Tweaking GLS: Consultants give their views

[SINGAPORE] Even as the government tries to temper land tender prices in Singapore, consultants feel this should not come at the expense of the Republic's long-standing reputation for being open and pro-business.

There has been concern whether the trend of increasing prices is sustainable, and if the government should come down hard on foreign developers who are entering the market flush with liquidity.

One tool the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has in its kit is batched tender closings, where bids for some Government Land Sales (GLS) sites end on the same day.

This is meant to encourage a "divide-and-conquer" strategy, said Desm…