New guidelines on maximum allowable units in private flats and condos outside Central district

[SINGAPORE] The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has revised guidelines on the maximum allowable units in new private flats and condominium developments outside the Central Area.

The revised guidelines will apply to new applications for private non-landed residential developments, including executive condominiums and the residential components of mixed-use projects, received on or after Jan 17, 2019.

Under the new rules, the maximum number of dwelling units per development will be the proposed building Gross Floor Area (GFA) divided by 85 sq m.

It is currently GFA divided by 70 sq m.

Currently, four areas - namely Telok Kurau, Kovan, Joo Chiat and Jalan Eunos - are subject to more stringent requirements where the maximum number of units is derived by dividing the proposed GFA by 100 sq m.

Under the new rules, more areas will also fall under the formula where the GFA will be divided by 100 sq m. They include areas like Marine Parade and Balestier.

In a statement on Wednesday (Oct 17), URA said it has observed smaller dwelling unit sizes in new private housing projects. In addition, the number of redevelopments in certain locations may strain local infrastructure.

It also said the guidelines will help moderate the reduction in dwelling unit sizes, safeguard the liveability of residential estates, and ensure that local infrastructure will not be overly strained.

THE STRAITS TIMES