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  • 8/9/2019 Market-led Policy Measures for Urban Redevelopmetn in Singapore

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    Land Use Policy 21 (2004) 119

    Market-led policy measures for urban redevelopment in Singapore

    Sau Kim Lum*, Loo Lee Sim, Lai Choo Malone-Lee

    Department of Real Estate, School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore, 4 Architecture Drive, Singapore 117566, Singapore

    Received 16 January 2002; received in revised form 24 December 2002; accepted 16 January 2003

    Abstract

    This paper analyses the effectiveness and impacts of two market-led policy measures for stimulating private housing

    redevelopment in Singapore. The first measure accorded betterment potential to sub-optimally used land through density incentives.

    Subsequently, enabling legislation was enacted to facilitate site amalgamation. Using data from 1994 to 2000, the measures successfullyinduced the supply of privately owned land and site assembly through en bloc sales. However, the urban intensification strategies have

    resulted in unintended and adverse consequences such as infrastructural pressure, loss of environmental character and accelerated

    economic obsolescence. Moreover, policy delivery that relies on private sector capital is highly dependent on market conditions.

    r 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

    Keywords: Urban redevelopment; Market-led policy; Housing; En bloc sales

    Introduction

    Recent urban policy in many western cities has shown

    a shift towards urban entrepreneurialism (Leitner, 1990)

    and private sector participation (Jones, 1996). For HongKong as well, publicprivate partnership has become a

    prevalent organizing principle in urban policy imple-

    mentation (Yeh, 1990). This shift reflects the states

    increasing reliance on private sector investment deci-

    sions to trigger off physical redevelopment and urban

    rejuvenation. Property-led urban regeneration is then

    expected to induce economic growth and bring social

    benefits to the community (Jones and Watkins, 1996).

    In an effort to attract private capital, two strategies

    have often been adopted (Tang and Tang, 1999). These

    are the formulation of development control policies that

    will provide more incentives to encourage property

    development and the removal of private sector supply

    side constraints. Both strategies were employed recently

    in the city-state of Singapore to facilitate the achieve-

    ment of key planning objectives in the long-term

    development of the country.

    As with parallel approaches elsewhere, the Singapore

    government introduced a new planning incentive in the

    early 1990s that relied primarily on private investment

    to stimulate urban redevelopment in central-city loca-

    tions. Despite institutional differences between Singapore

    and other western cities, two common features of their

    recent urban policy initiatives towards inner city redeve-

    lopment have been an emphasis on the private sector and

    an unprecedented faith in the efficiency of the market.But while deregulation and privatization have become

    dominant themes of urban policy since the Thatcher and

    Reagan administrations (Gaffikin and Warf, 1993), it was

    only in 1994 that pro-market planning incentive measures

    were introduced in Singapore through the Development

    Guide Plan (DGP) to supplement government actions.

    Prior to that, government intervention and state-led

    development have been largely instrumental in effecting

    urban development goals despite Singapore being a

    laissez faire economy (Zhu, 1997).

    In particular, private sector participation in the urban

    renewal of Singapore has been largely passive. Under

    the Government Land Sales (GLS) program that began

    in 1967, sub-optimally used land parcels were acquired

    and assembled by the state for comprehensive redeve-

    lopment. Developers who bought these land parcels had

    to adhere to a stringent set of conditions that stipulated,

    among other things, the type of development allowed

    and the time-frame for completion (URA, 1995).

    Initially, various financial and tax incentives were

    offered to attract investors to bid for the sites. As time

    went on, these incentives were gradually withdrawn.

    This was because the state owned some 76% of the

    aggregate land mass in Singapore and it soon became

    ARTICLE IN PRESS

    *Corresponding author. Tel./fax: +65-6874-6900.

    E-mail address: [email protected] (S.K. Lum).

    0264-8377/$- see front matterr 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

    doi:10.1016/S0264-8377(03)00046-2

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    apparent that the GLS program was the dominant

    source of vacant or soft land for development

    activities. By comparison, the supply of privately owned

    land parcels was small since the ownership of these sites

    was often fragmented. More importantly, there were few

    incentives for private agents to market and develop the

    sites, given the non-trivial land assembly and othertransaction costs involved.

    This changed with the release of the first of 55 DGPs

    in 1994. For privately owned sites in many of the

    centrally located areas, the DGPs relaxed extant devel-

    opment controls on building density in terms of the

    allowable plot ratio or floor area ratio (FAR as it is called

    in the US;Seyfried, 1991). The land-use planning density

    bonus gave rise to attractive land value enhancement

    possibilities that triggered a string of what have been

    called en bloc or collective sales. In such a sale, owners of

    fragmented interests in land responded to the DGP

    inducement of private gains by banding together to sell

    their combined sites for redevelopment collectively.

    Since the assembly of interests in redevelopment land

    was by means of private negotiation, the process was

    time consuming and became prohibitively difficult when

    more land lots or interests were involved. Particularly

    after the onset of the Asian financial crisis, en bloc sales

    ground to a halt. Policy-makers were convinced that the

    requirement of a 100% consensus level amongst all

    landowners of an en bloc redevelopment scheme frustrated

    the development incentives of the DGPs. To remove this

    supply side constraint, the Land Titles (Strata) (Amend-

    ment) Act was passed on 11 October 1999 to allow an en

    bloc sale to proceed as long as a majority, rather than all,of the landowners are in agreement (The Land Titles

    (Strata) (Amendment) Act, 1999).

    This paper aims to critically evaluate the effectiveness

    and impacts of the two strategies outlined above in the

    high-density urban context of Singapore. The next

    section provides a brief policy background that focuses

    on the rationale for the DGP planning incentives and

    for the subsequent implementation of the Land Titles

    (Strata) (Amendment) Act. We then present an evalua-

    tive framework and our assessment of whether the

    strategies have achieved their stated policy objectives of

    inducing the supply of privately owned land and

    increasing private sector site amalgamation for new

    urban housing redevelopment. In addition, we analyze

    their unintended impacts. The paper concludes with

    some implications of using market-led initiatives for

    urban housing redevelopment.

    The policy measures

    In the early 1990s, the planning system in Singapore

    underwent substantial changes. The system that had

    guided the countrys development over the previous 30

    years was found to be inadequate to steer future

    development towards the long-term goals of the

    government. In a major rationalization exercise,

    the national planning and conservation authoritythe

    Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)implemented

    a new two-tier planning system. The upper tier

    comprised the Revised Concept Plan, a strategic planthat mapped out the vision for the long-term physical

    development of the country. With the completion of the

    Revised Concept Plan in 1991, the URA proceeded to

    prepare detailed plans called DGPs that formed the

    lower tier of the planning system.

