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2,000 vacated HDB homes in Tanglin Halt to be used as interim rental flats for families from 2025

2024-02-05 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-新加坡原网页

SINGAPORE – About 2,000 vacated flats across 17 blocks in Tanglin Halt will form the bulk of extra supply of interim rental housing for families waiting for their new Build-To-Order (BTO) flats.

These homes, located in the 31 blocks in Tanglin Halt that were selected for redevelopment in 2014, will be spruced up and let out for temporary housing under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS) from the second half of 2025, the Housing Board said on Feb 5.

HDB had committed to double its supply of flats under the scheme from the 2,000 units now to 4,000 units by 2025.

The board said the Tanglin Halt flats, located in Commonwealth Drive and Tanglin Halt Road, will eventually be demolished to make way for redevelopment.

Another four blocks in the area now house interim rental flats.

The previous residents have since moved to replacement homes in Dawson, HDB added.

Asked when the blocks will be demolished, HDB said agencies are studying the detailed plans for the estate and more details will be provided when ready.

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It added that, generally, HDB blocks under the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme, or Sers, will be demolished after flat owners have moved into their replacement flats.

For any portion of the site for which there are no immediate redevelopment plans, HDB will consider deferring demolition works to use the blocks for interim purposes, it said.

“Demolition works for part of the estate have been completed, and construction of phase one of the Tanglin Halt integrated development will commence in 2024,” HDB added.

To refurbish the flats set aside for PPHS, which are around 50 years old, HDB will replace fittings and fixtures such as water pipes, floor tiles and sanitary wares, and do electrical and painting works.

It will also carry out improvement works in common areas such as lift lobbies and outdoor spaces.

HDB said it is working with stakeholders to provide amenities such as playgrounds and childcare centres there.

Residents will be served by the nearby Tanglin Halt market, which has eateries and shops.

“The supply of PPHS flats is limited and depends on the availability of vacant flats not needed for other purposes, such as those in vacated blocks that are not immediately needed for redevelopment,” HDB added.

HDB said it has increased the supply of interim housing from 800 units in 2021 to about 2,000 units now.

The number of applications under the scheme has come down significantly, from more than 20 applicants vying for each available flat in 2021, to 2.6 in December 2023, it said.

Those eligible for PPHS flats must have a monthly household income of $7,000 or below, and have an uncompleted flat from HDB’s sales exercises.

Married couples, including expectant parents, with at least one child aged 18 and below will be prioritised in the allocation of flats under the scheme.

Since the scheme started in 2013, more than 4,200 families have benefited from it.

The Tanglin Halt estate, comprising 3,480 households, was identified for Sers in 2014.

The initial batch of residents who opted for replacement homes in the nearby Dawson estate started collecting their keys in December 2019.

Most stallholders from the former Commonwealth Drive Food Centre have also relocated to the new Margaret Drive Hawker Centre.

In October 2023, HDB announced that up to 5,500 flats will be built as part of redevelopment plans for Tanglin Halt, which is in Queenstown and is one of Singapore’s oldest housing estates.

The rejuvenated estate will have an integrated development where HDB flats will be connected to shops and a hawker centre and market.

Tanglin Halt market is still in operation, and stallholders will move into the integrated development when the first phase of works is complete.

Mr Muhammed Afiq Aman, 33, secured a three-room interim flat in Boon Lay for $600 a month under the scheme. He applied for the unit under PPHS in May 2022 while waiting for his four-room BTO flat in Kovan, which is expected to be completed in 2027.

“After living with my parents for a year and a half, I thought it was time to move out and be independent, so my wife and I can also have more family time with my son,” said the Singapore Armed Forces regular serviceman, who moved into his interim flat in November 2023. His son is now two.

Corporate sales executive Lee Jia Yi, 32, who moved into her interim flat in Toa Payoh in 2020, said she applied for the unit under PPHS as she was living with her in-laws and wanted space for her daughters, now aged three and six.

“Once we selected a unit, we could collect the keys immediately,” said Ms Lee, who is expecting her BTO flat in the same estate to be ready by the end of 2024.