More than 70% of flats in Bidadari delivered, estate on track for completion

The new Bidadari Housing and Development Board (HDB) estate is on track for completion, with more than 70 per cent of flats in the estate now completed.

HDB said on Sunday (May 21) that 6,418 of the 8,872 flats in the estate have been delivered, with the remaining 2,454 on track to be completed by 2025. Meanwhile, some 5,500 flats will be launched on May 30 across five projects islandwide.

First unveiled in 2013, the estate consists of 12 Build-To-Order (BTO) developments across four districts.

The four districts are Alkaff, Bartley Heights, Park Edge and Woodleigh.

Minister for National Development Desmond Lee visited the Woodleigh district on Sunday.

The district, which consists of 2,685 flats, including 312 rental units, is the first to have all flats completed.

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HDB said the district’s three BTO developments – Woodleigh Glen, Woodleigh Hillside and Woodleigh Village – were completed between September 2022 and March 2023.

Construction of the projects started before 2020, but they were delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

As at end-April, more than 90 per cent of flat buyers in the Woodleigh district have collected the keys to their new homes.

Lee said that Bidadari, like other projects being constructed during the pandemic, was affected by delays.

“I would like to thank all the owners whose life plans have been affected by Covid-19 delays; I thank them for their patience and understanding, and hope that they’ll set up beautiful homes here,” he said.

He added that new flats will continue to be launched to meet the high demand by Singaporeans for housing.

He also revealed that some 5,500 units will be launched on May 30, and these will be across five projects.

Two of the projects will be in Tengah, while the others are in Bedok, Serangoon and in Kallang/Whampoa.

The Kallang/Whampoa project – which will be a prime-location housing project – will have a waiting time of about four years, while the others will have waiting times of more than three years, he said.

“We continue to make sure we roll out housing with waiting times that are as close to pre-Covid-19 as possible,” said Lee.

HDB had partnered the National Parks Board (NParks) and engaged the Nature Society (Singapore) in planning and designing Bidadari, to preserve the area as a biodiversity hot spot.

This led to a 1-ha hillock being retained between the Woodleigh Glen and Woodleigh Hillside projects.

The hillock is a stopover site for migratory birds, serving as a refuge during the annual migratory season from October to April.

Birds known to use the area during their migration include the tiger shrike and the Asian brown flycatcher.

A 19m-wide land bridge was also constructed to serve as an eco-link from the hillock to Bidadari Park, featuring a walking trail.

HDB said specific species of shrubs and trees have been selected to create a conducive route for fauna such as butterflies and birds to travel between parks via the land bridge.

Existing mature tembusu and saga trees were retained in the estate, and HDB and NParks replanted some 300 new trees and more than 7,500 shrubs at the hillock to complement the existing vegetation.

The Alkaff district, which is to be the largest in Bidadari with more than 4,000 units, is expected to be completed by mid-2024, while four more projects in the Bartley Heights and Park Edge Districts are expected to be completed by mid-2025.

HDB said it aims to complete 20,000 new flats in 2023, and that the government will continue to launch more flats across various towns to maintain a steady supply of public housing and ensure that flats remain affordable and accessible to Singaporeans. THE STRAITS TIMES