    DGPs are essentially statutory local plans that

    contain details such as land-use zones, development

    intensity, transportation networks, open space and

    recreational areas and conservation designations that

    guide land development in a demarcated area. Singapore

    is currently divided into 55 planning areas. For each of

    these areas, a DGP was prepared where the broad

    strategies contained in the Revised Concept Plan were

    translated into operational details at the local level. As

    each DGP was completed, it became the reference for

    development control and provided guidelines to land-

    owners and developers on the type of use to which their

    land could be put (URA, 1991a).

    The 1991 Revised Concept Plan sets out the overall

    strategy for maximising land use in Singapore (www.

    ura.gov.sg). A key objective was to increase the overall

    provision of housing land (URA, 1991b). Under the new

    planning system, the DGPs will support the Concept

    Plan through providing new channels for growth

    (Malone-Lee, 1989). More land will be rezoned forresidential use (URA, 1993) and many areas, particu-

    larly parcels in locations with enhanced public infra-

    structure such as improved road or rail systems and

    other community amenities, will enjoy enhanced devel-

    opment intensity. Given these higher intensities, sites in

    the affected urban areas stood to enjoy positive market

    gains in terms of higher redevelopment potential.

    However, most of these urban land lots were held under

    private and multiple ownership. In some of the older

    housing districts in the Central Area, single-family

    dwelling units were built on small sites laid out in a

    narrow, compact gridlock street pattern. Multi-family

    units tended to be on larger sites but many of these did

    not cover land areas in excess of 1000 m2.

    Prior to the implementation of the new DGP planning

    system, the state would identify underutilized sites for

    compulsory acquisition by eminent domain rules and

    then package them for sale to the private sector through

    sealed-bid auctions. This mechanism attracted criticism

    on two frontsthe government paid too low a price and

    sold at too high a price. Private land owners who lost

    their lots felt that the compensation meted out under the

    Land Acquisition Act was below market levels (The

    Land Acquisition Act (Cap 152), 1985). Yet, when these

    ARTICLE IN PRESS

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    sites were subsequently put out for tender, the prices

    achieved often set new price benchmarks for land sales.

    In addition, it was becoming increasingly difficult to

    justify the expropriation of private land when the sites

    would eventually be used for private development rather

    than to further the public good.

    In line with the governmental drive towards capitalsovereignty in the late 1980s, planners in Singapore also

    adopted free market principles to achieve planning

    goals. Rather than have land assembly carried out by

    the state alone, the private sector was offered incentives

    to amalgamate diverse interests in land under the new

    planning system. In doing so, private agents were able to

    realize the gains from betterment potential accorded by

    the planning vision articulated in the DGPs and thereby

    enable redevelopment.

    This situation gave rise to the en bloc redevelopment

    phenomenon whereby owners of fragmented interests in

    land responded to the DGP enticement of private gains

    by amalgamating their combined interests for sale and

    eventual redevelopment (Lum et al., 2000). The existing

    properties may be in a single strata-titled building as

    would be the case of multi-family housing or adjacent to

    each other as with adjoining single-family units. By

    pooling multiple interests in developed land to form a

    more attractive redevelopment configuration, an en bloc

    sale allowed real estate owners to capitalize on the

    marriage value of the en bloc site.

    Such efforts however often encountered difficulties

    especially in developments where numerous owners with

    differing interests were involved. Particularly for the

    older dwelling units in the central city that were oftensignificantly larger than the newer housing stock, many

    of the existing owner-occupiers resisted en bloc sales as

    comparable substitute homes in the prime areas were

    scarce and very costly. Even if complete in-principle

    consensus could have been secured for a joint sale,

    invariably there were disagreements with regard to the

    selling price, the apportionment of the sales proceeds,

    the mode of disposal and the timing of events. As a

    result, many en bloc sales stalled.

    While there was no express statement by policy

    makers when the DGPs were released, the intention of

    the planning incentives was clearly to encourage private

    developers to amalgamate property interests in land to

    enable efficient redevelopment and urban rejuvenation.

    Under similar measures undertaken by governments

    elsewhere, developers had to pay for the planning gain

    either by making appropriate local contributions (Bun-

    nell, 1995), by providing public benefits from within

    their development projects (Sagalyn, 1997) or by

    building ancillary facilities (Tang and Tang, 1999).

    Likewise, the private sector in Singapore was obliged to

    pay for the density bonus through a development charge

    that creamed off part of the enhanced value to the

    government coffers. In fact, the sites that experienced

    the greatest betterment potential were often in areas

    where the state had made or was scheduled to contribute

    heavy infrastructural investments. If en bloc schemes

    were to fail on account of the problems involved in

    acquiring properties held under multiple ownership, the

    government stood to lose the ability to leverage on its

    investments for an optimal level of urban renewal(Boyle, 1985).

    On 11 October 1999, the Land Titles (Strata)

    Amendment Act 1999 was enacted with the intention

    of facilitating en bloc sales (Sim et al., 2002). Prior to this

    measure, all the owners of an estate or building had to

    agree to sell because a 100% consensus level was necessary

    for the passage of a collective sale. With the passing of the

    Act, there is no longer a requirement for all of the owners

    to agree. A majority vote is sufficient to carry the deal

    through. Majority vote is defined as follows:

    (a) If the development is less than 10 years old, not less

    than 90% of the owners, according to share values,must agree to the en bloc sale.

    (b) If the estate is more than 10 years old, an 80%

    majority will be sufficient.

    Proceeds from the sale will then be apportioned

    among individual owners in accordance with their

    shares of the land interest or the assessable value of

    their properties. Where there are disagreements, the

    Strata Titles Board (STB) is the body that rules on these

    disagreements or objections. The Land Titles (Strata

    Titles Boards) Regulations (1999)set out the procedure

    for application to the Board, the proceedings of the

    Board and other matters such as appeals to the Boardand to the High Court.

    By significantly altering the balance of power between

    consenting and dissenting owners, the state has in-

    creased the probability of success for an en bloc sale

    where a minority of owners may be holding out for

    financial or other reasons. Whilst this raises some

    interesting questions on the issue of property rights

    (Sim et al., 2002), this paper is more concerned with the

    impact of the legal measure towards facilitating private

    sector redevelopment efforts. The next section presents

    our analysis of the effectiveness and impacts of the DGP

    density bonus and the subsequent enactment of support-

    ing legislation.

    The effectiveness and impacts of the policy measures

    The evaluative framework

    We evaluate the policy initiatives in terms of their

    intended and unintended impacts. First, we assess how

    effective the measures have been in achieving the

    governments objectives of inducing the supply of

    privately owned land and increasing private sector site

    ARTICLE IN PRESS

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    amalgamation for new urban housing redevelopment.

    Second, we analyze the unintended consequences of the

    measures for the built environment.

    Typically, the success or failure of a land policy

    experiment is determined by making comparisons either

    on a spatial or cross-sectional basisbetween affected

    land parcels and parcels under a no-action alternativeor on an inter-temporal basisthe same space before

    and after policy intervention. In Singapore, both

    methods are problematic. The first requires the existence

    of a control area, a condition that cannot be satisfied

    as the policy measures were implemented island-wide.

