Jurong Lake District master developer site to be split into separate parcels for sale
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A white site in Town Hall Link, carved out of the Jurong Lake District master developer site, will be released on the 2026 first-half reserve list.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
SINGAPORE – A 6.5ha master developer site in Jurong Lake District (JLD) will now be sold as smaller separate parcels, as part of revised plans to develop Singapore’s largest mixed-use business district outside the city centre.
This will start with the release of a white site in Town Hall Link on the 2026 first-half reserve list, giving potential tenderers time to study the revised planning and tender requirements, said the Ministry of National Development (MND) in a statement on Dec 2.
Reserve list plots are released for sale only if a developer offers a minimum price deemed acceptable to the Government, and there is sufficient market interest.
MND said it decided to carve out the Town Hall Link site after taking into account “macroeconomic and property market conditions, as well as market feedback gathered from extensive engagements of industry stakeholders”.
In September 2024, a tender for the JLD master developer site was not awarded as a bid of about $2.5 billion,
As the Town Hall Link white site’s gross floor area (GFA) is around half that of the JLD master developer site, the reduced development risk will give developers the option to undertake the project with greater confidence, MND added.
The Government will be undertaking some infrastructure works upfront to help reduce developers’ costs, it said.
Mr Marcus Chu, chief executive officer at ERA Singapore, believes that the industry likely flagged challenges associated with committing to a large-scale project, including higher developmental risks, higher capital outlay and elevated construction costs.
“The original 6.5ha site would have required substantial capital outlay and carried development risks. Moreover, the project is to be progressively rolled out over the next 10 to 15 years,” he said, noting that these presented substantial risks for developers amid ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty.
“By sub-dividing the land into smaller parcels, the Government has made the opportunities more manageable for a wider pool of developers, while still enabling the district to grow in a phased, coordinated manner,” he said.
Mr Chu added that the parcels “may no longer be sold under a dual-envelope price-and-concept tender, but could instead be evaluated solely on price, making the process more straightforward and less complex”.
Placing the first site at the JLD on the reserve list, rather than the confirmed list, also signals that the Government is unsure of developers’ demand for the white site, Mogul.sg chief research officer Nicholas Mak noted.
MND said the proposed integrated mixed-use development in Town Hall Link will have a total potential yield of 186,000 sq m. This will comprise at least 40,000 sq m of office space, up to 1,200 private residential units, and 44,000 sq m in GFA for complementary uses such as retail or hotel units.
The original master developer site in the JLD spanned 365,000 sq m in GFA and consisted of three plots including the Town Hall Link site.
MND added that the new development will provide “the critical mass needed to catalyse the next phase of development for JLD and help cater to medium-term growth in demand across market segments”.
The aim is for the JLD to be a model sustainable district that integrates business, residential and recreational spaces.
MND also said that the Town Hall Link site will be developed in accordance with the JLD Planning and Urban Design Guide, to ensure that development will be well coordinated and cohesive with subsequent land parcels in the area.
The site will also house district-level infrastructure – a cooling plant and a central station for the district’s planned pneumatic waste conveyance system – that will serve future developments there.
Several key development projects in the JLD, such as Jurong Gateway Hub and the new Science Centre, as well as the rail infrastructure of Jurong Region Line (JRL) and Cross Island Line (CRL) stations, will be completed in the coming years. The JRL stations are expected to open in 2028, and the CRL stations in 2032.
Mr Chris Archibold, Colliers’ managing director for office services in South-east Asia, said these developments will make it an ideal environment for work-live-play, with the offices complemented by residential homes and childcare facilities.
With the 200,000 sq m sub-regional centre in Bishan, another decentralised office project, some time away, and the success of mixed-use projects with office and residential components such as One Holland Village and Paya Lebar Quarter, he believes that the revised planning for the JLD presents an opportunity for developers looking to align themselves with the Government’s long-term plans.
