SINGAPORE – About 2,000 new flats can be built on a former Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers) site in Redhill Close, said property analysts in response to proposed amendments to the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) master plan.
In a notice published on Sept 6 accompanying a proposed amendment to URA’s Master Plan 2019, URA said that a high-rise residential development will be built on the site, which will include new homes, community facilities and public spaces that will contribute to the rejuvenation of the Redhill estate.
“To support these plans, Redhill Close will also undergo road widening to improve traffic flow in the area, and accommodate dedicated pedestrian and cycling paths, covered linkways and roadside greenery,” said the authority.
Under the proposed amendments, three housing plots in Redhill Close that have a plot ratio ranging from 3 to 4.2 will be adjusted and amalgamated into a single site of about 4.9ha – equivalent in size to more than six football fields – with a plot ratio of 4.9.
Ms Christine Sun, chief researcher and strategist at real estate firm OrangeTee Group, said that based on these parameters, the site can have about 1,900 to 2,000 Housing Board flats under one or two Build-To-Order projects, or about 2,800 to 2,900 condominium units across up to three developments.
Meanwhile, property portal Mogul.sg’s chief research officer Nicholas Mak said that between 2,000 and 2,100 flats can be built on the Redhill Close site, or between 2,600 and 2,800 condominium units.
He said that given the size of the site, it would be prudent for the authorities to divide it into several plots and develop them over time to meet housing needs, rather than developing the site at one go.
Noting that the existing amenities in the area such as Redhill Market and Redhill Food Centre are popular with existing residents, Mr Mak said that new retail developments may have to be built in Redhill Close to serve new residents.
He noted that since the area already has quite a number of condominiums close to Redhill MRT station and prices for public flats in the area are climbing, it would be better to build HDB flats on the site to meet demand and cool the resale market for Bukit Merah units.
Ms Sun, meanwhile, added that new primary schools may be needed to meet the needs of new families living in the planned homes.
The Redhill Close site formerly housed 21 seven-storey blocks that were built by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) in the 1950s and were the first public housing blocks in Bukit Merah.
It was announced in 2011 that the blocks, which had a combined 878 units, would be redeveloped under Sers, where selected blocks in older housing estates are redeveloped to optimise land use.
Residents were offered replacement flats in City Vue @ Henderson, an HDB project with new 99-year leases that began in 2019.
Between April and December 2020, the vacated SIT flats in Redhill Close were used as a temporary housing facility for migrant workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 21 blocks were then demolished by HDB, along with the former Bukit Merah Community Centre, from 2022.
The planned new residential development is among several changes that are in the pipeline for Bukit Merah.
The town is one of four under the latest round of HDB’s Remaking Our Heartland programme, which aims to upgrade public infrastructure and provide new community spaces in HDB towns.
It was announced in September 2023 that the Bukit Merah town centre and six neighbourhood centres would undergo upgrades, with the architectural community invited to participate in the rejuvenation of the town centre through a design competition that was launched in May.
