SINGAPORE – Two Build-To-Order (BTO) developments near Woodlands MRT station and the final project in the eastern half of Dover Forest are among eight developments that will go on sale in December.

Flats on the grounds of the former Alexandra Post Office in Bukit Merah and the first Sin Ming flats in more than 30 years will also be on offer.

The Housing Board on Wednesday released details on its website of eight projects that will be launched in its final sales exercise of 2023. It will offer about 6,000 flats in Bedok, Bishan, Bukit Merah, Bukit Panjang, Jurong West, Queenstown and Woodlands in December.

The two projects in Woodlands will have about 1,220 units, and property analysts said these could be popular given their proximity to Woodlands MRT station. There are two-room flexi, three-, four- and five-room flats across the two plots.

One project is bounded by Woodlands Street 13 and Woodlands Avenue 5. The other is in Woodlands Avenue 5 and is next to the MRT station.

Meanwhile, the Dover Forest project, in Queenstown, will have 890 three- and four-room flats, and is next to the Dover MRT stop. This will be the third and final project in the eastern half of Dover Forest in Ulu Pandan.

HDB announced in 2022 that it would build around 3,000 BTO flats in Ulu Pandan, its first car-lite precinct.

This came after plans to use the 33ha Dover Forest for public housing were revised in 2021 following an outcry from nature groups. About 11ha in the eastern half is being developed for public housing, while the western half has been put aside for now to preserve its biodiversity.

Ulu Pandan Banks was launched in November 2022, while Ulu Pandan Glades was put up for sale in February 2023. Prices in both projects range from $362,000 to $504,000 (without government grants) for a three-room unit, and from $541,000 to $725,000 for a four-room flat.

Over in Bukit Merah, about 900 two-room flexi, three- and four-room flats will be built on the site of the former Alexandra Post Office, which shuttered on June 17 after operating for more than six decades.

The site is less than 10 minutes to Redhill MRT station on foot. It is bounded by Alexandra Road, Prince Charles Crescent and Alexandra Canal, and sits by the Alexandra Park Connector.

Analysts said the projects in Queenstown and Bukit Merah could fall under the prime location public housing (PLH) model, as they are in the city fringe and near MRT stations.

Mr Lee Sze Teck, senior director of data analytics at real estate agency Huttons Asia, said past launches near these sites went under the PLH scheme, which comes with stricter resale conditions, including a 6 per cent subsidy clawback upon resale.

He noted that the Bukit Merah development is next to Alexandra Primary School, and the Queenstown project is within 1km to 2km of Fairfield Methodist School (Primary and Secondary) and Henry Park Primary School.

Separately, the Sin Ming Road plot, in Bishan, will have about 730 three- and four-room flats. These are the first new units to be launched in the area since 1988.

The Straits Times reported in May that construction was under way at the site, which is fairly near Upper Thomson MRT station.

Mr Lee said the Sin Ming flats are unlikely to be a PLH project because they are farther from the city centre.

Ms Christine Sun, senior vice-president for research and analytics at real estate firm OrangeTee & Tie, said future Sin Ming projects could fall under the new Plus category in the impending reclassification of flats.

From the second half of 2024, BTO flats in choicer locations under the Prime and Plus categories will come with stricter resale conditions, such as a 10-year minimum occupation period. “Buyers who do not wish to be affected by these restrictions may try to apply for December’s flats,” she said.

In Bedok, HDB is set to launch a 1,230-unit project comprising three-, four- and five-room flats, as well as community care apartments. It is bounded by Chai Chee Lane and Bedok North Road, and is fairly close to Bedok North MRT station.

Community care apartments have elder-friendly designs and fittings, and come bundled with care services.

In Jurong West, the new project will have 710 two-room flexi, three-, four- and five-room units. It will be by the Jurong River and in Jurong West Street 42.

The Bukit Panjang project will be the smallest in this exercise, with 330 two-room flexi and four-room flats. It will be built in Petir Road and Cashew Road.

December’s exercise will take the number of BTO flats launched in 2023 to about 22,700.

HDB previously said it would launch up to 23,000 BTO flats yearly in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, 23,184 BTO flats were released for sale.