SINGAPORE - The Government has raised the supply of industrial land for the next six months while also waiving some building specification requirements for small plots.

There are eight sites on the confirmed list and six sites on the reserve list, totalling 13.9 hectares, under the Industrial Government Land Sales (IGLS) programme for the second half of 2017, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) announced on Friday (June 30). This is about 24 per cent more than the 11.25 hectares set aside in the first half of the year from six confirmed sites and five reserve sites

MTI also said that it has waived a set of minimum building specification requirements on IGLS land, such as the provision of a minimum number of goods lifts and loading bays, for small plots. Such plots are typically below one ha, and are meant for end-users to build developments for their own operations.

"With the waiver, end-users will have more flexibility to customise their developments to suit their operations," said MTI.

But to ensure that such plots continue to be used primarily for end-users' own operations, successful tenderers or subsequent owners will not be allowed to strata subdivide the developments for sale to other companies for the full tenure of the sites. Currently, strata subdivision is prohibited for five years from the award of the temporary occupation permit.

The minimum building specification requirements will continue to apply to the larger IGLS plots, which are meant for developers to build multiple-user factories, said MTI.