MEETING HOUSING SUPPLY
On planning new housing supply, Mr Chee said the agencies take into account demographic and socioeconomic trends, prevailing market conditions, and the supply of resale flats on the open market to meet Singaporeans’ needs across different locations and time periods.
This includes providing housing near existing estates as many Singaporeans, including young families, seniors and singles, want to continue living near their families for mutual care and support, he said.
“It is not possible to predict future housing demand with 100 per cent accuracy as the key demand drivers have varying degrees of uncertainty. Nevertheless, we expect housing demand to remain strong in the near to medium term, due to strong household formation rates and decreasing household sizes,” he said.
MP Dennis Tan (WP-Hougang) asked whether the government would consider intensifying existing or planned low-density residential areas, including good class bungalow areas and developments near MRT stations.
Mr Chee said that where feasible, the government will intensify land usage, co-locate facilities and make better use of under-utilised spaces. This includes suitable brownfield sites in the area “as far as possible”, if they are available within the required timeframe, before activating sites with greenery or heritage.
The government will also intensify low-density residential areas where possible, by injecting high-density public housing into predominantly landed areas, such as Turf City, he said.
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