterparts in the Central Region grew at a slightly slower pace of 24%. It is noteworthy that the average resale price for HDB flats in Bukit Merah is consistently higher than the average prices for flats in the Central Region and islandwide.
More at: https://www.edgeprop.sg/property-news/housing-demand-bukit-merah-increase-after-transformation