4,500 new flats launching in May BTO exercise, locations include Bukit Merah, Queenstown & Toa Payoh

Two of the projects, located in Bukit Merah and Queenstown, will be launched under the Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) model.

Low Jia Ying | May 24, 2022, 10:47 AM

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The Housing and Development Board (HDB) will be launching about 4,500 flats in the upcoming May 2022 Built-To-Order exercise, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said in a Facebook post on Monday (May 23).

These 4,500 flats will be located in five towns -- Bukit Merah, Jurong West, Queenstown, Toa Payoh and Yishun.

As many of these new flats are located in mature estates, young families who wish to stay near their parents have more options this time, Lee said.

Lee expects application rates for projects in mature estates to "remain high".

Therefore, he urged flat buyers to consider applying for BTO flats located in non-mature estates, such as Jurong West or Yishun, to maximise their chances of securing a flat as application rates for projects in these estates are "generally lower" compared to most mature estates.

Locations of these new flats

Here are more details to the new flats to be launched in the May exercise:

One of the Bukit Merah projects pushed to August

Lee also updated in his post that one of the two Bukit Merah projects originally planned for launch in May 2022 will be shifted to August 2022 instead.

He explained that "more time is needed to review the project, and to better spread out the location projects in mature and non-mature estates at each launch."

Despite this shift, however, Lee said HDB is still on track to launch up to 23,000 new flats this year, in line with earlier projections.

Lee also said that there will also be a concurrent Sale of Balance Flats exercise during the May launch, which will "offer flats across various towns and estates islandwide".

"These flats are already under construction; some have even been completed. So buyers can look forward to getting their flats earlier," he added.

2 BTO projects to be launched under PLH model in May

According to The Straits Times, the two BTO projects in the May 2022 BTO exercise that will be launched under the PLH model will be in Bukit Merah and Queenstown.

The Bukit Merah project will have around 1,660 three- and four-room flats available. The project is bounded by Henderson, Tiong Bahru and Lower Delta Roads. The site will be served by the Redhill and Tiong Bahru MRT stations.

The Queenstown project will consist of about 860 three- and four-room flats. The site is located along Ghim Moh Road and is next to the Buona Vista MRT station.

Flats sold under the PLH model will have a minimum 10-year occupancy period, and will have restrictions on reselling and renting out the flat.

There have been two PLH projects launched since the model's introduction in 2021.

"There has been good response for the two PLH projects launched so far," Lee observed.

He said that that the selection exercise for the first PLH project, River Peaks I and II, is underway.

He noted that 80 per cent of buyers who have been invited to select a flat have gone on to book a flat, which is higher than the average of 60 per cent for most BTO projects.

"Given the strong response, HDB will be launching two PLH projects in the May 2022 BTO exercise. We will continue to assess the project’s locational attributes and market values, and continue to offer PLH projects in future sales exercises, if there are available and suitable sites."

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