Land set aside to build 700,000 more homes by 2030

Singapore's planners have set aside land for 700,000 more homes to be built by 2030, in anticipation of a 6.9 million population by then.

The National Population and Talent Division said on Tuesday that the government has done its long-term planning to accommodate the bigger population.

The rail network is set to double to 360km, and new towns will be developed even while more green spaces are built.

In the nearer term, it is ramping up infrastructure developments to support a population of 5.8 million to 6 million in 2020, while also tackling the infrastructure bottlenecks experienced today.

Some steps it has taken include adding 800 new buses over the next five years, building 110,000 more public housing units and 90,000 private homes by 2016, and adding 4,100 new hospital beds by 2020.

The government will continue to explore new technologies and innovative solutions to optimise Singapore's land use beyond 2030, said the NPTD.

It released these figures in its White Paper on Tuesday, which sets out Singapore's population and immigration policies for the future.

More details on Singapore's land use planning is set to be released later this week.

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