SINGAPORE - The first batch of 1,500 Housing Board flats in the new Tengah estate will be launched in November, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong announced on Sunday (May 13).
He shared the details in a post on his blog, Housing Matters, where he said that the flats will comprise "a good mix across different flat-types".
Over the next few years, there will be a steady stream of flats in Tengah, which is Singapore's first new town in more than 20 years since Punggol, he added.
And when completed, Tengah will grow to about 700ha, which is roughly equivalent to Bishan in size, he added.
The masterplan for Tengah was revealed in September 2016, though plans to redevelop the town had been mooted as early as 1991 in a concept plan for Singapore in the future.
As the first "Forest Town", Tengah will see a car-free town centre and lush greenery surrounding the site, which is bounded by the Kranji and Pan-Island expressways, Bukit Batok Road and Brickland Road.
The area, which was largely forest and scrubland, was previously used as a military training ground.
There will be five planned housing districts in Tengah, each with a unique character, the Ministry of National Development had said.
When it is fully developed in two decades, Tengah could comprise 42,000 new homes: 30,000 units of public housing and 12,000 units of private housing.
Industry watchers told The Straits Times in an earlier report that buyers might not see Tengah's appeal now, but with its location near the upcoming Jurong Innovation District and its car-free town centre, it is expected to grow in popularity.
In his blog post, Mr Wong noted that residents in Tengah will benefit from the future 24km Jurong Region Line (JRL) in their commute.
The MRT line will have 24 stations and open in three phases starting from 2026, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan had announced on Wednesday.
Four JRL stations will connect the town to the Jurong Innovation District and Jurong Lake District, Mr Wong said.
"Within Tengah, we are also looking to enhance last-mile connectivity through autonomous vehicles," he added.
"We look forward to working with Singaporeans to make Tengah a home treasured by generations to come, a place where precious memories and community bonds are formed."
