Sunday, May 1, 2011
HDB's BTO projects 3 times oversubscribed
HDB's BTO projects 3 times oversubscribed
Posted: 01 May 2011 1726 hrs
SINGAPORE: The largest supply of new Build-To-Order (BTO) flats in a single launch since 2002 has been over-subscribed by three times.
As at May 1, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) said 9,359 applications for the 3,185 flats have been received.
They are for flats at Anchorvale Cove in Sengkang, Hougang Parkview in Hougang, Montreal Ville in Sembawang and Waterway Terraces II in Punggol.
This translates to an overall application rate of about 2.94 times.
They range from two-room to five-room flats and from standard to premium flats.
Of the 9,359 applications, 4,497 applications were for the 804 flats under Waterway Terraces II.
The HDB said the higher interest from flat buyers for Waterway Terraces II is expected due to its good location and award-winning design.
It added that premium flats had higher application rates than standard flats in spite of their higher prices.
For example, there were 493 applications for the 366 four-room standard flats in Montreal Ville.
In comparison, there were 2,472 applications for the 440 four-room premium flats in Waterway Terraces II.
Among premium flats, the bigger flats were more popular than the smaller flats, despite the higher prices for the former.
For example, there were 328 applications for the 118 three-room flats in Waterway Terraces II.
In comparison, there were 1,697 applications for the 246 five-room flats in Waterway Terraces II.
Applicants can look forward to earlier notification of their ballot results, as the HDB will halve the time taken to invite applicants to select their flats.
It will notify applicants of their ballot results in mid-May 2011.
The HDB said it has increased flat supply significantly to meet demand.
On top of the large supply of 3,185 flats in April 2011, prospective homebuyers can look forward to 6,070 more new BTO flats to be offered in May and June 2011.
They will be located in Pasir Ris, Punggol, Tampines, Woodlands, Bukit Panjang and Sengkang.
The HDB will offer a total of 22,000 new BTO flats in 2011 if demand sustains.
It said the April launch of these 3,185 flats, together with another 6,070 flats in May and June, will bring the total BTO supply in the first half of this year to 14,100 units.
This is close to 90 per cent of the 16,000 BTO flats offered in the whole of 2010.
The HDB added that the BTO supply will be supplemented by the Design, Build & Sell Scheme (DBSS) and the Executive Condominium (EC) Housing Scheme.
For 2011, land sites for 4,000 DBSS flats and 4,000 Executive Condominium units are scheduled for sale.
- CNA/fa
- wong chee tat :)
Scientists make contact with X-SAT
Scientists make contact with X-SAT
By Lois Calderon | Posted: 26 April 2011 2100 hrs
SINGAPORE: Scientists here have established contact with Singapore's first locally built micro-satellite X-SAT in space.
The successful communication with the satellite was made on Wednesday last week at 10.06 pm (Singapore time), less than 10 hours after it was launched into the earth's orbit with two other satellites by India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle or PSLV-C16.
The team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) made the communication link from the mission control station at the university's Research Techno Plaza, the NTU said in a press statement released Tuesday.
"The telemetry received from the satellite shows that X-SAT is in good working condition. Its solar panels have since been deployed and are operating well," the statement said.
The X-SAT is wholly designed and built in Singapore by NTU in partnership with DSO National Laboratories.
It carries an imaging system, an advanced navigation experimental set-up, and a parallel processing unit for image processing.
The satellite will orbit the earth for three years at a height of 800 kilometres and take photographs which will help scientists measure soil erosion and environmental changes.
It can also capture data for monitoring forest fires and oil pollution at sea.
-CNA/wk
- wong chee tat :)
Hiring expectations remain strong, says Hudson
Hiring expectations remain strong, says Hudson
By Stella Lee | Posted: 28 April 2011 2046 hrs
SINGAPORE : Hiring expectations in Singapore remain strong, according to recruitment consultant Hudson.
According to its report, 61 per cent of respondents across all sectors forecast headcount growth for the second quarter of 2011.
This is up 54 per cent from the same period last year.
However, this is slightly lower compared to 62 per cent in the first quarter.
Expectations that hiring will remain steady have also risen slightly on quarter, to 37 per cent from 35 per cent.
The report also mentions that employers face a shortage of skilled talents as well challenges in retaining top employees.
Fifty-two per cent acknowledge that staff retention will be the most challenging HR issue over the next six months.
The single most important reason is a shortage of required skills, cited by 81 per cent of employers.
This is followed by demands of pay rise by workers, as stated by 49 per cent of employers.
Sixty-nine per cent say that they are already finding it harder to recruit top talents compared to the same period last year.
This figure is higher in Hong Kong but lower in China.
- CNA/ms
- wong chee tat :)
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