New URA guidelines increase flexibility to redevelop landed houses

THE Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) will be pushing out a new set of guidelines to boost flexibility in the redevelopment of landed houses in Singapore.

From May 11, 2015 onwards, the URA will be introducing the Envelope Control guidelines, which will give home-owners, property developers, architects and engineers more flexibility and creativity in the interior layering of landed houses.

Under the existing guidelines, landed houses must adhere to certain floor-to-floor and basement protrusion height limits.

There is also an additional one-metre third-storey setback from the road and the rear, as compared to that of the first and second-storey, and the attic must be contained within a sloping roof.

With the new Envelope Control guidelines, landed houses are no longer constrained to the various limitations. However, the overall height limit of the homes will be reduced.

The height for two-storey homes will be reduced from 14.1 metres to 12 metres while the height for three-storey homes will fall from 17.7 metres to 15.5 metres.

The new guidelines are a result of community and industry feedback since 2007.

In 2009, the URA launched the pilot scheme of the Envelope Control guidelines at Sembawang Greenvale, which involved 65 landed houses.

While the new guidelines will be extended to all landed housing sites in Singapore, it is only applicable to new erection and reconstruction works. Addition and alteration works can continue to adopt conventional landed housing guidelines.

The three-month grace period is to provide a transition time for adopting the new guidelines. Parties interested in adopting them during this period can send in their applications to the URA.