Upper Thomson Road (Parcel A) has dropped the mandate for long-stay serviced apartments (Image: Google)
The Urban Redevelopment Authority on Tuesday released three Singapore residential sites for tender under the Government Land Sales programme with capacity to yield 1,765 homes.
The sites at Dorset Road, Upper Thomson Road (Parcel A) and Telok Blangah Road can accommodate 425, 595 and 745 residential units respectively, the URA said in a release. The trio of parcels are part of land scheduled for release to add 5,030 homes under the GLS confirmed list during the January-June period.
The relaunch of Upper Thomson Road (Parcel A) comes after a tender for the plot closed last June with no bids. The site in Singapore’s northern region had been expected to yield 640 units, including a required 100 long-stay apartments for rent.
“The URA has provided more flexibility this time,” said Wong Siew Ying, head of research and content at local broker PropNex. “It noted that long-stay serviced apartments use will not be mandated but can be allowed subject to approval from technical agencies.”
Upper Thomson Reboot
Located next to Springleaf MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast Line, Upper Thomson Road (Parcel A) can provide 2,000 square metres (21,528 square feet) of first-floor commercial space along with its estimated 595 homes.
URA chief executive Lim Eng Hwee (Image: URA)
Developers may have passed on the plot last time due to the LSA mandate and the site’s remoteness from major commercial hubs, according to PropNex, which anticipates one or two bids this time with a potential top bid of S$900 to S$1,000 ($703 to $781) per square foot of accommodation. That would be roughly in line with the S$905 rate for the adjacent Parcel B plot awarded to a GuocoLand-Hong Leong joint venture — the sole bidder — in April of last year.
The Telok Blangah Road plot, the first to be launched at the former Keppel Golf Course site in the city-fringe Bukit Merah area, could attract developers seeking first-mover advantage, PropNex said. The last GLS residential site launched for sale near the plot was Mount Faber Road, awarded in September 2002. PropNex predicts five or six bids for Telok Blangah Road with a top bid of S$1,250 to S$1,350 per square foot.
The Dorset Road plot lies near Farrer Park MRT station on the North-East Line in the Kallang area. The site enjoys proximity to numerous schools and retail amenities and is likely to draw four or five bids with a top offer of S$1,100 to S$1,200 per square foot, PropNex said.
The tenders for Dorset Road, Upper Thomson Road (Parcel A) and Telok Blangah Road will close at noon on 9 October, 23 October and 4 November, respectively.
Second-Half Supply
The Singapore government aims to sustain a “high and steady level” of private housing supply under the GLS programme during the second half of 2025.
Land to furnish 4,725 homes is scheduled for launch via the confirmed list during the July-December period, bringing the total confirmed-list supply for 2025 to 9,755 units.
“The government will continue to closely monitor economic and property market conditions, and when necessary, we are ready to increase both public and private housing supply,” the URA said.
