S'pore's new blueprint will give residents more flexibility to choose ideal home: Analysts
Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat touring the Urban Redevelopment Authority Draft Masterplan 2025 exhibition, at URA Centre, on June 25, with Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Baey Yam Keng and Mayor of Central Singapore district Denise Phua. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
SINGAPORE – Singapore's latest draft masterplan will give residents greater flexibility in choosing an ideal living environment across the island, with amenities – as well as workspaces in some cases – located nearer homes, said analysts.
The new masterplan – Singapore's land use development blueprint for the next 10 to 15 years – focuses more on creating an environment that fosters a healthier and more active lifestyle, supports the Republic's ageing population and addresses the challenges of climate change, they added.
Ms Christine Sun, chief researcher and strategist at property agency OrangeTee Group, said there is a bigger emphasis on an environment that enhances the quality of life for Singaporeans through the provision of more homes with access to sea, river and park views, as well as more parks and amenities, and the preservation of heritage buildings and cultural sites.
Furthermore, there is a dedicated effort to build new sports facilities closer to residential areas to encourage a healthier lifestyle, Ms Sun said.
This means that Singaporeans will have a more diverse array of housing options to suit their needs, be they near the city centre, schools, parks or waterways.
With each community designed to be better connected with essential amenities, this ensures convenient access to schools, healthcare facilities and recreational areas wherever residents choose to live, added Ms Sun. 'All these initiatives will help to create a more balanced, sustainable living experience for all residents, regardless of age and budget,' she said.
At least 80,000 public and private homes will be introduced across more than 10 new housing areas in the next 10 to 15 years, with new neighbourhoods planned in areas such as Dover, Defu, Newton and Paterson. Integrated community hubs with sports facilities, healthcare and community spaces are also in the works for Sengkang, Woodlands North and Yio Chu Kang.
Mr Marcus Chu, chief executive of real estate agency ERA Singapore, said that with more housing estates catching up in terms of amenities and accessibility, housing demand may start to be spread more evenly across Singapore.
This could, in turn, lead to more even price growth across different regions.
More land parcels around MRT stations and more business hubs are also being planned outside the Central Business District to bring work closer to homes, spread the load on the transport network and reduce the need to set aside land for roads, said Mr Mark Yip, CEO of property firm Huttons Asia.
One such example is the greater one-north precinct, which has developed into a bustling research-and-development hub with more than 50,000 knowledge workers .
Mr Lee Sze Teck, Huttons' senior director of data analytics, said there is therefore a need to provide more homes so that the workers can live near their workplaces. 'This will reduce travelling time and stress on the transport network,' he added.
The Dover-Medway neighbourhood in the precinct could see 6,000 new public and private homes built in the first phase, while some 5,000 new private homes could be introduced in Mediapolis, which is also in the area.
Ms Sun said building more homes in Dover-Medway and Mediapolis will in turn attract more workers, researchers, students and expats to live there, and support business growth in the area.
Mr Ismail Gafoor, CEO of property firm PropNex, said land use for three plots in Ayer Rajah Crescent, near Media Circle in one-north, has been changed from business park to residential, with commercial use on the first storey.
That should bring more amenities to Media Circle, which is set to see more high-density housing.
In addition, two sites in the nearby Singapore Science Park II have been updated from business park use to residential. This ties in with the ongoing rejuvenation of the Science Park, he added.
In the heart of town, Paterson – on the doorstep of Orchard Road – could get 1,000 new private homes as part of an integrated development with retail, food and beverage and office spaces above Orchard MRT station.
Ms Sun said expanding the residential landscape in the Orchard Road precinct is a good move due to the scarcity of available land in prime areas. New government land sites in prime areas – especially near Orchard Road – are quite rare, and it has been many years since The Orchard Residences, an integrated development near the heart of Orchard, was launched, Ms Sun noted.
But given the luxury property market's slower growth, some of these new sites may be placed on the reserve list of the Government Land Sales (GLS) programme, she added. Such sites are launched for sale when a developer offers a minimum price that the Government accepts, or when there is enough market interest.
Mr Lee pointed out that the land parcel above Orchard MRT station has been rezoned to a white site, and the plot ratios have been bumped up. White sites refer to land parcels designated for mixed-use development and allow for flexibility in development plans, while plot ratios measure how intensively land can be developed.
'This is a prime opportunity to build an iconic shopping and residential project as the last GLS site above Orchard MRT was Ion Orchard and The Orchard Residences in 2005,' he said.
But the 60 per cent additional buyer's stamp duty on foreign buyers may not give developers the confidence to bid for that site if it is launched for sale, Mr Lee added.
Meanwhile, Ms Catherine He, head of research at commercial real estate services firm Colliers, said sites including Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB), Sembawang Shipyard and the former Singapore Racecourse in Kranji were chosen for redevelopment into housing estates to optimise land use for the maximum benefit of residents, and relocate industrial and commercial activities farther out.
In particular, the relocation of PLAB in eastern Singapore from 2030 will be a game-changer, said real estate consultancy Knight Frank Singapore's research head Leonard Tay.
With about 800ha of land to be freed up for the development of residences, offices, factories and recreational areas, this means that building height restrictions imposed for the safe navigation of aircraft in surrounding towns could be lifted.
Although higher plot ratios around PLAB have not been announced in the latest draft masterplan, Mr Tay said it would be reasonable to expect some collective sale opportunities, as older properties that are no longer constrained by low-rise plot ratios could see an increase in land values after 2030.
