Around 5,000 HDB flats to be built in Mount Pleasant; first BTO project for sale
Six police buildings in and around Old Police Academy to be proposed for conservation
Six police buildings in and around Old Police Academy to be proposed for conservation
Decision to retain buildings made after first-of-its-kind heritage impact study undertaken for the roughly 33ha site
Nov 24, 2021
SIX police buildings in and around the Old Police Academy will be proposed for conservation and integrated with future developments in the Mount Pleasant area.
The decision to retain the buildings was made after a first-of-its-kind heritage impact study was undertaken for the roughly 33ha Old Police Academy site, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee on Tuesday (Nov 23).
Four of the retained buildings lie within a future Housing Board estate on the site, while the other 2 are just beyond the boundary of the new estate.
"This was the first time we'd done an in-depth heritage study of this scale, which is apt considering the scale of the new housing estate," saidLee during a media briefing.
The former academy is the site of Singapore's first permanent police training facility, established in 1929. It was operational until 2005, when its functions were relocated to the Home Team Academy in Choa Chu Kang.
"It symbolises the transformation of our police training and education- marking the shift from a wooden and attap temporary site to an institution which has enabled our police to grow and to evolve, from keeping order in a British settlement to preserving the peace and prosperity of an independent nation," said Lee, who added that generations of national servicemen and police cadets have fond memories of their experiences on the academy's grounds.
The large-scale independent heritage study, undertaken by the National University of Singapore's Department of Architecture, compared the significance of the various buildings and spaces in the old academy and assessed how the new housing estate could affect the overall heritage significance of the site. It took place between August 2018 and September 2019.
Lee said the development of the new housing estate gave the authorities an opportunity to pilot the large-scale study, and added that lessons learnt from this study will guide future ones, as well as an ongoing effort to develop a heritage impact assessment framework. More details on this framework will be shared when ready.
The study found that 9 buildings and areas within the old academy were considered the most significant in the history of Singapore's police force. They are Blocks 1, 2, 27, 28 and 153; an old drill shed; a swimming pool; the parade square; and the recreation field.
"This is due to their strong organisational and historical associations, architectural and aesthetic values, as well as deep communal associations with the police in Singapore and Malaysia," said the HDB, Urban Redevelopment Authority and Singapore Land Authority in a joint statement.
Within the future housing estate's boundary, Blocks 1, 2, 27 and 28 will be retained and proposed for conservation. They will be adapted for new uses.
The 4 blocks were built between 1926 and 1930 as part of the original police academy, and their geographical distribution reflects how the buildings had been laid out according to the terrain - administrative and training functions were located on flat, lower ground, while accommodation and medical facilities were placed on higher and hillier ground.
In particular, Blocks 1 and 2 were the main administrative buildings situated at the original main entrance of the academy in Whitley Road.
They were physical, visual, and symbolic landmarks for trainees, providing the backdrop for parade ground events and graduation photo shoots.
As for Blocks 27 and 28, the pair of colonial-style bungalows were used as senior officers' accommodation.
Each bungalow has a unique butterfly-shaped semi-detached layout with full-length verandahs, and were designed to suit the tropical weather while retaining English-style design roots.
Situated on high ground, they overlook the academy and are visible from the Pan-Island Expressway.
A part of the parade square will be retained as an open space within the new housing estate.
Meanwhile, 2 buildings outside the housing estate's boundary will also be proposed for conservation.
Construction for Block 13 began in 1928 and it was used as a clinic and hospital ward. It also served as the primary entry point to the medical centre.
Built in the style of plantation houses, the building was designed with surrounding verandahs and large timber shutters for natural ventilation.
Also outside the boundary is Block 153, also known as the Senior Police Officers' Mess.
This building - built in 1931 - is deemed the foundation of the force's esprit de corps, having hosted many formal gatherings, official functions and events, such as festive celebrations, weddings, networking and socialisation events for serving and retired officers.
For buildings and spaces that cannot be retained in their entirety, Lee said HDB will explore various strategies to retain and showcase their heritage significance in the new housing estate's design.
The heritage study's full report has been published on HDB's website, and is open for public feedback for 1 month.
Lee also said that engagement on future plans for the housing estate will include a new workgroup comprising members of the police fraternity, the heritage community as well as government agencies.
The workgroup will be chaired by Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, and will collaborate to develop plans to retain and to showcase the unique heritage identity of the area, within the design of the new HDB estate.
New HDB estate in Mt Pleasant may come under prime location model: analysts
New HDB estate in Mt Pleasant may come under prime location model: analysts
Estate to be built on former Police Academy along Thomson Road
Nov 23, 2021
THE Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) model, which comes with stricter buying and selling conditions such as a longer minimum occupation period, could potentially be applied to the new Housing Board (HDB) estate that will be developed in Mount Pleasant, property analysts said.
Roughly a third the size of Bidadari, the 33-hectare estate will yield some 5,000 new HDB flats when it is fully developed. Its first Build-to-Order (BTO) project is slated to be launched within the next 5 years, said HDB, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Singapore Land Authority (SLA) in a joint statement on Tuesday (Nov 23).
Characterised by hilly terrain, the brownfield site is bounded by Thomson Road and the Pan Island Expressway (PIE), and largely comprises the Old Police Academy site. It is close to Bukit Brown and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.
Also nearby are established housing areas such as Toa Payoh, as well as the upcoming Mount Pleasant MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast Line, which will open in tandem with the completion of the BTO projects.
