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Newton, Tanjong Rhu, Dover and Bedok plots among 11 new housing sites unveiled for sale; two EC parcels also on offer
[SINGAPORE] Eleven new sites for private residential projects have been made available under the government land sales (GLS) programme, including prime plots in Newton, Bukit Timah and Tanjong Rhu.
Ten of the sites announced on Friday (Jun 13) are on the Confirmed List for the GLS programme for the second half of 2025. The last site, a 0.23-hectare (ha) plot in Cross Street in the Central Business District (CBD) for long-stay serviced apartment use, is on the Reserve List.
Market watchers expect to see strong demand for the Newton and Tanjong Rhu sites – the first state land plots in these planning areas that have been unveiled for sale in almost three decades.
The 0.59-ha site in Newton along Bukit Timah Road is expected to be hotly contested, and can be built into 340 units. The site is anticipated to launch in August. In 2007, it was set aside for transitional office use for a 15-year period to address the shortage of office space, said PropNex's head of research and content, Wong Siew Ying.
Knight Frank Singapore's head of research, Leonard Tay, said that the last residential GLS site in the Newton Planning Area was awarded in July 1997. It has been developed into Draycott 8.
The plot should draw strong interest from both developers and homebuyers due to its proximity to Newton MRT station, he added.
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The Tanjong Rhu site, which can house around 525 units, is expected to be available for tender in November. It is next to the Singapore Swimming Club and a 10-minute walk away from Katong Park MRT station.
Marcus Chu, ERA Singapore's chief executive officer, said: 'This is the first residential GLS plot to be released along Tanjong Rhu Road in nearly three decades, making it a rare opportunity for developers seeking to cater to sustained upgrader demand in the city fringe.'
The last GLS residential site released in Tanjong Rhu was awarded in 1997, said Wong. The 99-year leasehold site was developed by Far East Organization into Water Place.
Developers will also be able to bid for a Dunearn Road site, the second private residential site to be offered in the new Turf City housing estate, said Lee Sze Teck, Huttons Asia's senior director of data analytics. The site's launch date is expected to be in December.
The 1.91-ha site can accommodate 335 private residential units and 1,400 square metres of gross floor area of retail space. It is within walking distance of Sixth Avenue MRT station and is near several popular schools, including Nanyang Girls' High School and Hwa Chong Institution, said PropNex's Wong.
A 1.35-ha site along Dover Road set to launch in November is expected to yield 625 units – the biggest project on the H2 GLS 2025 list.
'Located near Singapore's (research and development) hub, one-north, and the Singapore Science Park, the Dover site addresses the housing shortage relative to the area's employment. Given the 50,000-strong workforce in one-north, this parcel… will bring residents closer to key employment hubs,' said Lee.
Meanwhile, competition for a 380-unit Bedok Rise site – expected to be up for tender in September – could be strong, given the limited supply of unsold stock in this locale amid healthy demand for mass-market homes, said Wong.
This is the last development site around Tanah Merah MRT station following the sale of Sceneca Residence in November 2020, she added. Based on caveats lodged, as at May 31, Sceneca Residence has sold 264 of its 268 units since the project hit the market in January 2023.
Robust demand for ECs
Two executive condominium (EC) sites are also being offered among the 11 residential sites announced on Friday, in a nod to robust demand for EC projects in recent years.
The first, in Woodlands Drive 17, can be developed into 560 units. The other EC site, in Miltonia Close, can yield around 430 units.
Together with the three EC sites released in the H1 GLS exercise, the supply of EC units on the Confirmed List now stands at 1,970 units, the highest number annually since 2014, said Wong.
'Increasing EC supply not only provides more housing options, but also mitigates the 'fear of missing out' effect that often drives prices higher during periods of limited availability,' SRI's head of research and data analytics, Mohan Sandrasegeran, said.
EC land prices have risen steadily, with the most recent EC land tender awarded in November 2024 to Sim Lian. At S$768 per square foot (psf) per plot ratio for a Tampines site, it set a record.
In the first quarter, there were about 735 new EC units sold at or above S$1,600 psf, based on URA Realis data, he said.
'Notably, this included at least 149 units sold at S$1,800 psf or more – crossing a pricing threshold that had previously not been breached in the EC market.'
The last three plots on offer are a 1.4-ha site in Dairy Farm Walk which will allow for about 500 units, a 1.12-ha parcel in Kallang Avenue which can house 450 units, and a 1.65-ha plot in Lentor Central which can be built into 580 homes.
Tricia Song, CBRE's head of research for Singapore and South-east Asia, said: 'There has been a scarcity of private home supply in the location – the most recent sizeable project was 212-unit freehold Kallang Riverside at Kampong Bugis, which was launched in 2014.'
The Lentor Central site will be the eighth to be made available in the area, Huttons' Lee noted. It is next to GuocoLand's fully sold Lentor Modern and the recently launched Lentor Central Residences, which sold 93.3 per cent of its 477 units at an average price of S$2,200 psf over its launch weekend in March.
'The area is popular among buyers for its attractive entry price. Around 100 units from launched projects remain unsold,' he added.
Cautious outlook
Apart from the Confirmed List sites, there are six residential sites on the Reserve List.
The Cross Street plot announced on Friday is next to Telok Ayer MRT station and can yield 300 long-stay serviced apartments. It may be attractive to investors keen on renting out units to foreign professionals working in the area, said Knight Frank's Tay.
'However, it remains to be seen whether demand for CBD residences will lead any developers to trigger this site in the Reserve List,' he added.
PropNex's Wong said: 'This plot is not likely to be triggered soon, in view of long-stay serviced apartments being still an untested product, and the potential supply of residential units that may come on the leasing market, owing to several new launches in the city.'
Among the remaining five residential sites on the Reserve List is Media Circle (Parcel B), which closed with no bids in April 2025. The rest are sites in Marina Gardens Lane, Holland Plain, River Valley Green and another Media Circle plot.
CBRE's Song said: 'We believe placing more supply in the Reserve List is an appropriate response, taking into consideration the slower home sales since April, still-rising prices (and an uncertain) macroeconomic climate. Developers in the recent land tenders have also been measured in their bids, signalling their cautious outlook.'