    The second is complicated due to the long duration for

    policy execution.

    Our approach is to divide the study period from 1994

    to 2000 into two separate time-frames coinciding with

    the two policy-on situations:

    * Situation I, 19941997: 1994 is the year in which the

    first measure of a new planning density bonus was totake effect. By late 1997, all residential land dealings

    including en bloc sales had stopped as a result of the

    economic slowdown triggered by the Asian financial

    crisis. These activities resumed only in 1999.* Situation II, 19992000: The 20-month period from

    May 1999 to December 2000 is associated with the

    passage of enabling legislation to facilitate land

    amalgamation efforts. Although the Land Titles

    (Strata) (Amendment) Bill was gazetted only on 3

    September 1999, it was evident from the well-

    publicized deliberations of a specially constituted

    Board (Report of the Select Committee on the LandTitles (Strata) (Amendment) Bill, 19 April 1999) that

    policy-makers would change the legal regime in

    favour of collective sales (The Straits Times, 1999a,b).

    For each situation, we identified all the transactions in

    private residential development land that were reported

    in the media as well as non-publicized deals that had

    been brokered by property consultants. Existing plan-

    ning parameters and redevelopment details for each land

    parcel were examined based on the relevant DGPs and

    Master Plans prepared by the URA. Information on

    sales prices was extracted from statistics provided by the

    Property Research Department of the URA, as well.The microdata on all the concluded en bloc sales

    transactions are presented in Tables 3 and 4 of

    Appendix A. We then attempted to answer the following

    questions.

    Did the measures induce the supply of privately owned

    land?

    Table 1 presents the quantum of land suppliedthrough private sector channels. Between October 1994

    and November 1997, 97 en bloc deals were concluded

    that yielded 90 parcels of residential redevelopment land

    covering an area of 367,463 m2. During our second

    policy-on period, 52 sites with 335,682m2 of land were

    sold through 54 collective sales. These quanta are

    compared to the amounts of land sold by private agents

    through non-collective sales. The latter provides the best

    available control for contextual influences over our

    study period as these transactions were also originated

    by private agents in response to market forces for land

    parcels of comparable tenure and use, but typically notin response to the revised densities. During both policy-

    on periods, collective sales induced a greater land supply

    than non-en bloc deals with the difference being more

    pronounced in Situation II.

    We also compare the en bloc land supply against the

    supply of state-owned land. GLS parcels tend to be

    larger in size compared to en bloc sites and hence offered

    developers greater development flexibility. Such land is

    sold only on 99-year leases to private sector builders for

    high intensity developments with plot ratios of 2.8 or

    more. Although the GLS supply may not be an ideal

    benchmark, state-owned sites are put up for sale only

    when there is perceived demand from developers.Table 2presents our results. While the quantum of state

    land sold in the earlier policy-on period was about 2.7

    times the amount of privately held land supplied through

    collective sales, the supply from the en bloc market

    dominated state land provision in the second period.

    Fig. 1shows the annual quantum of land from private

    sector sales, both collective and non-collective, as well as

    from the GLS Program over our study period. There are

    two important observations. First, both private and

    public land supply are positively correlated to the

    strength of the market for private residential property

    as proxied by the Residential Property Price Index(RPPI). Second, the composition of private land supply

    has changed quite markedly since the introduction of

    ARTICLE IN PRESS

    Table 1

    The supply of private land for private residential development from en bloc and non-en bloc sales

    Land supplied (m2) Number of sites Average size of plots (m2)

    En bloc Non-en bloc En bloc Non-en bloc En bloc Non-en bloc

    19941997 367,462.5 213,567 90 67 4082.9 3187.6

    19992000 335,682.2 77,684 52 22 6455.4 3531.1

    Total 703,144.7 291,251 142 89 4951.7 3272.5

    S.K. Lum et al. / Land Use Policy 21 (2004) 1194

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    the policy measures. Prior to 1994, virtually all theprivately owned land that entered the market was sold

    by corporations and single-entity owners. After the

    policy incentives were implemented, such land has been

    increasingly supplied through collective sales.

    Measured against the governments objective of

    inducing the supply of privately owned residential

    development land, particularly for parcels held

    under multiple interests, the first policy measure of

    providing DGP density incentives was moderately

    successful. However, its impact in Situation I was

    limited by three supply side barriers. First, the problems

    encountered in securing unanimity amongst all the

    owners capped the number of estates that could be

    freed for more intensive and efficient redevelopment.

    Second, the difficulties in brokering larger deals where

    many homeowners were involved, meant that many of

    the sites in the earlier sales were small. We present

    statistics on site amalgamation later. Third, the trend of

    en bloc activity was initially confined mainly to the

    prime areas where the revisions in planning parameters

    were generally large. Due to the high cost of land in

    these areas, there were sizeable capital constraints to

    entry and only developers with adequate financial

    resources could acquire such sites.

    When some of the supply side barriers were removedby the Land Titles (Strata) (Amendment) Act in

    Situation II, the joint effect of the policy measures on

    en bloc land supply was evident. In late 1998 and early

    1999, the residential property market began to improve.

    Fig. 2shows the marked increase in the demand for new

    residential units as the Singapore economy began its

    post-crisis recovery. Anecdotal evidence suggests that

    this took many developers and even policy-makers by

    surprise. As the housing inventories of many producers

    were rapidly being depleted, developers who needed to

    replenish their land banks began to source new sites.

    The economic turn-around also saw demand for

    development land from new entrants into the private

    housing market. In the absence of GLS, these players

    began to source land from private land owners.

    En bloc activity began to emerge again in mid-1999.

    However, the pace of collective sales gained momentum

    only in the third quarter of 1999 when it became clear

    that the enactment of enabling legislation to allow

    majority rather than absolute consensus for a collective

    sale to proceed was imminent. The Land Titles (Strata)

    (Amendment) Bill was gazetted on 3 September 1999

    and the amended Bill was brought into force on 11

    October 1999. In essence, the law overcame site

    ARTICLE IN PRESS

    Table 2

    The supply of private land for private residential development from en bloc and government land sales

    Land supplied (m2) Number of sites Average size of plots (m2)

    En bloc State-owned En bloc State-owned En bloc State-owned

    19941997 367,462.5 1,477,241 90 92 4082.9 16,057

    19992000 335,682.2 195,519 52 13 6455.4 15,040

    Total 703,144.7 1,672,760 142 105 4951.7 15,931

    Fig. 1. The RPPI and the supply of land for private residential development.

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    assembly problems and was instrumental in removing

    supply side obstacles from deals that would otherwise

    have stalled because of dissenting unit owners. This,

    coupled with a slow response from the GLS program,

    resulted in a significant supply of en bloc land in the

    second policy-on period.