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PHOTO: ST FILE URA cited Prima Flour Mill in Keppel Road, which started operations in 1963 as Singapore's first flour mill, as well as Selegie House, also completed in 1963 as the country's then tallest mixed-use development. The hope is that as Singapore turns 60, this renewed emphasis on telling the nation's story, as well as a more holistic heritage framework, will prevent another nationally loved building – like the old National Library – from being lost to redevelopment. The old National Library at Stamford Road, which was demolished after its closure in 2004. PHOTO: ST FILE Time for details With decades of work shaping the city-state and Singaporeans' basic needs largely met, the planners of today are looking beyond just quantity – the need to rapidly establish new towns – and focusing on improving the quality and variety of existing living environments. By 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be 65 or older. As the population greys, talk surrounding new homes is now not just about whether they are public or private, but also whether they are senior-friendly, with more assisted living options and senior activity centres in the pipeline. In the recreational realm, the authorities have in recent years also focused more on quality. In the last decade, large, airy 'community living rooms' have become a feature of new and refurbished malls, giving patrons a comfortable space in which to chill out and chat, read a book, or sip a coffee. Called Privately-Owned Public Spaces, or Pops, more than 30 of these spaces have sprung up, thanks to guidelines that URA rolled out in 2017. Geneo's Privately-Owned Public Space, The Canopy, which opened earlier in 2025. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH The provision of Pops shows the detail that goes into planning – not just providing malls, but using policy levers to nudge developers towards providing meaningful and accessible public spaces. While areas where basic infrastructure is already in place may be easy to overlook, planners have continued making improvements. Upcoming efforts to upgrade the walking and cycling paths in three identity corridors – elongated stretches with identities and characters that the authorities aim to strengthen – are a case in point. A stretch of Zion Road between Ganges Avenue and River Valley Road will be repurposed to accommodate wider walking and cycling paths. The stretch of Zion Road between Havelock Road and River Valley Road will be repurposed for wider walking and cycling paths. PHOTO: NATIONAL PARKS BOARD And along a stretch of Kallang River next to St Andrew's Junior College where there already is a park connector, more public spaces and cycling paths are being planned for visitors and students to enjoy the waterfront. New cycling paths along the riverbank fronting St Andrew's Village will connect to the Kallang Park Connector. PHOTO: URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY These plans show that planners are not just focused on creating new estates, but are continuously finding ways to improve the living environment for residents. Be that as it may, the provision of more homes remains a key priority. The upcoming redevelopment of Sembawang Shipyard, Kranji Racecourse and Paya Lebar Air Base shows that future development needs are still front and centre, while as-yet-undeveloped land plots slated for housing remain in areas such as Tagore and Clementi Road. Users as experts In many aspects of the draft masterplan, public feedback was sought . Improvements to existing areas, such as upgrades to walking and cycling infrastructure along the identity corridors, were proposed after engagements with 2,300 residents and users. Draft Master Plan 2025 marked the most extensive engagement exercise URA has conducted so far, with nearly 220,000 people engaged. It trumps the more than 15,000 engaged for the Long-Term Plan between 2021 and 2022 – during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Long-Term Plan, which informs the draft masterplan, charts the country's needs for the next 50 years and beyond. All this shows that when it comes to urban planning, regular users of spaces are the experts. URA's engagement efforts are in line with broader global trends in urban planning, which has become much less top-down or expert-led, and where citizens have a stake. To ensure Singaporeans were heard, multiple exhibitions and roadshows were organised for the draft masterplan from October 2023, which almost 186,000 people visited. More than 26,000 people participated in focus-group discussions, workshops and other conversations. About 7,000 people responded to public surveys. Some members of the public even joined planners in kayaks and paddled down Kallang River, as part of efforts to generate ideas on how to improve an identity corridor there. Participants at a kayaking expedition in Kallang River organised by the URA on July 21, 2024. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY Such interactions build trust and understanding between those with differing needs and interests, and between the public and planners. The latest land-use plans show that public feedback does make a difference. In response to suggestions from a focus-group discussion for the Katong-Joo Chiat area, where participants requested more shaded public spaces and seating, URA is planning a new pedestrian mall in East Coast Road, between i12 Katong shopping centre and Katong V mall. The future pedestrian mall in Katong could include landscaping, seating and recreational spaces for community use and interactions. PHOTO: URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Engaging widely for Draft Master Plan 2025 is a step in the right direction, and it would augur well for URA to keep up this scale of outreach efforts for future reviews of the masterplan. Only then can land-use plans closely mirror the needs of the public. A long-term endeavour While a refreshed blueprint is put out roughly once every five years, planning is an ongoing endeavour, with old plans revived and new ones in the works for years. Upcoming developments under the draft masterplan – such as turning Bishan into a business hub and the rejuvenation of Istana Park and its surrounds – were already announced in 2019, following the previous review of the masterplan. Reaching further back, plans to build new homes in Pearl's Hill were announced in June 2003. Yet much of the land there that has been zoned for residential use has not had new homes built on it for the past two decades . Outram Park Complex on the day of its official opening in 1970. The HDB-built complex was demolished in the early 2000s. PHOTO: ST FILE After works on the Thomson-East Coast Line were completed in the area , these plans were presented again in November 2023, when the authorities said 6,000 new public and private homes will be built. A 2004 photograph shows the area the Outram Park Complex once occupied (left), which has been vacant for more than two decades. PHOTO: ST FILE Notably, a plan revealed in 1991 to reclaim a 'Long Island' off East Coast Park has in recent years been revived as a coastal protection solution, in addition to meeting other needs. It may be hard to reconcile Singapore's pace of rapid urban change with the protracted, continuous nature of longer-term urban planning. Yet, as the Draft Master Plan 2025 has shown, Singapore can make development decisions that honour its past and reflect the needs of its citizens, while remaining open to change. Ng Keng Gene is a correspondent at The Straits Times, reporting on issues relating to land use, urban planning and heritage. 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