60-storey BTO project to be built in Pearl’s Hill; HDB to construct taller blocks where possible

SINGAPORE – Singapore’s tallest HDB blocks, set to rise over 60 storeys high, will be built at the foot of Pearl’s Hill in Outram Park.

The 1,700 unit Build-To-Order (BTO) project will be the first time in more than 40 years that public housing is built on the hill, and could be the first of several such super-tall public housing developments in Singapore.

This move to inject housing into older towns is part of the Government’s plan to build more flats faster, said National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat in Parliament on March 4.

In addition, to meet growing demand from singles and seniors, the authorities will ramp up two-room flexi flat supply by nearly 50 per cent from 2026 to 2028, he added.

Giving an overview of public housing demand during the debate on his ministry’s budget, Mr Chee said median application rates for three-room and larger BTO flats have come down. This stood at a high of almost seven first-time applicants per flat in 2020, to between 1.1 and 1.9 in 2025.

In the most recent sales exercise in February, the first-timer rate was 0.9, which is “good news”, Mr Chee said. But the rate was 2.6 including second-time applicants, and application rates for singles and seniors applying for two-room flexi flats were also higher, he noted.

“These numbers reflect the continued strong demand for public housing and why we need to sustain a robust supply in the years ahead,” he said.

On building higher, Mr Chee noted that regulatory changes now allow taller buildings to be built near airports.

The Housing Board will thus find more opportunities to intensify land use and build taller flats across Singapore to meet housing needs, learning from its experience with the Pearl’s Hill project, he said.

Mr Chee added: “A 60-storey block can provide 50 per cent more flats compared to a 40-storey block, the height of most of our tallest HDB blocks today.”

But he also said HDB will proceed “carefully and sensitively”, building taller only when conditions allow and with close attention to design and liveability.

The Ministry of National Development is projected to spend $10 billion in the 2026 financial year, up from the $9.3 billion in FY2025.

Pearl’s Hill development

The BTO project in Pearl’s Hill, next to Outram Park MRT station, will house about 1,700 two-room flexi, three- and four-room flats and 140 public rental units on the site of the former Outram Park Complex, a public housing estate demolished in 2003.

The project will be launched in the next few years. It will form part of the 6,000 public and private homes to be progressively developed in the area over the next decade, as part of the Government’s efforts to rejuvenate older towns.

At present, the tallest HDB development in Singapore is Pinnacle@Duxton at 50 storeys, which was completed in 2009.

Mr Chee said the Pearl’s Hill project will incorporate green elements, including water features and a canopy of trees, drawing from a traditional Chinese art form that depicts mountains and flowing water.

“The residential blocks will be built with varying heights, like the mountain ridges in a painting,” he said.

Within the blocks, sky gardens and terraces will offer views from different levels.

New features like barrier-free access from Pearl’s Hill City Park to the MRT station will also benefit the wider neighbourhood, he added.

“Our vision is for residents to live amidst the tranquillity of Pearl’s Hill, while remaining connected to the dynamic energy of the city,” Mr Chee said.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority said in November 2023 that Pearl’s Hill – one of two remaining hills in the city area (the other being Fort Canning Hill) – will have new BTO and rental flats, condominiums and serviced apartments.

A mixed-use development connected to Outram Park MRT station is also in the pipeline.

Pearl’s Hill houses the former police commander’s bungalow and police barracks, which were built in the 1920s and 1930s, and have been conserved for their historical significance.

New homes in Toa Payoh West

On March 4, Mr Chee also announced that a 1,600-unit BTO project next to Caldecott MRT station in Toa Payoh West will be launched in October.

This project – the fourth BTO launch in Toa Payoh since July 2025 – will include 590 two-room flexi flats, 580 four-room flats, and 230 public rental units across five blocks.

Some 240 assisted living flats – the first such flats in Toa Payoh – will also be on offer. Also known as community care apartments, these flats come with senior-friendly fittings, such as wheelchair-accessible bathrooms and other health and community services to help seniors live independently.

The new project will have amenities such as a food court, fast food restaurant, supermarket, childcare centre and active ageing centre, as well as a 1.1ha park.

Next to the BTO project, plans are also under way for a mixed-use development with private residential units and a shopping centre similar in scale to Woodleigh Mall in Bidadari, Mr Chee said.

He added that some major developments in the vicinity will be completed after residents move in, such as the North-South Corridor, which helps connect Toa Payoh West with surrounding areas.

Other upcoming developments include the Toa Payoh Integrated Development around Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, which will have a polyclinic, library, park and sports facilities when completed by 2030 or “hopefully earlier”, he added.

Over the next decade, more than 10,000 new homes – mostly HDB flats with some private condominiums – will be launched across Toa Payoh West and Mount Pleasant, Mr Chee said.

More help for larger families to secure a flat

Separately, Senior Minister of State for National Development Sun Xueling said more flats will be set aside for eligible first- and second-timer families with three or more children.

The allocation quota under the Third Child Priority Scheme will be increased from up to 5 per cent to up to 10 per cent of flats offered in BTO and Sale of Balance Flats exercises. This will take effect from the BTO sales exercise in June.

The eligibility criteria will also be relaxed to include families expecting their third child. Currently, the third child must be born before a family can benefit from the scheme.

From 2020 to 2024, over 2,800 BTO applicants booked a flat under the priority scheme.

Ms Sun was responding to Mr Foo Cexiang (Tanjong Pagar GRC) and Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin (Ang Mo Kio GRC), who asked how the Government is supporting the housing needs of larger families. Ms Nadia also suggested that the authorities consider having “unique” flat types in future projects, such as dual key units.

Ms Sun said the authorities will work to increase the supply of bigger flats in the long term to support larger families.