ST : 12,000 homes over 5 years

Nov 23, 2009
12,000 homes over 5 years
By Jessica Cheam



Mr Mah noted that HDB had responded quickly to the spike in demand for flats this year by upping its planned flat supply of 6,000 for the year initially, to offering 13,500 flats in total for 2009. -- PHOTO: BT

THE Housing Board (HDB) will offer an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 flats yearly for the next five years to meet growing demand and ensure sufficient housing, said National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan on Monday.

But this number is a projection, he emphasised. 'What actually happens a few years down the road is unknown. Also, demand is not constant; it varies from year to year, depending on economic and other factors,' he said.

This medium-term projection serves as a guide for HDB's build-to-order (BTO) scheme, which is flexible, transparent and responsive to actual demand, said Mr Mah.

Mr Mah was addressing a range of housing issues in Parliament on Monday.

He noted that HDB had responded quickly to the spike in demand for flats this year by upping its planned flat supply of 6,000 for the year initially, to offering 13,500 flats in total for 2009.

For the first time, Mr Mah also revealed on Monday that although HDB's policy is not to deliberately have a buffer of ready flats for home buyers, it does have a stock of ready flats making up about 10 per cent of flat supply.