Over 36,000 HDB households set to benefit from upgrading works in their neighbourhoods
[SINGAPORE] Over 36,000 households living in HDB flats across Singapore are set to benefit from upgrades in their neighbourhoods under two different schemes. These upgrades could include the introduction of new facilities such as covered walkways, drop-off porches and senior-friendly amenities.
Under the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP), 17 projects islandwide – including areas in Bukit Panjang, Sembawang and Sengkang – will get a S$165 million facelift, National Development Minister Desmond Lee said on Sunday (Apr 6).
These upgrades are expected to benefit more than 25,000 households.
HDB said on Sunday that improvements for each project under the NRP are tailored based on residents’ feedback. Sheltered linkways, seating areas, fitness corners, drop-off porches and residents’ corners are among the structures that could be built.
Separately, the Silver Upgrading Programme, which provides senior-friendly enhancements to older precincts that already underwent upgrading in the past, will be rolled out progressively to another 12 precincts. A precinct refers to a smaller area within a larger neighbourhood.
These precincts are in Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Merah and Toa Payoh, and the enhancements will benefit 11,000 households, Lee said.
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Speaking at the Housing Board’s Community Build Day held at a neighbourhood park in Toa Payoh, he added: “Now, HDB homes have a very special place in many Singaporeans’ hearts, so we continuously want to keep them liveable and vibrant for residents and to refresh them to meet evolving needs over time.”
Works under the NRP are fully funded by the government.
Since 2007, when the programme was introduced, over S$1.5 billion has been set aside to fund 229 projects. This total does not include the latest batch of 17 projects.
Lee said that 131 projects have been completed by March, benefiting about 187,000 households. The remaining 98 projects, comprising over 103,000 households, are in progress.
All eligible HDB blocks built up to 1995 have been selected for the NRP, and the programme has been extended to blocks built up to 1999, HDB said.
The board will also increase funding for NRP projects to provide more senior-friendly amenities, including therapeutic gardens, fitness trails and way-finding features. Such features can include signage with pictograms, for instance.
The budget for senior-friendly amenities under the NRP will be raised to around S$6,600 per flat, up from S$6,100 per flat at present.
These enhancements are in line with Age Well SG, a national programme that supports seniors in ageing well at home and in their communities, Lee noted.
As for the Silver Upgrading Programme, HDB said upgrading works at the 12 precincts will be completed in stages from the second half of 2027. Details on the specific works will be announced when ready, it added.
The programme focuses on upgrading works in precincts that have higher densities of seniors but which may not qualify for the NRP.
HDB said works in four precincts in Chong Boon in Ang Mo Kio – which were selected for the inaugural batch of the programme in 2024 and consist of about 3,400 households – are slated for completion in the second half of 2026.
Fitness trails with senior-friendly exercise equipment, rest stops with seats and a therapeutic garden are among the new features planned for the precincts, HDB said.
Toa Payoh resident Chen Xiu, 70, said she hopes for colourful flowers to be planted around her block when it undergoes the Silver Upgrading Programme.
The block that the retired teacher lives in, which was built in 1970 and was among the 12 precincts picked for the upgrading programme, could use more vibrancy, she said, adding that she was otherwise satisfied with amenities in the area.
Turning to upgrading programmes at the flat level, Lee said more in grants will be provided to residents whose homes are ineligible for the Lift Upgrading Programme. This programme, introduced in 2001, retrofits older blocks with lifts that stop on every floor.
He said the Lift Upgrading Programme has provided direct lift access to residents in over 5,000 HDB blocks since 2001.
Although 99 per cent of all HDB blocks have direct lift access, he noted that the remaining 1 per cent are not eligible for the programme due to cost or technical constraints.
“We recognise that some households residing in blocks (without direct lift access on every floor) may have more urgent need for direct lift access due to their family members’ medical or mobility conditions,” HDB added.
From Apr 6, the Lift Access Housing Grant, which helps residents in urgent need of direct lift access to buy a new HDB flat or a resale flat, will give up to S$80,000 for families and up to S$40,000 for singles.
The grant, introduced in 2020, previously gave up to S$30,000 for families and S$15,000 for singles.
Lee said: “We hope this significant enhancement will make it easier for even more households with mobility challenges to move to a new home that can better support their accessibility needs.”
At the event, Lee, Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Saktiandi Supaat and HDB chief executive Tan Meng Dui helped to install a climbing net at a new playground in the park at Block 9 Toa Payoh Lorong 7.
The River Crab playground – modelled after the Johora singaporensis freshwater crab that can be found only in Singapore – is the main feature of the park’s rejuvenation under HDB’s Remaking Our Heartland programme, which aims to renew older estates to make neighbourhoods more sustainable and vibrant. THE STRAITS TIMES
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