Is there a better use for Good Class Bungalow land?

DESPITE Singapore’s land constraints, 39 areas in the country are designated as Good Class Bungalow areas, where sprawling mansions set in leafy enclaves remain the preserve of the super-rich. Elsewhere on the island, schools, golf clubs, sports facilities and farms make way for “evolving needs”. Parcels of land are constantly rezoned and repurposed for housing.  

Might housing needs be better served by redeveloping the large plots of land housing huge bungalows into high-density housing such as condominiums, or divvying them up into smaller plots for other types of less expensive landed housing such as semi-detached and terrace houses? Leslie Yee explores the notion of carving up GCB areas to optimise land usage, and also has some suggestions for accompanying tax changes. 

Some of the city’s most pricey real estate – both residential and commercial – ended up being repositories for illicit wealth. Sources tell Jessie Lim that many of these big-ticket deals were greased by kickbacks and cuts that came out of property agents’ hefty commissions. The “dirty and convoluted web” also involved private bankers feeding clients and information to agents.