Land plots near Marymount, Caldecott and other MRT stations being readied for new homes

SINGAPORE – Thousands of new homes are set to be built within walking distance of MRT stations across the island, including Marymount, Caldecott and Kallang.

The authorities are also priming sites near Upper Changi, Expo, one-north, Woodlands South and Telok Ayer stations for new homes, according to proposed amendments to the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) Master Plan 2019 that were published on April 24 and May 7.

The URA masterplan is a statutory document that guides developments in Singapore for the next 10 to 15 years.

Three of the land parcels for new homes are in Upper Thomson Road, close to Marymount MRT station.

The first of these has an area of about 35,000 sq m, equivalent in size to just over five football fields.

This site was previously home to Lakeview Shopping Centre, which was completed by the Housing Board in the early 1970s and included a popular hawker centre.

HDB told the hawker centre’s 168 stallholders and 134 shop tenants to leave by end-1999, as the area was earmarked for housing, The Straits Times reported in December 1997.

The site, however, has remained undeveloped for about two decades after the shopping centre was demolished in the early 2000s.

Ms Christine Sun, real estate company OrangeTee Group’s chief researcher and strategist, said the site can yield 1,100 to 1,200 HDB flats, or 1,600 to 1,700 condominium units, based on its size and assigned gross plot ratio of 3.9.

The plot ratio determines the maximum permissible floor area of developments.

Mr Nicholas Mak, chief research officer at property search portal Mogul.sg, said the site is more likely to be used for private housing, as it is surrounded by similar housing types – landed homes around Upper Thomson MRT station and Lakeview estate, a former Housing and Urban Development Company property that was privatised.

The second plot earmarked for housing in the area is separated from the Shunfu Gardens HDB estate by a canal, and measures roughly 13,500 sq m. It has been assigned a plot ratio of 1.8.

Ms Sun said this plot can hold 200 to 250 HDB flats, or 300 to 350 condo units.

A similar number of new homes can be built on the third plot in the area – located just south of the Lakeview estate, and between Upper Thomson Road and St Theresa’s Home – she added.

This plot has an area of about 12,000 sq m, and has been assigned a plot ratio of 2.4.

In Toa Payoh, a site that is about 78,500 sq m in size has been earmarked for residential use, with commercial amenities on the first storey. Its allocated plot ratio is 4.7.

This site is right by Caldecott station, which is an interchange between the Circle and Thomson-East Coast MRT lines.

It was formerly partially occupied by industrial properties that were demolished in 2017, after being used by technology company Philips.

Analysts said the site can yield between 2,800 and 3,500 flats, or 4,000 to 4,200 condo units.

Given the site’s size, said Ms Sun, it can hold between four and six projects by private developers, two to three public housing projects, or a combination of both.

Mr Mak said that with a ground floor of developments on the site zoned for commercial use, it can serve as a town centre for residents of the Caldecott area.

He added that with the assigned plot ratio of 4.7, it is possible for future housing blocks on the site to have 50 storeys or more, giving residents an unblocked view of the greenery in the central catchment.

Mr Mak expects that the site will attract strong interest from private developers if it is sold for condo use, due to its development potential and proximity to Caldecott station.

National Development Minister Desmond Lee

said in a Facebook post

on May 15 that around 740 flats located on a separate plot near Caldecott station will be launched in the Build-To-Order (BTO) exercise in July.

About 500m from Kallang MRT, two plots next to the Kallang River are being prepared for new homes, with both assigned a plot ratio of 3.5, up from the current 2.8.

One of these plots, which is adjacent to Boon Keng Road, has an area of about 11,000 sq m, while the other plot that is next to Kallang Road is about 23,500 sq m in size.

Mr Mak said the smaller plot can yield 350 to 400 flats or 450 to 480 condo units, while 720 to 820 flats or 950 to 1,000 condo units can be built on the larger plot.

Both Mr Mak and Ms Sun said that the plots will likely be used for public housing, as they are undesirable to private developers due to the neighbouring industrial area in Kallang Avenue, as well as the noise generated by trains running along the East-West Line.

They also noted that current homes in this area are largely public flats, including nearby HDB projects such as Kallang Trivista and Kallang Horizon.

Mr Mak said a significant number of homes built on the two sites are likely to have waterfront views, given their proximity to Kallang River.

Ms Sun added that flats built here will likely be Prime flats, as the nearby Verandah @ Kallang project was launched under the HDB’s Prime Location Public Housing model.

Farther east, two housing sites that are close to Upper Changi MRT station on the Downtown Line and Expo station on the East-West Line are set to get their boundaries adjusted, with portions of the sites to be rezoned for road use.

Both currently have a plot ratio of 2.1, which remains unchanged in URA’s proposed amendment.

The larger site, which is at the intersection of Simei Road and Upper Changi Road East, has an area of about 42,000 sq m. It can yield 700 to 750 flats or 1,000 to 1,200 condo units, Ms Sun said.

The smaller site, which is about 33,000 sq m in size, can yield 550 to 600 flats or 800 to 850 condo units, she added.

In 2022, the URA said that

more public housing will be built around Upper Changi MRT station

, to allow for more social mixing and to improve private estate residents’ access to amenities.

A 380-unit

BTO project next to the MRT station

– the first new flats in Simei in more than a decade – is slated for launch in July. It will include amenities such as a supermarket and a pre-school.

Noting that there is a lack of land in Simei for other public housing projects, Mr Mak said the larger site is an obvious choice, should the authorities decide to inject more HDB homes in the area.

It is a draw for people who work in the nearby Changi Business Park, he added.

In Dover Road, a portion of a former Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme site is set to be used for new homes, with commercial amenities on the ground floor.

The site, which is about 13,500 sq m in size and has been assigned a plot ratio of 4.2, sits within the area formerly occupied by blocks 30 to 32 and 34 to 39 Dover Road, which were demolished between 2018 and 2019.

Analysts said that the site can yield about 650 condo units, or between 440 and 560 flats.

Mr Mak said that given the site’s relatively small size and high plot ratio, it is likely that it will be sold to a private developer to build a condominium.

He noted that other sites in and around one-north nearby that have been zoned for residential use, with commercial units on the first floor, are all privately developed.

This site is part of the upcoming Dover Knowledge District, which URA said in 2019 would be an extension of one-north that will offer “vibrant integrated spaces to create exciting new jobs and learning opportunities, and support Singapore’s long-term economic growth”.

Up north, more homes are set to be built near Woodlands South station, next to the Woodlands Health Campus site.

In a proposed amendment to its masterplan, URA rezoned the site, which is about 27,500 sq m in size, from a reserve site to housing use, and assigned it a plot ratio of 2.1.

Analysts said it can yield 450 to 570 flats, or 650 to 700 condo units.

Ms Sun said public housing is more likely for the site, as its proximity to a medical campus and Sembawang Air Base will make it less attractive to private developers.

In the heart of the Central Business District, land next to Telok Ayer MRT station has also been earmarked for new homes, with commercial amenities on the first storey.

The site is about 2,000 sq m in size and served as the interim home for Market Street Hawker Centre between 2017 and 2022. It was assigned a plot ratio of 6.2.

Ms Sun said that it will likely be used for a private housing development, given the site’s relatively small size and its proximity to commercial developments.

She estimates that the site can hold about 200 condominium units.