CLUSTER HOMES: New formulae will result in fewer units in within the development

[princess_morbucks]

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/cluster-housing-to-get/1324682.html?Cid=FBSG




SINGAPORE: The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said on Friday (Aug 22) it has revised the guidelines for strata landed housing developments, also known as cluster homes, to determine the maximum number of units in an estate.

Under the revised guidelines, which will take effect on Saturday, a new set of formulae will determine the maximum number of houses developers are allowed to build in various types of strata landed housing developments. The new formulae will generally result in fewer units, the URA said in a statement.

“The move addresses feedback from residents in landed housing estates that such developments could inject a disproportionately large number of units, causing additional traffic and parking problems as well as creating a more congested living environment,” the URA said.

There are also new guidelines to enhance the communal facilities and greenery provision within such developments. Developers will have to set aside at least 45 per cent of the land area for communal open space, up from the current 30 per cent. Of this, a minimum of 25 per cent has to be set aside for on-ground greenery while up to 20 per cent can be used for communal facilities like swimming pools and playgrounds.

“By increasing the minimum communal open space to be set aside in strata landed housing developments and mandating minimum on-ground greenery coverage, we hope that strata landed housing developments will further enhance the quality of the living environment for residents,” the URA said.

[bargain hunter]

Good to have our princess back. :)

why do they always implement so late? damage already done, cluster house boom already over.


http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/cluster-housing-to-get/1324682.html?Cid=FBSG

[princess_morbucks]

Good to have our princess back. :)

why do they always implement so late? damage already done, cluster house boom already over.

Don't like the purple colour of the forum.
Took me a while to get over it.
Managed to change some of the purple to other colours.

[bargain hunter]

wah, our princess so emo over colours ah. :)


Don't like the purple colour of the forum.
Took me a while to get over it.
Managed to change some of the purple to other colours.

[smellyfish]

Good to have our princess back. :)

why do they always implement so late? damage already done, cluster house boom already over.

agree, they seem to be always so behind the curve. it's like let the big boys make the money first before clamping down, by which time a lot of people are left holding dead babies.

[amk]

why do they always implement so late? damage already done, cluster house boom already over.

hmmm CAPL has one big plot at Coronation Rd still under planning, probably will be the 1st to be affected.

[Ringo33]

Don't like the purple colour of the forum.
Took me a while to get over it.
Managed to change some of the purple to other colours.

You are correct. The purple color sucks. It just killed the soul out of condosingapore.

Its like changing our Singapore flag from red to blue.

[bargain hunter]

could they have already gotten approval?

wait, if i didn't remember wrongly, they planned for landed, not cluster right?


hmmm CAPL has one big plot at Coronation Rd still under planning, probably will be the 1st to be affected.

[bargain hunter]

"Plans for the site include building a mix of semi-detached houses and bungalows that will be ready for launch in the second quarter of next year, a CapitaLand spokesman said yesterday." - See more at: http://business.asiaone.com/news/property/landed-housing-plot-gets-top-bid-366m#sthash.dllzw5Su.dpuf

no mention of it being cluster homes



hmmm CAPL has one big plot at Coronation Rd still under planning, probably will be the 1st to be affected.

[amk]

It's clustered. Search "Victoria Park Villas"

[princess_morbucks]

It's clustered. Search "Victoria Park Villas"

Yes you are right !
They are cluster housing.

http://www.thenextnewlaunch.sg/project/victoria-park-villas-coronation-road/

And according to Orange Tee :
If all are semi D, the breakeven price is $3.5 mil and the developer could be selling from $4 mil

http://www.orangetee.com/Research/In%20The%20News/S$366m%20top%20bid%20for%20landed%20housing%20site%20at%20Coronation%20Rd.pdf

[bargain hunter]

but that means they have gotten approval for it already. so its not affected by the new rules?

[reporter2]

http://www.straitstimes.com/archive/saturday/premium/top-the-news/story/new-cluster-homes-have-more-open-spaces-20140823

New cluster homes to have more open spaces

Revised guidelines aim to enhance common areas and add greenery

Published on Aug 23, 2014 12:55 AM

By Rachael Boon And Rennie Whang


BUYERS of future cluster housing developments will no longer find their homes packed cheek by jowl.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has drawn up a new set of guidelines that aims to make cluster housing more spacious and greener.

Cluster housing, or strata landed housing estates, combines strata-titled houses with communal facilities and greenery similar to the amenities at private condominiums.

The move is in response to concerns that overly dense developments could lead to congestion and overcrowding.

The URA announced a new set of formulae to determine the maximum number of houses allowed in such developments. It said in a statement yesterday: "The new formulae will generally result in fewer units compared with the previous formulae."