    Did the measures induce the amalgamation of private land

    sites?

    Figs. 3 and 4present the distribution of the site areaof en bloc parcels corresponding to the two policy-on

    situations. For both cases, the distribution is skewed

    toward the smaller size range. This is particularly so for

    sites assembled in the earlier period. The average size of

    these parcels was 4083 m2, a figure that was inflated by

    the presence of an outlier. Once this exceptionally large

    site was removed, the average size fell to 3786m2

    (Fig. 5). In the second policy-on period, the average size

    of sites assembled with the passage of enabling legisla-

    tion was 6216 m2.

    Compared to non-en bloc sites, privately owned land

    parcels that were assembled through collective sales

    were generally larger (see Table 1). While this implies

    that the policy package did induce the amalgamation of

    private land interests, there is a clear difference in the

    size of collective sales sites in the two policy-on periods.

    Although the DGP planning bonus triggered a large

    number of parcels into the market, the supply that

    resulted from the first policy measure was dominated by

    small-scale redevelopment sites. This has important

    and unintended implications for the built environment,

    an issue that we address below. In contrast, significantly

    larger sites were assembled after the enactment of the

    Land Titles (Strata) (Amendment) Act, an instrument

    that offered private agents greater leverage for

    amalgamating larger tracts of land for redevelopment

    purposes.

    What are the potential changes in net housing stock?

    Since all the collective sales sites will eventually be

    developed for housing, we estimated the potential net

    effect of the policy measures on the private housing

    stock. The last column in Tables 3 and 4 presents the

    estimated number of housing units that are likely to bedeveloped on each of the assembled en bloc sites. Where

    there are ongoing or completed projects or in cases

    where development plans have been announced, the

    actual number of units is reported. Otherwise, we have

    assumed that future developments on the collective sale

    sites will have an efficiency factor of 87.5% (i.e. 87.5%

    of the gross floor area will be saleable unit area) and

    provide units with an average size of 116 m2.

    Table 3shows that the potential supply from en bloc

    sites assembled in the first policy-on period is estimated

    to be around 4829 private housing units. Collective sales

    inTable 4which were concluded in the second policy-on

    period are expected to generate another 5512 units. The

    net increase in the future housing stock will be smaller

    because of the demolition of existing houses. An

    estimated 1398 residential units will be lost as a result

    of en bloc sales in the pre-Asian crisis period whereas

    about 1773 units will be replaced from the sites

    amalgamated during our second policy-on period. Thus,

    the net addition to supply is some 7170 private

    residential units.

    Based on an average annual take-up rate of 6500

    private housing units over the last 3 years, collective

    sales potentially add more than 1 years supply to the

    ARTICLE IN PRESS

    Fig. 2. The RPPI and turnover in the private residential market.

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    private residential market. However, the total take-up is

    a composite number for units built on privately supplied

    land and state land sold on 99-year leaseholds.

    Considering that the average take-up rate for units built

    on privately held land is no more than 2000 units per

    annum over the past 3 years, en bloc sites could

    potentially contribute about 4 years worth of supply

    to the private housing sector.

    ARTICLE IN PRESS

    0

    5

    10

    15

    20

    25

    0 5000

    Site Area of En Bloc Parcels (in sq.m.)

    Series: AREA

    No. Of Observations 90

    Mean 4082.917

    Median 3078.900

    Maximum 30472.00

    Minimum 462.600

    10000 15000 20000 25000 30000

    Fig. 3. Size distribution of en bloc sites, 19941997.

    0

    5

    10

    15

    20

    25

    0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000

    Site Area of En Bloc Parcels (in sq.m.)

    Series: AREA

    No. of Observations 52

    Mean 6455.425

    Median 4221.200

    Maximum 26441.50

    Minimum 967.4000

    Fig. 4. Size distribution of en bloc sites, 19992000.

    0

    2

    4

    6

    8

    10

    12

    14

    16

    0 2500 5000 7500 10000 12500 15000

    Site Area of En Bloc Parcels (in sq.m.)

    Series: AREA

    Observations 89

    Mean 3786.410

    Median 3053.400

    Maximum 16055.50

    Minimum 462.6000

    Fig. 5. Size distribution of en bloc sites with outlier removed, 19941997.

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    However, the timing of this supply will depend on

    market viability. Unlike state land sold under the GLS

    program, developers who own en bloc sites are not

    obliged to complete their residential schemes accordingto a prescribed schedule. Indeed, many of the larger

    players in the private housing supplier market have

    bought these sites with the intention of building a

    strategic prime residential land bank for future corpo-

    rate expansion.

    What are the unintended impacts of the policy measures?

    Although the policy initiatives have had some

    incipient success in achieving their targeted outcomes,

    a few adverse impacts have surfaced. This section

    presents an assessment of the unintended consequences

    of the market-led policy measures based on our

    examination of several en bloc hotspots in the Newton

    and Tanglin DGPs within the Central Region of

    Singapore (see Fig. 6). These areas have seen the

    translation of higher FAR intensities into numerous

    new developments and the impact of these developments

    on the local environment is now evident.

    On a positive note, many en bloc redevelopments

    have brought about accelerated rejuvenation of residen-

    tial areas as intended by policy makers. Older dilapi-

    dated structures have given way to new and modern

    developments that not only optimize land use but have

    also resulted in improved amenities for local residents.

    In the process of renewal, current planning standards

    such as those relating to building spacing, road-

    widening, landscaping and the provision of amenitieshave been imposed and incorporated. Thus, apart from

    higher development intensities in many of these en bloc

    areas, better quality housing and housing environments

    have been achieved which is in line with the overall

    planning objectives.

    In certain areas however, urban renewal through

    private sector efforts has had other planning impacts,

    some of which are less than desirable for the local

    environment particularly in the short and medium term.

    We identify four such impacts below. Many of these are

    common consequences of property-led regeneration

    efforts where comprehensive urban renewal tends to

    give way to piecemeal redevelopment of urban frag-

    ments (McGrew, 1992).

    Timing and co-ordination

    Under the en bloc sale mechanism, market forces

    responding to the prospect of enhanced gains bring

    about early renewal of potential sites. Here, the private

    developers primary consideration would be based on

    commercial motives and market demand, unlike the case

    where redevelopment is undertaken by the public

    sector. The latter would have to regard overall commu-

    nity needs as well as environmental concerns. Due

    ARTICLE IN PRESS

    Fig. 6. Newton and Tanglin DGP areas within the central region of Singapore.

