URA eyes rezoning of land parcels in 6 areas for housing

Thousands of new public and private housing units could come up in future high-density projects

May 26, 2023

LAND parcels in Lavender, Woodlands, Woodlands North, Whampoa, Kallang and Jalan Jurong Kechil have been earmarked as future sites for residential development, with high-density housing proposed for five of the areas.

The sixth site, located along Jalan Jurong Kechil and Old Jurong Road, is also intended for future residential development with cycling paths to be implemented to improve connectivity in the area, the Urban Redevelopment Authority said on Friday (May 26).

Based on proposed amendments to the Master Plan 2019 gazetted by the URA on May 26, the land parcels in the Lavender area would have the highest permissible plot ratio among the six sites, at 4.9. The plots there are bound by Crawford Street and North Bridge Road.

Huttons senior director of research Lee Sze Teck said: “The Crawford Street / North Bridge Road site will give people a chance to live in the city centre by the river. It may possibly be a Prime Location Public Housing (PLPH) project.”

Mogul.sg chief research officer Nicholas Mak estimated that the site could yield between 380 and 450 units.

In Woodlands North, land parcels along Riverside Road, Admiralty Road West and the planned Woodlands North Coast Road have been proposed to be developed into high-density public housing.

Based on a map of the surrounding area, any housing estate developed on the site in future may be located near Admiralty Park and Republic Polytechnic.

Land parcels bound by Woodgrove Avenue and Rosewood Drive have been proposed to be rezoned as residential with a gross plot ratio of between 2.8 and 2.9. A high density housing project built in the location in the future will be near a health and medical care facility, place of worship and park.

Mak said: “With a proposed plot ratio of 2.8 or 2.9, future residential developments on the Woodgrove Avenue site could potentially be between 24 and 30 storeys in height. However, the building height could be lower because of the safety consideration due to the nearby Sembawang Air Base.”

A residential zone subject to detailed planning in Jalan Tenteram may also be rezoned with a 4.9 plot ratio. OrangeTee & Tie’s senior vice-president of research and analytics Christine Sun said the site may be able to accommodate more than 1,500 flats based on her estimates.

Meanwhile, land bound by Kallang Airport Drive, Geylang Road and Kallang Airport Way, proposed to be rezoned residential from white and commercial zones, could have a gross plot ratio of 4.2.

Lee noted the site could yield about 1,800 dwelling units and that the rezoning of land along Kallang Airport Way may be due to the need to balance residential and commercial land use in the area.

The site is in the vicinity of the Kallang MRT and the future mixed use lifestyle hub that will be developed in the larger area around Kallang Riverside, URA said.

In May, URA proposed amendments to the zoning of land parcels in Zion Road located near the Great World mall.

The land parcels are intended to be used for high-density residential developments with supporting amenities, such as commercial units and an upcoming park beside the canal. Mak estimated that the site can yield about 800 to 850 apartment units.

The release of these sites will increase housing supply for both the private and public housing markets in the mid term. However, analysts are of the view that prices will only moderate if the supply is released at the same time and around the same location.

While some of the proposed rezoned sites will be destined for new Build-To-Order Housing and Development Board flats, others may be released for sale to developers. The government has been steadily signalling that it will adjust supply to meet housing demand, to ensure prices do not run ahead of fundamentals.

Confirmed state land sites released for sale in the government land sales programme for the first half of 2023 will yield about 4,090 private homes – almost 17 per cent higher than the supply of 3,505 private homes in the H2 2022 programme. The H1 2023 land sales supply is also the highest level coming onstream since 2014.

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