SINGAPORE: Residents moving into new large-scale Build-to-Order (BTO) estates will soon have earlier access to cooked food, groceries, childcare and bus services, Senior Minister of State for National Development Sun Xueling said in parliament on Wednesday (Mar 4).
The improvements follow recommendations from the multi-agency BTO Coordination Committee, which was set up in mid-2024 to improve the move-in experience of new residents at new large-scale Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates.
"Every estate is different and there can be project-specific issues that cause some variation. However, with the basic principles established, we can strive towards achieving these standards for new large-scale BTO estates, and can improve the move-in experience for our residents," Ms Sun said.
Large-scale BTO estates refer to estates with clusters of more than 3,000 new BTO flats completed within five years. These typically comprise clusters of three or four BTO projects.
“Unlike BTO projects in more developed towns with existing neighbouring amenities within reach, residents moving into new large-scale BTO estates typically have fewer existing amenities around them at the outset,” HDB and the Ministry of National Development (MND) noted in a joint media release.
The recommendations will be progressively implemented. New large-scale BTO estates that are under construction will benefit from some measures where possible, while estates in the planning phase can get the full suite of enhancements.
In 2023, new residents at Tengah complained about limited public transport options and the lack of amenities, CNA reported.
The committee, led by MND and HDB, includes the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the National Environment Agency (NEA), the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), the Infocomm Media Development Authority and the People’s Association.
HDB will introduce measures to bring forward the provision of key amenities to about six months after the first batch of key collection – typically when the first batch of residents move in, MND and HDB said.
HDB shops in new BTO projects usually start operations about nine months after the first batch of residents collect their keys, when their retail catchment reaches a critical mass.
As a result, residents who move in earlier may need to wait before shops start operations.
Currently, HDB shops, including supermarkets, get two months rent-free, while coffee shops get three months, to support operators as their shops are undergoing renovation.
Moving forward, HDB will extend the rent-free period for all shops in new BTO projects to a maximum of six months for those that start operations within the first six months of obtaining their Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP).
Additionally, HDB will revise the staggered rent structure for tenants of new HDB shops.
For their first year of operations, tenants will pay 70 per cent of their tendered rent, instead of the current 80 per cent.
The rents for the second and third year remain unchanged, at 90 per cent and 100 per cent respectively.
HDB will also prebuild outdoor refreshment areas in front of or adjacent to coffee shops, to allow them to be operational sooner.
Previously, these spaces were constructed by operators after their tenancy started.
The move will allow the outdoor refreshment area to be ready alongside the coffee shop, saving operators up to eight months of time and significant costs, HDB and MND said.
This applies to BTO projects launched from July 2025. The first coffee shop to feature a prebuilt outdoor refreshment area will be at Parc Meadow @ Tengah. The BTO project is expected to be completed by the first half of 2027.
"Shop operators can start with a smaller offering of groceries and cooked food, before ramping up to the full offering when a critical mass of residents move in," Ms Sun said.
HDB will also consider deploying ready-to-eat, value meals in some HDB blocks that are further away from coffee shops, she added. This is subject to market interest.
Some childcare centres are ready seven months after the first batch of residents collect their keys, while others can take more than a year to be ready, Ms Sun noted.
"This can be problematic for families who have young children at the point of moving in," she said.
Authorities have planned for childcare centres in large-scale BTO estates to start operations within six months after the first batch of residents collect their keys.
This will provide families with young children with earlier access to child care options.
HDB and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) have streamlined the construction and handover process for childcare centres.
For example, potential childcare centre operators will be invited to view the premises as early as possible, instead of only after construction works are completed.
“By bringing forward the viewings, potential operators can visualise the space and plan for the requisite agency approvals and renovation works earlier,” HDB and MND said.
“Additionally, for future projects, HDB will site childcare centres within the first buildings to be completed, where possible.”
Ms Sun said the authorities have received feedback that the first batch of residents need earlier transport connectivity to help with their moving-in.
To support transport connectivity, HDB and LTA will plan for at least one bus service to be operational in tandem with the first batch of key collection, she added.
The bus services will be accessible from a bus stop within walking distance of the BTO project and will connect residents to amenities and transport nodes such as bus interchanges or MRT stations.