    S.K. Lum et al. / Land Use Policy 21 (2004) 1198

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    consideration would normally be given to the proper co-

    ordination and phasing of redevelopment efforts to

    ensure a smooth and gradual transition from old to new

    and from low to high density. Thus, urban renewal

    would be comprehensive and systematic rather than ad

    hoc and uncoordinated (Healey et al., 1988). We have

    found in en bloc sale areas many sites that weresandwiched between new and more intensive develop-

    ments, when they themselves for whatever reasons were

    either not ready or unable to capitalize on the en bloc

    schemes. The result of such unsynchronized develop-

    ment is often a less than harmonious streetscape with an

    incongruous mix of new and old developments of

    different intensities.

    In other instances, particularly in landed housing

    areas, sites that were left out of the amalgamation

    schemes became isolated or hemmed in by new and

    more intensive developments with little opportunity for

    redevelopment to similar intensities in future given their

    relatively small plot sizes. This has been seen in many

    areas where single old buildings sit as environmental

    misfits amidst new developments.

    The long-term planning implication is that optimal

    land use will only be attained for certain development

    sites in the area, but not for the entire planning area.

    These isolated buildings will remain, not only as blots on

    the landscape to the detriment of the overall environ-

    mental quality of the entire renewed area, but also as

    reminders to the community of lost opportunities and

    sub-optimal development.

    Developments not in tandem with infrastructureimprovements

    When urban renewal is undertaken by the state on a

    comprehensive basis, public infrastructure and support

    services are usually planned and undertaken at the same

    time to support the new developments. However, with

    en bloc redevelopment undertaken on an ad hoc basis by

    the private sector, the ability to tie in with public

    infrastructure and services enhancement is rendered

    more difficult. This is illustrated in the Balmoral Road

    area in the Newton DGP.

    One of the planning objectives of the Newton DGP

    was to optimize the land use, particularly around the

    Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station, by increasing the

    total number of housing units by about 3200 units. Most

    of the new units will be of the high density category, in

    recognition of the proximity of the area to the centrally

    located Orchard Road area and its good accessibility.

    A closer study of some of the local areas in the DGP

    revealed that many of them are quiet well-established

    residential enclaves with predominantly single- or

    double-storey landed housing, located in attractive local

    environments well-integrated with mature vegetation

    and are served by narrow local roads. In the Balmoral

    Road area, the 1985 Master Plan plot ratio was 1.036.

    However, the Newton DGP has rezoned it medium

    density with a plot ratio of 1.6 although the area is more

    than 200 m from the Newton MRT Station. Building

    heights are to be increased to 10 storeys.

    Prior to the release of the DGP, the area on both sides

    of Balmoral Crescent has around 25 land plots, most of

    them accommodating low-rise landed housing develop-ments and a few small blocks of walk-up apartments.

    Balmoral Crescent is a 15 m-wide dual carriageway local

    access road. While the DGP envisages transportation

    improvements to the area at the converging junction

    between Clemenceau Avenue North and Newton Circus

    as well as future local roads to serve developments on

    the vacant land parcels around the Newton MRT

    Station, few improvements have been proposed for the

    existing local access road networks.

    Fig. 7 shows the land plots in the Balmoral area as

    well as extant developments on these sites. In response

    to the DGP provisions, a total of five recent en bloc

    deals were recorded (marked with small dots) of which

    two are under construction. Over 200 new dwelling units

    are envisaged from these five deals to replace the existing

    40 odd dwelling units, a five-fold increase. This is in

    addition to the two new developments that have already

    taken place (shown with large dots). The change in the

    environmental character of the area is now becoming

    evident, with the existing two-storey houses sandwiched

    between newly completed 10-storey buildings and those

    currently under construction. The quiet local road,

    which is not expected to be further widened, will carry a

    substantially increased traffic load. Further, the junc-

    tions with arterial roads are likely to encounter somecongestion impacts during the morning peak hours. This

    will be more severe when all the sites are redeveloped.

    Changing environmental character

    While one of the Revised Concept Plan objectives is to

    increase the proportion of private residential dwellings,

    it is also intended that there should be greater variety of

    housing forms. With the en bloc sales phenomenon

    however, we envisage that many of the landed housing

    areas will give way to medium to high-rise condominium

    developments with the attendant changes in the

    environmental character.

    A case in point is the Walshe Road area off Stevens

    Road. In the 1985 Master Plan, the Plot ratio was 1.036

    with a maximum allowable height of two storeys. Prior

    to the DGP changes, the area around Walshe Road had

    around 20 houses, most of which were two-storey

    bungalows on large sites. Walshe Road is a 15m-wide

    dual carriageway local road that extends a short

    distance from Stevens Road, and branches off from a

    T-junction to cul-de-sacs on both sides. The area, shown

    inFig. 8, had a distinctive character with its established

    residences integrated amidst greenery, mature trees and

    beautiful landscape.

    ARTICLE IN PRESS

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    Under the Tanglin DGP, the plot ratio was raised to

    1.6 and the height control revised to 10 storeys. Through

    a series of well-conceived en bloc sales, the house plotshave been amalgamated into four large parcels for high-

    rise condominium developments with over 250 new

    dwelling units. With these new developments, a severe

    change in the local environmental character has begun

    to take place. From an informal cluster of distinctive

    dwellings amidst luxuriant vegetation, a new high-rise

    environment of glass and concrete monoliths has

    emerged as shown in Fig. 9. The dense environment

    is clearly felt at street level and rendered harsher given

    the sparse vegetation and narrowness of the existing

    cul-de-sac.

    In other areas, particularly the River Valley belt

    which saw much en bloc activity in our first policy-on

    period, amalgamated sites tend to be small. Redevelop-

    ment of these small sites often in the form of thin,

    needle-shaped buildings with minimal communal facil-

    ities is also undesirable. The resulting streetscape is often

    unsightly with the densely packed buildings aggravating

    traffic congestion problems.

    Early obsolescence of buildings

    Urban renewal is normally undertaken when build-

    ings or areas are ripe for redevelopment both economic-

    ally and physically. The en bloc sales phenomenon is a

    market response and tends to accelerate redevelopment

    for buildings or areas which are available for

    redevelopment due to their higher accorded planningintensities. In effect, their economic life is shortened.

    However, they may still be relatively new physically and

    therefore of sound structure and could well remain

    functional for many years yet. And, if built in recent

    years, they would have met the relevant current

    planning standards in terms of building set-backs, open

    space provision, amenities and compliance with basic

    planning and technical (public health, safety, utilities,

    landscaping, fire prevention, etc.) requirements.

    Under these circumstances, their redevelopment,

    purely in response to market factors, could be regarded

    as wasteful of national resources. In an otherwise

    conventional and well-conceived public sector initiated

    urban renewal program, these buildings would probably

    be phased in for redevelopment only after being given a

    substantial run of its physical life. The more deteriorated

    buildings, both physically and economically, would

    normally be scheduled for redevelopment at the earlier

    phases of such a program. The overall impact of the en

    bloc sales phenomenon in this respect is the untimely

    demolition and rebuilding of newer areas ahead of older

    and more deserving areas, certainly not the most

    efficient manner of managing land and building

    resources.