The URA also announced new guidelines that aim to enhance cluster housing features such as common areas and facilities.

For instance, developers must set aside at least 45 per cent of land for communal open space, up from 30 per cent. Of this, a minimum 25 per cent must be for greenery on the ground, and up to 20 per cent can be used for communal facilities such as swimming pools and playgrounds.

The revised guidelines come into effect today, and take into account feedback from residents in landed housing estates.

"Such developments could inject a disproportionately large number of units, causing additional traffic and parking problems as well as creating a more congested living environment," the URA said, citing some feedback received.

Long-time Watten Rise resident William Tan, 58, who is semi-retired, lives opposite 59- unit Watten Residences, completed in 2012. The cluster home development replaced a block of low-rise flats, and he estimates that 20 per cent more residents are living there now than before.

He welcomed the new guidelines allowing for less built-up space and fewer residences, noting that Watten Residences' landscaping was "acceptable" and contributed to more greenery.

But he added: "I miss the convenience of the old development as it used to house a grocery shop. Now, I have to go to FairPrice in Coronation Plaza or Farrer Road."

Mr John Tasker, a permanent resident who lives in Toh Estate near Changi Airport, said fellow residents were delighted with the guidelines. The chief operating officer of a Chinese holding company has lived there for five years with his Singaporean family.

Mr Tasker, who is from Britain, and eight other residents have been working with the URA regarding concerns over recent cluster housing developments.

He said: "Several comments have come back to me that it's great news. We know there are several other locations within Toh Estate with potential for developments with high density."

SLP International research head Nicholas Mak said prices of individual cluster homes were likely to rise since each cluster housing site would yield fewer homes, and the homes may become bigger. Such factors could put these homes out of reach for the middle class, he added.

[email protected]

[email protected]

[reporter2]

http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/archive/saturday/premium/singapore/cluster-home-projects-have-fewer-units-20140823

Published August 23, 2014

Cluster home projects to have fewer units

Property consultants say this tweak to URA's guidelines will lower the appeal of strata-landed sites for developers

By Lynette Khoo

[email protected] @LynetteKhooBT


THE Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has fine-tuned its guidelines for cluster housing to address growing concerns of overcrowding in some landed estates.

A new set of formulae to determine the maximum number of units for the various types of cluster housing, known as strata-landed homes, will significantly lower the number of units in new projects.

Another change is that developers will be required to set aside more land for communal facilities and greenery in such developments - at least 45 per cent of the land area, up from the current 30 per cent; at least a quarter of the land area has to be set aside for on-the-ground greenery.

The revised guidelines take effect today, said the URA yesterday.

Strata-landed housing is a form of landed housing that comes with strata titles and combines the experience of living on a landed property with communal facilities and greenery like those available in private condominiums.

There has been growing clamour about overcrowding from residents in estates like Toh Estate and Telok Kurau Estate.

There, developers have injected a large number of small units into the project, and traffic and parking problems have surfaced.

Nicholas Mak, the executive director at SLP International, said the new guidelines will greatly reduce the number of detached, semi-detached and terrance houses in strata-landed housing developments; the impact will be smaller on the number of good-class bungalows.

DTZ regional head of research Lee Lay Keng said the new guidelines will adversely affect developers who have bought a site for which they have yet to receive planning permission.

"For potential collective sale sites, the land value will be revised downwards because the development potential will now be lower," she added.

"Accordingly, developers exploring strata landed housing projects will adjust their offer prices downwards," she said.

One land parcel now up for collective sale is that of Kheam Hock Gardens off Dunearn Road, which has a reserve price of S$59 million or S$1,430 per sq ft.

Under the new guidelines, the maximum number of terrace units a developer can build there has come down from 25 to 15, said Galven Tan, the director for investment properties at CBRE, the site's sole and exclusive marketing agent.

If the developer chooses to build good-class bungalows, the maximum allowable units is down to seven, from nine previously.

But he said he believed that the net impact of the new guidelines was likely to be neutral; though developers can build fewer units on the plot, the enhanced living quality that comes with lower density may engender better sales at the new project, he said.

He disclosed that a few serious parties were looking at the site, including listed and non-listed developers, along with a couple of high net-worth individuals looking to build a single home on the site.

Christine Li, the head of research and consultancy at OrangeTee, observed that there have been instances in the past when developers could inject more strata-landed homes on a plot than they would have been able to with condominium units, because of the guidelines on condo development.

"Going forward, strata-landed sites may become less attractive than conventional landed sites," she said.

"Now, there is not much incentive to build strata-landed homes as the profit margin will be greatly reduced, unless land price comes down substantially," she added.