SINGAPORE – More homes are set to be built in Toa Payoh, with a high-rise housing development expected to take the place of an empty school site in the western part of the town.
In a proposed amendment – published on Jan 20 – to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) master plan, the agency rezoned a plot located about 200m from Caldecott MRT station from educational to residential use.
The URA said the plot will have a “high-density residential development”. It added that future residents will benefit from the site’s proximity to existing transport nodes.
Responding to queries, a URA spokesman said the planned housing development will include complementary amenities like retail spaces to serve residents’ needs. More details will be announced when ready, he added.
On the rezoning, the agency said that existing educational institutions in Toa Payoh are sufficient to meet current demand.
The plot, which is at the intersection of Toa Payoh Rise and Braddell Rise, was previously occupied partially by First Toa Payoh Primary School, which was in Lorong 1 Toa Payoh from the late 1960s until it moved to Lorong 8 Toa Payoh following a merger in January 2002.
Its campus was then used as an interim site for various schools before it was demolished.
In the proposed amendment, a plot ratio of 5.0 was assigned to the site of around 1.7ha, which is equivalent in size to about two football fields.
Property analysts estimated that the site could yield upwards of 850 units, depending on whether it is used for Housing Board flats or a condominium.
ERA Realty’s head of research and consultancy, Mr Nicholas Mak, noted that the site is close to Caldecott MRT station, which is on the Circle and Thomson-East Coast lines, as well as Braddell MRT station on the North-South Line, making it attractive to developers and home buyers.
He added that there are several schools, including a few popular ones, within 2km of this site, which will make future homes there popular with parents.
Mr Mak said there is a higher likelihood that the site will be sold to a private housing developer rather than used for public housing.
Noting that there are already many HDB flats in Toa Payoh, Ms Christine Sun, senior vice-president of research and analytics at OrangeTee & Tie, said there should be pent-up demand for private housing in the town.
She added that such a development will likely be popular as the plot is located in a mature estate and near an MRT station.
Should the plot be used for public housing, demand is also likely to be strong, due to the relatively high prices of resale flats in the town, Ms Sun said.
She cited the last Build-To-Order (BTO) project in the town – Kim Keat Heights, launched in May 2022 – which had 2,483 applicants vying for 385 units.
She estimated that the site could yield about 1,000 condo units, or up to 1,300 flats if used for public housing.
Mr Mak said about 850 to 950 units could be built on the site, regardless of whether they are private or public homes.
He added that private developers are likely to build a mixture of unit types, “including a good number of smaller units”, which are typically favoured by investors looking to profit from rental demand.
Next to the proposed housing plot, another BTO project – the 920-unit Toa Payoh Ridge – is currently being built.
Based on the URA master plan, which guides development over the next 10 to 15 years, more homes in the Toa Payoh West area are in the pipeline, with swathes of land on either side of Toa Payoh Link also earmarked for housing.
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