SINGAPORE – In the upcoming Build-to-Order (BTO) sales exercise this October, home buyers can expect a waiting time of under three years for their units. A total of 2,085 flats will be launched across three projects in Bukit Batok and Sengkang.
The Housing Board announced on October 6 that this new launch includes 689 flats in West BrickVille @ Bukit Batok, with a waiting time of just two years, one of the shortest ever.
This October launch follows a June release of a 791-unit project in Woodlands, which had a waiting time of two years and 11 months. In total, HDB will have offered 2,876 flats in 2024 with a waiting time of under three years.
This means HDB will meet its 2025 target ahead of schedule, aiming to offer 2,000 to 3,000 flats each year with a waiting time of less than three years.
The October launch is HDB’s third and final BTO exercise for 2024, after reducing the number of annual BTO launches from four to three. Buyers interested in two other projects in Sengkang will face slightly longer waits. The 545 flats in Fernvale Sails have a waiting time of two years and three months, while the 851 flats in Fernvale Oasis have a waiting time of two years and nine months.
HDB chief executive Tan Meng Dui stated that the board has been collaborating with various government agencies to make project sites available sooner. He added that construction often begins many months, or even more than a year, before a project launch. Consequently, HDB has been able to offer nearly 3,000 flats with a waiting time of less than three years in 2024, almost four times the number offered the previous year.
“This builds on the current delivery timelines of our mainstream BTO projects, where we have already been awarding tenders and starting construction as soon as the sites become available, instead of waiting till the sales launch for flat applications to come in,” said Mr. Tan.
HDB plans to continue adjusting its building program over time so that flats with waiting times of under three years make up a larger proportion of new supply.
West BrickVille @ Bukit Batok will consist of five 14-storey blocks with two-room flexi, three-, four-, and five-room flats. The project will also include some three-generation (3Gen) flats, which are larger units introduced in 2013 to accommodate multi-generation families.
Located between Bukit Batok Road and Bukit Batok West Avenue 8, the development will be near Le Quest mall and the Tengah Park MRT station on the Jurong Region Line, expected to be completed in 2028. The design of the blocks’ facades pays homage to the area’s former brick factories, while the jogging and cycling paths connecting facilities like playgrounds and fitness corners are inspired by the flowing form of kiln smoke.
The Fernvale Sails project, named after Sengkang’s history as a fishing village, will feature four 23-storey blocks with two-room flexi, three-, four-, and five-room flats. Located at Fernvale Link and Fernvale Close, the project will be close to a supermarket, food and beverage outlets, a pre-school, a residents’ network centre, an active ageing centre, the Punggol River, and The Seletar Mall. Transportation options include the nearby Layar LRT station and bus services along Sengkang West Avenue.
Fernvale Oasis, the other Sengkang project launching in October, will consist of five 24-storey blocks with two-room flexi, four-, and five-room flats, including 23 rental flats in two blocks. Nearby amenities include a pre-school, a senior care centre, a residents’ network centre, and recreational facilities such as playgrounds, fitness areas, and a multi-purpose court. The development, bounded by Fernvale Road and Fernvale Street, will also be close to Thanggam LRT station and bus services along Fernvale Street.
Source: The Straitstimes
In the October sales exercise, about 8,500 BTO flats will be classified as Prime, Plus, or Standard for the first time under a new model that replaces the current categorisation of estates as either mature or non-mature. Other estates where flats will be sold in the October exercise include Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Geylang, Jurong West, Kallang/Whampoa, Pasir Ris, and Woodlands.