    ARTICLE IN PRESS

    Fig. 7. The Balmoral Road area within the Newton DGP area.

    S.K. Lum et al. / Land Use Policy 21 (2004) 11910

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    Conclusion

    This paper evaluates the effectiveness and impacts of

    two recent market-led policy initiatives in Singapore

    that sought to encourage the private sector regeneration

    of central city residential areas. In accordance with the

    Revised Concept Plan, the first measure provided

    density bonuses in terms of higher plot ratios to many

    ARTICLE IN PRESS

    Fig. 8. The Walshe Road area within the Tanglin DGP area pre-1994.

    Fig. 9. The Walshe Road area within the Tanglin DGP area post-1994.

    S.K. Lum et al. / Land Use Policy 21 (2004) 119 11

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    private urban sites through Development Guide Plans

    (DGPs). Generally, sites that enjoyed betterment

    potential were selected based on their proximity to

    commercial areas and in line with the development

    intensity of surrounding developments. This led to a

    series of en bloc sales where diverse interests in land

    were amalgamated and sold to private sector developersfor eventual redevelopment.

    However, fragmented and multiple ownership of

    many urban parcels often frustrated the realization of

    the planning gain by private agents as well as the

    states urban renewal objectives. The problems of

    holdouts and minority objection to the assembly of

    private interests were more acute in the central

    area where prime land for higher-intensity residential

    development was scarce. This resulted in a second

    measure in the form of supporting legislation. Essen-

    tially, the Land Titles (Strata) (Amendment) Act

    facilitated en bloc sales by requiring majority rather

    than unanimous consent from existing land owners for a

    sale to proceed.

    Our evaluation shows that the first policy measure of

    DGP density incentives had limited success in achieving

    desired planning outcomes. While there was an increase

    in the number of private residential sites supplied, the

    parcels were predominantly small. This stemmed from

    the difficulty in land assembly for properties held

    under multiple ownership. The second measure

    where facilitating legislation was enacted aided land

    amalgamation efforts. When both policy initiatives were

    in operation, the en bloc parcels supplied were larger

    and had generally more efficient configurations. Mea-sured in terms of high quality housing stock, the policy

    measures are likely to generate about 4 years supply.

    However, as with all market-led conversions, whether

    the planning incentives will actually translate into new

    developments and when this will take place depend on

    effective demand and the state of the private residential

    market.

    Measured against a broader set of criteria, it is

    unclear if the market-led redevelopment measures

    are able to achieve the wider objectives of the

    Revised Concept Plan effectively without imposing

    significant costs on the supporting infrastructure

    as well as on the environment. Some of their

    adverse and unintended consequences that are already

    evident in central-city locations include: the markets

    inability to organize and schedule redevelopment

    efforts; the increase in traffic and infrastructure loading;

    the loss of environmental character and incompatibility

    with the surrounding context; and finally the accelera-

    tion of economic, but not functional or physical,

    obsolescence.

    Several of the negative externalities of en bloc

    development can be attributed to the lack of a minimum

    lot size requirement. In Hong Kong for example, a FAR

    bonus is only given to developers if their redevelopment

    reaches a certain threshold size of 400m2 (Tang and

    Tang, 1999). This can reduce the problems associated

    with small-scale redevelopment sites. The more difficult

    problem is the implementation gap associated with

    urban intensification efforts. In land-scarce cities,

    infrastructure pressures are amplified by planningstrategies based primarily on density. Unless planners

    are clear about and are able to manage the exact

    consequences of piecemeal redevelopment, policy deliv-

    ery will be compromised.

    The larger issue is whether the private sector can be

    relied upon to achieve urban renewal goals in the future.

    During the building boom of the early to mid-1990s,

    high values of private residential property provided

    an almost ideal lever for securing private sector

    participation through zoning incentives. It is unlikely

    that the bubble-like conditions prevalent then will be

    repeated in the future. Further, en bloc activity thus far

    has been focused on much of the older stock that

    comprised small low-rise structures often in dilapidated

    estates where the betterment premiums have been large

    (Lum et al., 1999). At the next level of replacement are

    medium-rise developments but the ever more marginal

    viability of redeveloping them will make it increasingly

    difficult for private developers to undertake such

    projects. Despite the early success of the governments

    policy measures, it is questionable whether the same

    prescriptions will work in the longer term on a sufficient

    scale or expeditiously enough to tackle the problems of

    urban regeneration.

    The Singapore planning system is still in aperiod of trial and error in assessing what

    strategies can work in delivering long-term develop-

    ment and land use optimization objectives. While its

    experiment with urban intensification through en bloc

    sales is fairly unique, there are broader implications

    for other market-led measures that can be learnt.

    Essentially, public sector efforts to implement urban

    renewal through market-led redevelopment face

    a dual land-use policy challenge. On the one hand,

    the state must ensure that sufficient incentives are pro-

    vided to attract private sector investment. However,

    such piecemeal investment by private developers

    with the single perspective of profit-maximization is

    largely reactionary, uncoordinated and market-deter-

    mined. For market-led renewal to be sustainable,

    planners must concurrently ensure that policy execution

    mitigates the detrimental consequences associated with

    urban intensification.

    Appendix A

    The microdata on all the concluded en bloc sales

    transactions are presented inTables 3 and 4.

    ARTICLE IN PRESS

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    Table 3

    Concluded en bloc deals in first policy-on period

    No. Date of sale Address Project Name Site area(m2)

    Proceeds($ million)

    Price($psf)