Huttons Asia senior director (research), Lee Sze Teck, described the area as “a super prime location” to build a public housing estate, given that it is in prime District 11 and also close to the Caldecott Hill Good Class Bungalow Area. "It has the potential to be a location for PLH flats. The government wants to give Singaporeans an opportunity to live in a prime area,” he added.
Lee Nai Jia, deputy director of the Institute of Real Estate and Urban Studies, likewise sees “a good possibility” for PLH rules to be applied to homes in the new estate.
For one thing, the estate will offer middle-income households the unique opportunity to live in an area that has been “quite exclusive to high-income groups, as the site adjoins landed homes and pre-war black-and-white bungalows”, he noted. He estimated that the prevailing rents for the black-and-white bungalows in that locality range from S$20,000 to S$30,000 per month.
Furthermore, in the future, resale prices of this estate’s flats may be comparable to the prices of PLH flats elsewhere. “Hence, if there is no PLH model applied to the Mount Pleasant site, the lottery effect could be present,” he said.
That said, due to the large land area, some flats facing the expressways or closer to the Toa Payoh area may not be considered prime locations. “So there are challenges to putting the whole development site under PLH,” he added.
Meanwhile, OrangeTee & Tie senior vice-president of research and analytics, Christine Sun, is of the view that the pricing and locality of the new Mount Pleasant flats may not fit the criteria for a PLH site.
PLH estates should be nearer to the city centre or Downtown Core, and their flats would command a price premium, she said. Homebuyers may also consider the sound and noise from the expressway as well as the proximity to the cemetery as drawbacks, she added.
The new PLH model was announced in late October and aimed at keeping prime HDB flats affordable, accessible and inclusive for Singaporeans. The first BTO project under the model, located in Rochor, was launched on Nov 17.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah recently said the model will first focus on locations that “everybody readily recognises as a prime area”, although different areas may also become prime over time.
Sun expects the new flats in the upcoming Mount Pleasant estate to be “quite well-received by buyers”, as BTO projects are not often built near or next to an MRT station. The proximity to Toa Payoh, which has plenty of amenities and eateries, is also a plus, she added.
She foresees its BTO launch prices coming close to those in Bidadari or Toa Payoh. For this year’s February launch at Bidadari, prices started at S$611,000 for five-room flats, and from around S$460,000 for four-room flats. In Toa Payoh, the February 2020 BTO launch had prices starting from about S$400,000 for four-room flats, and going up to S$666,000.
Huttons’ Lee said demand will likely be “very strong” when the new flats in Mount Pleasant are offered for sale. “It is near MacRitchie Reservoir, close to a MRT station, near the PIE and offers unblocked views towards the north and south. There are good schools and amenities in the vicinity... The demand for PLH flats at Rochor gives an indication of Singaporeans' desire to stay in a prime location.”
He anticipates the BTO prices to start at S$600,000 if the site is considered a PLH location. Otherwise, prices may begin at S$650,000.
In the joint statement, HDB, URA and SLA noted the “strong demand for public housing”, and said the new homes in Mount Pleasant will “add to the good geographical spread of public housing to meet the different needs of SIngaporeans, including young families who want to live near their parents for better mutual care and support”.
The site has been earmarked for residential development in URA’s Master Plan since 1998.
The design of the new Mount Pleasant housing estate, which is still in the conceptual stage, will weave in the heritage and nature in the area. Broadly, this will include retaining selected heritage buildings and reinterpreting key spaces in the Old Police Academy. There will also be a low-rise neighbourhood centre with an open and green design.
A detailed pilot heritage study and an environment impact study were carried out to assess the heritage and ecological value of the area, and guide HDB’s future development plans. The agencies also consulted stakeholders such as heritage and nature groups and the policy community.
The new estate will require minimal clearance of existing vegetation, said HDB, URA and SLA.
Shawn Lum, senior lecturer at the Nanyang Technological University’s Asian School of the Environment, and president of the Nature Society (Singapore), noted that the upcoming housing estate will sit between a mature estate and major roads on one side, and a rich nature area on the other.
“In many cities in the world, only the wealthiest have the space and greenery to access urban nature. The new housing estate has the potential to set new standards for experiencing nature in a public housing estate,” he added.
Sun from OrangeTee & Tie said the conceptual development plans were unique, as they fuse the convenience of city-fringe living with greenery, culture and heritage.
Re: Around 5,000 HDB flats to be built in Mount Pleasant; first BTO project for sale
5,000 flats planned for new public housing estate in Mount Pleasant
EdgeProp Singapore
November 25, 2021
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SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - The Housing and Development Board (HDB) announced conceptual development plans for a new public housing estate in the Mount Pleasant area. HDB says that the 33-hectare estate will provide about 5,000 new homes, and it intends to launch the first Build-To-Order project there within the next five years.
According to HDB, the area earmarked for the new public housing estate had already been set aside for residential development since the 1998 Master Plan.
The development area largely comprises of a brownfield site that is occupied by the former Police Academy site. The entire site is bounded by Thomson Road and the Pan Island Expressway.
According to Christine Sun, senior vice president of research & analytics at OrangeTee & Tie, the plot earmarked for redevelopment is unique in Singapore as it fuses the convenience of city fringe living with greenery, culture, and heritage.
However, she expects relatively high launch prices for BTO flats in this new estate. “Prices may be close to recent BTO launch price at Toa Payoh or Bidadari. For instance, for this year’s February launch at Bidadari, prices of five-room flats started from S$611,000 while four-room flats started from around S$460,000.”
Read more at: https://www.edgeprop.sg/property-new...mount-pleasant
