Over 60-storey block of flats to be built in Chinatown next to Outram Park MRT station

A new Build-To-Order (BTO) project will be developed at Pearl’s Hill, next to Outram Park MRT station.

The development will include Singapore’s tallest public housing project to date, rising above 60 storeys, Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat announced.

He was speaking at the Ministry of National Development’s Committee of Supply debate in Parliament on Mar. 4, 2026.

The upcoming project marks the first public housing development at Pearl’s Hill in more than 40 years.

Pearl’s Hill is home to the former police commander’s bungalow and police barracks built in the 1920s and 1930s, which have been conserved due to their historical significance.

New public housing development

The new development will comprise two-room Flexi, three-room and four-room BTO flats, as well as public rental flats, Chee said.

Its design will draw inspiration from nearby Chinatown’s heritage and from “Shan Shui Hua”, resembling a Chinese landscape painting depicting mountains and flowing rivers.

“Our vision is for residents to live amidst the tranquillity of Pearl’s Hill, while remaining connected to the dynamic energy of the city,” he said.

Residents and the public can also look forward to green communal spaces inspired by “river plains”, as well as a cascading water feature.

“These features will also benefit the wider Pearl’s Hill neighbourhood, by having seamless, barrier-free access from the park to the MRT,” he added.

Within the residential blocks, there will be sky gardens and terraces offering views from different levels.

There are also plans to preserve a “view corridor” — a 40m-wide unobstructed line of sight between the new buildings.

Over 60 storeys

The development will include Singapore’s tallest public housing project, rising above 60 storeys.

This would make it more than 10 storeys taller than The Pinnacle@Duxton, which is currently Singapore’s tallest public housing development.

Both developments are about a 5-minute walk from each other.

“This is part of our efforts to find ways to build more public housing, by intensifying land usage and building taller where possible,” Chee said.

A 60-storey block can provide 50 per cent more flats compared to a 40-storey block — the height of most of today’s tallest HDB blocks, he noted.

Changes to aviation height restrictions

Chee explained that most tall buildings are currently located in the central region due to aviation height restriction requirements around Singapore’s airports.

These requirements have been in place since the 1950s and were set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Over the past decade, Singapore has worked with ICAO to revise these requirements, allowing taller buildings to be constructed near airports, he said.

Top photo from MND (Artist’s impression of Pearl's Hill's BTO project)