HDB launches 5,032 BTO flats, including first project in Woodlands North Coast

SINGAPORE - Some 1,563 flats located within walking distance of Singapore’s northern waterfront and near Woodlands Checkpoint were launched by the Housing Board on Feb 10.

These flats – the first to be offered in the new Woodlands North Coast precinct – were among 5,032 Build-To-Order (BTO) flats that HDB put up for sale.

Four other projects are on offer in Kallang/Whampoa, Queenstown and Yishun.

Another 5,590 flats are also up for sale in the largest Sale of Balance Flats exercise to date. About four in 10 of these units are already completed – meaning those who book them would be able to move in immediately – with the remaining flats to be completed progressively from 2025 to 2028.

The bulk of the balance flats are in Ang Mo Kio, Tampines, Tengah and Woodlands.

The latest launch is the second under the new flat classification system,

which sorts BTO projects into Standard, Plus and Prime categories

based on their proximity to the city centre, transport connectivity and amenities.

The Woodlands North Verge project is among three Standard projects on offer. Flats in these projects will not have a subsidy recovery clause when they are sold, and come with a five-year minimum occupation period (MOP).

The waterfront development comprises 1,563 units of two-room flexi, three-, four- and five-room flats in Admiralty Road.

The project is also near parks such as Admiralty Park and Woodlands Waterfront Park. It will have eateries, a supermarket, shops, a pre-school and a residents’ network centre.

Prices (without grants) range from $140,000 to $251,000 for a two-room flexi flat, $275,000 to $363,000 for a three-room flat, $365,000 to $528,000 for a four-room flat, and $486,000 to $661,000 for a five-room flat.

Two projects in Chencharu, an up-and-coming HDB residential area in Yishun, will offer a combined 1,531 units. There are two-room flexi, three-, four- and five-room flats across the two plots, which are separated by Bah Soon Pah Road.

The larger 848-unit project, Chencharu Vines, is bounded by Sembawang Road. It will have amenities such as a supermarket, a pre-school and a residents’ network centre.

The other 683-unit project, Chencharu Green, will be in Chencharu Link, a new bus-only road, and is closer to Khatib MRT station.

These two projects have a waiting time of about three years – the shortest in this sales exercise.

The only Prime project, Tanjong Rhu Parc Front in Kallang/Whampoa, will have a subsidy clawback of 9 per cent.

The 812-unit project consists of two-room flexi, three- and four-room flats on a plot near Geylang River. One of its four blocks will have 203 rental flats.

Prices (without grants) range from $399,000 to $519,000 for a three-room unit, and $548,000 to $727,000 for a four-room flat.

For comparison, three-room resale flats in Kallang/Whampoa transacted at between $760,000 and $838,000, and four-room resale flats at between $960,000 and $1.05 million, said HDB.

Plus and Prime flats, which are in more attractive locations, come with a subsidy clawback clause and a 10-year MOP.

In Queenstown, Plus project Stirling Horizon in Mei Chin Road will house 1,126 two-room flexi, three- and four-room flats. It is about a 10-minute walk from Queenstown MRT station.

The subsidy recovery for this project has been set at 8 per cent. Four-room flats are going for $554,000 to $749,000, without grants, making them the priciest in this launch.

Buyers will have to wait four years and seven months for these flats – the longest wait in this sales exercise.

This plot was previously occupied by the former Mei Chin Secondary and Primary schools, which were demolished by HDB between 2022 and 2023.

Property analysts expect the Tanjong Rhu and Queenstown projects to be popular, given their location in the city fringe.

Mr Ismail Gafoor, chief executive of real estate firm PropNex Realty, said Tanjong Rhu Parc Front could have panoramic views of Geylang River, Singapore Sports Hub and Marina East.

The Kallang Alive masterplan, which aims to transform the area into a sports and lifestyle destination, is another draw for buyers, he said.

Ms Christine Sun, chief researcher and strategist at property firm OrangeTee Group, said single applicants could be drawn to Stirling Horizon as there are more than 450 two-room flexi flats on offer.

The project is located near amenities such as Mei Ling Market and Food Centre and Ikea, and schools such as Queenstown Primary School and New Town Primary School, she added.

From February’s BTO exercise, HDB will issue two times more queue numbers than the flat supply, down from three times previously.

HDB said applicants who wish to improve their chances of securing a flat are encouraged to apply for Standard flats, where at least 95 per cent of the four-room and larger flats are set aside for first-timer families.

Flat applications close at 11.59pm on Feb 17 on the HDB Flat Portal. The new homes will be allocated through balloting.

In the next BTO exercise in July, HDB will offer about 5,400 flats in Bukit Merah, Bukit Panjang, Clementi, Sembawang, Tampines, Toa Payoh and Woodlands.

HDB said the exercise will be held in July, instead of June, as it will need more time to process the high volume of applications expected in February’s sales exercise.