Tengah’s Plantation Creek, Garden Waterfront II and Garden Waterfront I will be the first projects to have these enhancements.
In cases where a regular service cannot start immediately, agencies will explore providing interim shuttle buses, she said.
HDB will also work with agencies and town councils to enhance the standard for the provision of sheltered linkways in these estates.
Sheltered linkways are a standard provision mainly for bus stops, up to a 100m walking distance.
Under the improvements, BTO projects will typically have sheltered linkways that connect to bus stops and key amenities, up to a 200m walking distance from the project’s boundary, where feasible.
Additionally, sheltered linkways will be provided to adjacent BTO projects that are within a 100m walking distance from the project’s boundary, HDB and MND said.
“These enhancements will allow residents to get to amenities around their estate, regardless of weather conditions, while also encouraging greener and more active commuting,” they added.
Residents moving to the upcoming Chencharu estate will be among those who will have these enhancements.
Ms Sun noted that not all linkways will be built prior to key collection, as residents' walking patterns and accessibility needs may evolve after they move in.
Town councils and other agencies will factor in residents' walking patterns and new amenities, and may add or extend linkways progressively, she said.
Additionally, HDB will work with NEA and town councils to tackle the indiscriminate dumping of bulky waste during the initial move-in period.
The initial move-in period is typically within the first year of the project’s completion.
Bulky waste, such as cardboard boxes, is typically discarded in higher volumes during this period. As such, NEA will require public waste collectors to work with town councils to provide metal cages or recycling bins during the move-in period.
Since August 2025, HDB has been providing 50 per cent co-funding to town councils that wish to deploy skip tanks – large bins for disposing of bulky items – at newly completed projects during the initial move-in period.
To date, these skip tanks have been provided in projects such as Parc Flora @ Tengah and Garden Bloom @ Tengah. HDB will continue to extend the cofunding to the town councils for completing projects in large-scale estates.
To further curb indiscriminate dumping by renovation contractors, HDB will review its existing penalty framework and implement stiffer penalties for errant contractors.
MND and HDB said more information on the review will be shared when ready.
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The improvements follow recommendations from the multi-agency BTO Coordination Committee, which was set up in mid-2024 to improve the move-in experience of new residents at new large-scale Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates.
"Every estate is different and there can be project-specific issues that cause some variation. However, with the basic principles established, we can strive towards achieving these standards for new large-scale BTO estates, and can improve the move-in experience for our residents," Ms Sun said.
Large-scale BTO estates refer to estates with clusters of more than 3,000 new BTO flats completed within five years. These typically comprise clusters of three or four BTO projects.
“Unlike BTO projects in more developed towns with existing neighbouring amenities within reach, residents moving into new large-scale BTO estates typically have fewer existing amenities around them at the outset,” HDB and the Ministry of National Development (MND) noted in a joint media release.
The recommendations will be progressively implemented. New large-scale BTO estates that are under construction will benefit from some measures where possible, while estates in the planning phase can get the full suite of enhancements.
In 2023, new residents at Tengah complained about limited public transport options and the lack of amenities, CNA reported.
The committee, led by MND and HDB, includes the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the National Environment Agency (NEA), the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), the Infocomm Media Development Authority and the People’s Association.
EARLIER ACCESS TO AMENITIES
HDB will introduce measures to bring forward the provision of key amenities to about six months after the first batch of key collection – typically when the first batch of residents move in, MND and HDB said.
HDB shops in new BTO projects usually start operations about nine months after the first batch of residents collect their keys, when their retail catchment reaches a critical mass.
As a result, residents who move in earlier may need to wait before shops start operations.
Currently, HDB shops, including supermarkets, get two months rent-free, while coffee shops get three months, to support operators as their shops are undergoing renovation.
Moving forward, HDB will extend the rent-free period for all shops in new BTO projects to a maximum of six months for those that start operations within the first six months of obtaining their Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP).
Additionally, HDB will revise the staggered rent structure for tenants of new HDB shops.
For their first year of operations, tenants will pay 70 per cent of their tendered rent, instead of the current 80 per cent.
The rents for the second and third year remain unchanged, at 90 per cent and 100 per cent respectively.