    1 Oct-94 11A & 13 Nassim Rd 7019.2 90.25 1195

    2 Oct-94 2A-2R Limau Gardens Cosy Mansions 4697 24.6888 488

    3 Oct-94 3 Toh Tuck Lane Toh Tuck Gardens 3757.8 16.4 405

    4 Nov-94 Upper Changi Rd North/Tampines Rd Changi Heights 30472 116 354

    5 Dec-94 711 Walshe Rd 5895.7 73.6 1160

    6 Jan-95 78,80,y,88 Mount Sinai Drive Gochek Apts 2950.5 31.23 983

    7 Feb-95 17 Tomlinson Rd Tomlinson Mansion 3104.4 62 1855

    8 Mar-95 42 & 44 Kim Yan Rd 7137.8 68.3 889

    9 Mar-95 Stevens Rd/Walshe Rd 6351.3 82.38 1205

    10 Mar-95 42 Surrey Rd Lincoln Mansion 1177.8 14.8 1167

    11 Mar-95 7 & 9 Ewe Boon Rd 3153 27.88 821

    12 May-95 38-38G Farrer Rd Farrer Grove

    May-95 34 Farrer Rd

    May-95 AMALGAMATED SITES 4499.6 35.75 738

    13 18-May-95 2A/B, 4/4A/4B & 6-6E Ewe Boon Rd 1989.2 23 1074

    14 Jun-95 17 Newton Rd Miramar Mansion 2636.7 45.89 1617

    Jun-95 21 Newton Rd 740.7 8.75 1097

    AMALGAMATED SITES 3377.4 54.64 1503

    15 Aug-95 Stevens Rd/Walshe Rd/Anderson Rd 7667.2 93.3 1131

    16 Aug-95 Newton & Keng Lee Rd Newton Mansion 2512.3 38.2 1413

    17 Sep-95 Shanghai Rd Shanghai Court 1297.7 1135

    Sep-95 Shanghai Rd Shanghai Residence 697.8 1135

    AMALGAMATED SITES 1995.4 24.38 1135

    18 Sep-95 Butterworth Lane 2143.7 19.61375 850

    19 Oct-95 21 Moulmein Rise Moulmein Lodge 1207.4 14.35 1104

    20 Nov-95 43 & 45 Moonstone Lane 3700.5 24.5 615

    21 6-Dec-95 27 Adam Rd Adam Gdn 2937.7 20.01 633

    22 6-Dec-95 6/A/B/C Balmoral Crescent 2800.7 36.1752 1200

    23 18-Dec-95 Stevens Drive Robin Heights & 7202 78.9 1018

    24 Jun-96 1C, 3C & 7A Stevens Drive Fontana Gdns 1637.1

    AMALGAMATED SITES 8839.1

    25 Jan-96 1115G Jln Mutiara 1843.4 25.85 1303

    26 Jan-96 9 & 9A Balmoral Rd 1830.0 23 1168

    27 9-Jan-96 15 Balmoral Rd Balmoral Court 3520.1 49.181809 1298

    28 13-Jan-96 12/y/20C Brooke Rd 2454.5 20.2916668 768

    29 22-Jan-96 to 5-Feb-96 8 Pulasan Rd 1434.2 8.2 531

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    30 25-Jan-96 10/A/B/C/12/A/B/C Moulmein Rise 1191.7 13.7 1068

    31 30-Jan-96 3438C St Thomas Walk St Thomas Apts 1059.7 13.222 1159

    32 Feb-96 Balmoral Crescent 8400.6 126.6 1400

    33 Mar-96 8 Balmoral Road Balmoral Lodge 2025.6 27.5 1261

    34 28-Feb-96 35/35A/37/37A/y/45A Robin Rd Belville Gdns 3159.2 43 1265

    35 Mar-96 10/G/12/G/14/G St. Martins Drive St Martins Place 4283.2 57.6 1249 36 Oct-96 4A/4B/6/6A/6B St. Martins Drive St. Martins Court 1357.3 16.05 1099

    May-97 2 St. Martins Drive 1409.4 19.35 1275

    AMALGAMATED SITES 7049.9 93 1226

    37 28-Mar-96 121 Keng Lee Rd The Carmina 1667.4 27.55 1535

    38 28-Mar-96 8L/y/R Tanjong Rhu Rd 1799.2 18 929

    39 29-Mar-96 190 Moulmein Rd Zhen Sheng Mansion 1806.3 27.1 1394

    40 Apr-96 17/A/B/C, 15E/F & 15G Shelford Rd 3716.4 37.4 935

    41 23-May-96 11G Shelford Rd Shelford Condo 4229.1 36.964 812

    42 14-Jan-97 17E-Y Shelford Road Shelford Gdns 4129.4 37 832

    43 Mar-97 11D & E Shelford Road Shelford Lodge 1765.5 15.4 810

    Mar-97 406 Dunearn Rd 1373.5 12 812

    AMALGAMATED SITES 3139 27.4 811 44 3-Apr-96 6 Sarkies Rd 1710.2 24.8 1347

    45 4-Apr-96 20/A/B/C/y/26C Jln Raja Udang 1839.7 20.8 1050

    46 16-Apr-96 104/y/H Holland Rd Holland Apt 2219.8 16.5 691

    47 16-Apr-96 11/A/B/13/A/B/15A/15B Shanghai Rd 637.7 8.3 1209

    48 26-Apr-96 2/A/B/C/4/A/B/C Jln Mutiara 930.1 12.96 1295

    49 Development site at Jln Mutiara 921.7

    AMALGAMATED SITES 1851.8

    50 30-Apr-96 18/A/B/20/A/B St. Martins Drive 1114.8 15 1250

    51 14-May-96 561 Upper Serangoon Rd Yardley Court 2421.5 23.6 905

    52 15-May-96 145D Jalan Korma Thomson Court 10540.5 207.98 1833

    53 24-Jun-96 to 3-Apr-97 205 Moulmein Rd Moulmein Apts 1829.9 40.4 2051

    54 27-May-96 207 Moulmein Rd Angel Court 2040.2 39.3 1790 55 24-Jan-96 to 3-Apr-97 136/A/y150C Moulmein Rd Thomson Apts 1889.6 40.3 1981

    AMALGAMATED SITES 5759.7 120 1936

    56 Jun-96 Hullet Rd Hullet Court 997.3 31.9 2972

    57 27-Jun-96 3 Balmoral Rd 2299.8 31 1252

    58 11-Jul-96 3 Peck Hay Rd Peck Hay Court 1219.9 27.82 2119

    11-Jul-96 5 Peck Hay Rd Peck Hay View 1326.9 24.88 1742

    59 Feb-97 7 & 7A Peck Hay Rd 824.4 18 2028

    AMALGAMATED SITES 3371.2 70.7 1948

    Table 3 (continued)

    No. Date of sale Address Project Name Site area(m2)

    Proceeds($ million)

    Price($psf)

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    60 Jul-96 176 Keng Lee Rd & 5 Lincoln Rd Xiang Court 3182.8 57 1664

