HDB launches 7,568 flats in November BTO, sale of balance flats exercises

THE Housing and Development Board (HDB) on Tuesday launched 7,568 flats in a mix of mature and non-mature towns under its November 2014 build-to-order (BTO) cum sale of balance flats (SBF) exercises.

The flats offered include the first housing project in Tampines North, which will also feature the first three-generation (3Gen) flats in a mature town.

The HDB will offer 4,277 BTO flats spread across six projects in the non-mature towns of Sembawang, Sengkang, Yishun and Tampines.

Tampines GreenRidges, the first housing development in Tampines North, seeks to offer residents a tranquil living experience in a park-like setting. It is also the first precinct in Tampines to feature the pneumatic waste conveyance system, an automated waste collection system that provides clean and fuss-free waste disposal.

Under the November SBF exercise, HDB will offer 3,291 balance flats in 11 non-mature and 15 mature towns.

Flats offered under the SBF exercise are reserved for families, but at least 95 per cent of the supply of balance flats will be set aside for first-timers.

About 27 per cent of SBF flats are already completed, while the remaining 73 per cent are under construction.

The launch brings the total BTO flat supply in 2014 to 22,455 units, in line with HDB's commitment to launch 22,400 BTO flats for sale this year.

Together with the 6,674 balance flats offered under the May and November 2014 SBF exercises, HDB has offered a total of 29,129 flats for sale in 2014 to meet the housing needs of Singaporeans.

HDB said up to 30 per cent of the flat supply for first-timer families and up to 15 per cent of that for second-timer families will be set aside for those who want to live with or near their parents or married child.

Application for new flats launched in the November 2014 BTO and SBF exercises can be submitted online on the HDB InfoWEB from Tuesday (Nov 25, 2014) to Dec 1.

Applicants can apply for only one flat type/category in one town/estate under either the BTO or SBF exercise.

Next year, HDB said it plans to launch four BTO exercises, with a total of 16,900 new flats and it will conduct quarterly sales launches starting from February 2015.

In February 2015, HDB will offer about 3,940 flats in Bukit Batok, Geylang and Hougang.