HDB to launch 4,500 flats and two PLH projects in May 2022 BTO exercise

About 4,500 flats and two Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) projects will be launched in the May 2022 Built-to-Order (BTO) exercise, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee announced in a Facebook post on May 23. 

The new BTO flats will be located in five towns – Bukit Merah, Jurong West, Queenstown, Toa Payoh and Yishun. 

However, one of the Bukit Merah projects will be launched in August instead of May to allow for more time to review the project and to spread out the location of projects in mature and non-mature estates. 

The May 2022 BTO exercise contains many projects in mature estates “to meet strong demand for these estates,”  Mr Lee said.

He added that the new flats would cater to young families who want to live close to their parents already staying in mature estates, allowing for “better mutual care and support”. 

However, Mr Lee urged applicants to consider flats in non-mature estates like Jurong West and Yishun “to maximise the chances of securing a flat” due to the lower application rates there.

Mr Lee added that two new projects will be launched under the PLH scheme due to the “good response” for the first two projects. 

In his post, he said that 80 per cent of buyers participating in the selection exercise for the pilot project at Rochor followed through with their flat bookings, as compared to 60 per cent for most BTO projects.

The two new projects will be located in the Bukit Merah and Queenstown estates, as reported by The Straits Times. 

The PLH scheme was developed to ensure that public housing in prime and central locations remains affordable and accessible for Singaporeans. It was first launched in November 2021 with a pilot project at Rochor, and a second project at Kallang/Whampoa was added in February 2022. 

“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,” Mr Lee added.

Buyers can also expect a concurrent Sale of Balance Flats exercise which will offer flats across various estates islandwide. 

“These flats are already under construction; some have even been completed. So buyers can look forward to getting their flats earlier,” said Mr Lee. 

He added that the Housing Development Board is on track to launch a total of 23,000 new flats this year.