    61 18-Jul-96 2 Tanjong Rhu Rd Fort Apts 2138.6 24.17 1050

    62 Jul-96 17/A/B Surrey Rd & 32 Lincoln Rd 1741.7 32.08 1711

    63 3-Aug-96 26 Paterson Rd Paterson View 2359 46.89 1847

    64 10-Aug-96 20, 22 & 24 Shelford Rd Shelford Apts 7025.7 70.556 933

    65 Aug-96 18/A/B/20/A/B St. Martins Drive St Martins Mansion 1114.8 15 1250

    Aug-96 23 St. Martins Drive 2259.4 30.4 1250

    Nov-96 16, St. Martins Drive 1567.7 21.09 1250

    AMALGAMATED SITES 4941.9 66.5 1250

    66 19-Sep-96 515 & 517 Dunman Rd Dunman Court 3412.4 36.25 987

    67 9-Oct-96 Palm Grove Avenue Zhen Ji Gdn 11,303.1 56 460

    68 4-Nov-96 8, 10, 12, 23 & 25 Grange Garden 4462.8 94.1535 1960

    69 6-Nov-96 71 & 73 Paterson Rd City Mansions 7453.7 139 1733

    70 9-Nov-96 130/A/y/V Cairnhill Rd Cairnhill Apts 2247.1 60.7701998 2512

    9-Nov-96 134 Cairnhill Rd Galleria Apts 2057 55.6298 2512

    AMALGAMATED SITES 4304.1 116.4 2512

    71 Nov-96 49 & 51 Leedon Park 9365.6 55.5 551

    72 Nov-96 11/A/y/L Martia Rd Martia Court 5136.4 29.2 528

    73 Jan-97 Yan Kit Rd 2274.6 26.45 1080

    74 15-Jan-97 83 Cairnhill Rd Scotts Tower 3040.3 96.8 2958

    75 Mar-97 1 Essex Rd Essex Towers 3053.4 48 1460 76 Mar-97 140186A Sixth Ave Avenue Park 16,055.5 165.251 956

    77 Apr-97 63, 65, 67 & 69 Cairnhill Circle 1038.9 25.4 2271

    78 May-97 4, 6, 8 & 10 Suffolk Rd 1624.1 23.2 1327

    79 May-97 49 Devonshire Rd 1280.4 31 2249

    80 May-97 114 Holland Rd Chateau de Hollande 2345.4

    May-97 114A Holland Rd Spring Court 2325.5 31.8181818 1271

    AMALGAMATED SITES 4670.9 63.3 1259

    81 30-May-97 14,12A,14A Shelford Rd 4137.3 36.9 829

    82 9-Jun-97 30 Farrer Rd 876 9.240851 980

    10-Jun-97 36 Farrer Rd 714.4 7.5362 980

    AMALGAMATED SITES 1590.4 16.777051 980

    83 13-Jun-97 14/y

    /16C Palm Grove Avenue 4220.0 20.2 445

    84 Jun-97 Sunset Way Clementi Park S C 12,535.6 77.1 571

    85 Jul-97 14,16,20/A/B/C Lor 6 Geylang 644.6 12.36 1781

    86 Jul-97 121 except 9 Taman Warna 6358 78.26 1144

    16-Sep-97 9 Taman Warna 496.8 6.11 1144

    AMALGAMATED SITES 6854.8 84.37 1144

    87 2-Aug-97 4/A/B/C/y/10C Kay Poh Rd 1307.9 20 1421

    88 7-Aug-97 36/A/B/38/A/B Draycott Drive 1465.8 39.33 2493

    89 19-Aug-97 3A/B/C/D & 5A/B/C/D Surrey Rd Surrey Ville 703.3 9.74 1287

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    90 Sep-97 13 Balmoral Rd Balmoral Green 3291.3 48.5 1369

    91 Sep-97 23, 25, y, 37 Cairnhill Circle 3708.2 85 2130

    92 16-Sep-97 56A/B/C/D/E/F/G, 58 & 60 Gilstead Rd 3013.0 28 863

    93 Sep-97 Jln Mutiara 1105.2 19.2 1614

    94 Jln Mutiara 2410.8AMALGAMATED SITES 3516.0

    95 17-Oct-97 6 Mar Thoma Rd 1588 12.5 731

    96 3-Nov-97 11/11A/11B Suffolk Rd 462.6 5.582739 1121

    97 26-Nov-97 174188B Duchess Ave Casabella 9951.4 84.138 785

    Total 367,462.5 4211.6404

    Table 3 (continued)

    No. Date of sale Address Project Name Site area(m2)

    Proceeds($ million)

    Price($psf)

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    26 2-Nov-99 22,26,28,30,32,34 & 36 Shanghai Rd 2376.4 23.8 930

    27 10-Nov-99 Killiney Rd Devonshire Court 5405.1 123 2114

    28 10-Nov-99 Meyer Rd First Mansion 10921.0 176

    10-Nov-99 Meyer Rd Meyer Tower 7293.7 117

    AMALGAMATED SITES 18,214.7 293 1494 29 12-Nov-99 2, 4 & 6 Ah Hood Rd Balestier Mansion 3272.2 33.39 948

    30 12-Nov-99 Grange Rd & Paterson Rd Grange Mansion 5090.9 92 1679

    31 16-Nov-99 Grange Rd Kim Lin Mansion 11,660.0 251 2000

    32 17-Nov-99 6 Cuscaden Walk Cuscaden Tower 3568.6 86 2239

    33 Dec-99 11 Newton Rd Newton Point 4254.4 78 1703

    34 Dec-99 Serangoon Ave 3 Arang Court 11,182.1 72.81 605

    35 Dec-99 St. Michaels Rd & Jln Taman 5900.7 50.35 793

    36 Dec-99 Carlisle Rd Norfolk Garden 2909.0 35.7 1140

    37 Dec-99 Mandalay Rd Mandalay Court 4513.4 51.7 1064

    Apr-99 Shelford Rd Mediterranean 1034.9 10.99 987

    38 2-Dec-99 Shelford Rd Townhouses 4147.2 34.6 775

    AMALGAMATED SITES Dec-99 22 St. Martins Drive 1227.8 14.2 1074

    39 10-Dec-99 51 Meyer Rd Viewpoint Condo 7495.7 123.3 1528

    40 Jan-00 South Buona Vista Chwee Chian Gdn 4941.7 23.4 440

    41 Jan-00 Elias Rd Pasir Ris Garden 26,441.5 175 615

    42 Jan-00 13, 15 & 17 Moulmein Rise 1896.5 31.4 1538

    43 Jan-00 35101A Mt Sinai Lane Grenville Condo 19,544.4 157 746

    44 Jan-00 121A Grange Rd Grange Garden 4227.9 80.1 1760

    45 18-Jan-00 West Coast Rd Tat Lee Court 24,172.3 122 469

    46 Feb-00 Cairnhill Circle Cairnhill Court 11,762.1 315 2488

    Feb-00 4 Cairnhill Circle 2836.3 5560 18021965

    AMALGAMATED SITES 14,598.4 370375 23552386

    47 Feb-00 Jalan Loyang Besar Loyang Lodge 4055.0 15 344 48 Mar-00 Evelyn Rd Seedevi 2441.9 44.6 1697

    49 Mar-00 3 Derbyshire Rd Derbyshire Court 1116.5 13 1082

    50 Mar-00 9 & 11 Balmoral Park Balmoral Park Maisonettes 5656.5 67.2 1104

    51 Apr-00 12,12A & 12B Nassim Rd 3998.8 53 1231

    52 Jul-00 Mimosa Walk Mimosa Court 6159.8 21 317

    53 Aug-00 20/y/26C Martaban Rd Martaban Court 1969.4 17.8 840

    54 Sep-00 Bedok Rd Prospect Court 3104.9 11.2 335

    Total 335,682.2 3748.5693753.569

    Table 4 (continued)

    No. Date of sale Address Project name Site area(m2)

    Proceeds($ million)

    Price($psf)

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