HDB will also prebuild outdoor refreshment areas in front of or adjacent to coffee shops, to allow them to be operational sooner.
Previously, these spaces were constructed by operators after their tenancy started.
The move will allow the outdoor refreshment area to be ready alongside the coffee shop, saving operators up to eight months of time and significant costs, HDB and MND said.
This applies to BTO projects launched from July 2025. The first coffee shop to feature a prebuilt outdoor refreshment area will be at Parc Meadow @ Tengah. The BTO project is expected to be completed by the first half of 2027.
"Shop operators can start with a smaller offering of groceries and cooked food, before ramping up to the full offering when a critical mass of residents move in," Ms Sun said.
HDB will also consider deploying ready-to-eat, value meals in some HDB blocks that are further away from coffee shops, she added. This is subject to market interest.
Related:
CHILDCARE CENTRES, BUS SERVICES
Some childcare centres are ready seven months after the first batch of residents collect their keys, while others can take more than a year to be ready, Ms Sun noted.
"This can be problematic for families who have young children at the point of moving in," she said.
Authorities have planned for childcare centres in large-scale BTO estates to start operations within six months after the first batch of residents collect their keys.
This will provide families with young children with earlier access to child care options.
HDB and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) have streamlined the construction and handover process for childcare centres.
For example, potential childcare centre operators will be invited to view the premises as early as possible, instead of only after construction works are completed.
“By bringing forward the viewings, potential operators can visualise the space and plan for the requisite agency approvals and renovation works earlier,” HDB and MND said.
“Additionally, for future projects, HDB will site childcare centres within the first buildings to be completed, where possible.”
Ms Sun said the authorities have received feedback that the first batch of residents need earlier transport connectivity to help with their moving-in.
To support transport connectivity, HDB and LTA will plan for at least one bus service to be operational in tandem with the first batch of key collection, she added.
The bus services will be accessible from a bus stop within walking distance of the BTO project and will connect residents to amenities and transport nodes such as bus interchanges or MRT stations.
Tengah’s Plantation Creek, Garden Waterfront II and Garden Waterfront I will be the first projects to have these enhancements.
In cases where a regular service cannot start immediately, agencies will explore providing interim shuttle buses, she said.
Related:
MORE SHELTERED LINKWAYS, DISPOSAL POINTS
HDB will also work with agencies and town councils to enhance the standard for the provision of sheltered linkways in these estates.
Sheltered linkways are a standard provision mainly for bus stops, up to a 100m walking distance.
Under the improvements, BTO projects will typically have sheltered linkways that connect to bus stops and key amenities, up to a 200m walking distance from the project’s boundary, where feasible.
Additionally, sheltered linkways will be provided to adjacent BTO projects that are within a 100m walking distance from the project’s boundary, HDB and MND said.
“These enhancements will allow residents to get to amenities around their estate, regardless of weather conditions, while also encouraging greener and more active commuting,” they added.
Residents moving to the upcoming Chencharu estate will be among those who will have these enhancements.
Ms Sun noted that not all linkways will be built prior to key collection, as residents' walking patterns and accessibility needs may evolve after they move in.
Town councils and other agencies will factor in residents' walking patterns and new amenities, and may add or extend linkways progressively, she said.
Additionally, HDB will work with NEA and town councils to tackle the indiscriminate dumping of bulky waste during the initial move-in period.
The initial move-in period is typically within the first year of the project’s completion.
Bulky waste, such as cardboard boxes, is typically discarded in higher volumes during this period. As such, NEA will require public waste collectors to work with town councils to provide metal cages or recycling bins during the move-in period.
Since August 2025, HDB has been providing 50 per cent co-funding to town councils that wish to deploy skip tanks – large bins for disposing of bulky items – at newly completed projects during the initial move-in period.
To date, these skip tanks have been provided in projects such as Parc Flora @ Tengah and Garden Bloom @ Tengah. HDB will continue to extend the cofunding to the town councils for completing projects in large-scale estates.
To further curb indiscriminate dumping by renovation contractors, HDB will review its existing penalty framework and implement stiffer penalties for errant contractors.
MND and HDB said more information on the review will be shared when ready.
Related:
Continue reading...