SINGAPORE - Five Build-To-Order (BTO) projects will be launched on Friday (May 27), including two under the prime location public housing (PLH) model.

Applications for the flats close on June 2, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee on Wednesday (May 25).

May's BTO exercise will see around 4,500 BTO units launched in the mature estates of Bukit Merah, Queenstown, Toa Payoh and the non-mature estates of Jurong West and Yishun.

The projects in Bukit Merah and Queenstown will fall under the PLH model, HDB said on Monday.

In Bukit Merah, around 1,660 three-room and four-room units will be offered on a site bounded by Henderson, Tiong Bahru and Lower Delta roads.

In Queenstown, around 860 three-room and four-room flats will be launched on a site in Ghim Moh Road, next to Buona Vista MRT station.

There will also be a concurrent Sale of Balance Flats exercise, which offers flats across various towns islandwide.

“I’m sure many people are looking forward to the BTO launch,” said Mr Lee during a tour of the Northshore Edge project in Punggol, where one block is ready and the other two will be completed soon.

HDB is on track to launch up to 23,000 BTO flats this year.

BTO projects in towns such as Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Merah, Choa Chu Kang, Jurong East, Queenstown and Woodlands will be offered in August.

Mr Lee added that up to 100,000 new HDB homes will be launched between 2021 and 2025, based on demand.

Asked whether BTO flats in areas like Bishan could come under the PLH model as the PLH projects in Bukit Merah and Queenstown are “quite far from town”, Mr Lee noted that the model will be applied to projects in the city centre as well as HDB towns in the city area.

Bukit Merah and Queenstown are within the town boundaries that potentially fall under the prime location housing model, he said.

But even in those areas, the authorities will look at specific locations and the attributes of a site before deciding whether it should come under the PLH, he added.