Nearly 25,000 more Muslim prayer spaces by 2018: Yaacob

Nearly 25,000 more Muslim prayer spaces by 2018: Yaacob

The increase will come from the upgrading of 5 mosques under MUP Phase 2, including the redevelopment of Darul Ghufran Mosque, the completion of Maarof Mosque in Jurong West later this year and Yusof Ishak Mosque in Woodlands in early 2017.

Posted 14 Apr 2016 12:27 Updated 14 Apr 2016 21:47

SINGAPORE: By 2018, there will be an increase of 24,700 Muslim prayer spaces since 2009, said Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim on Thursday (April 14).

This will come from the upgrading of 5 mosques under MUP Phase 2, including the redevelopment of Darul Ghufran Mosque, the completion of Maarof Mosque in Jurong West later this year and Yusof Ishak Mosque in Woodlands in early 2017.

Last month, Dr Yaacob announced that monthly contributions by Muslims to the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund (MBMF) will be raised by between S$1 and S$10 beginning June 1. “This was necessary to meet the critical needs of our community,” he said, noting that since 2009, two mosques have been built and 17 upgraded.

Dr Yaacob also announced that a temporary covered prayer space catering for 500 congregants will be built opposite Al-Istighfar Mosque later this year, to relieve the “space crunch” there. In the long term, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) will upgrade the mosque, he said.

He added: “Last year, I shared our long term plans to build a new mosque in Tampines North. Over the past year, we have been working with government agencies to identify a suitable location for the mosque, bearing in mind the needs of the future neighbourhood town.

“I am happy to announce that we have safeguarded a site along Avenue 10, and in the heart of the future Tampines North town. The mosque will serve residents and workers there, and will also be accessible to those in Pasir Ris West and Punggol.”

- CNA/jo


- wong chee tat :)

My First Skool to offer 2,000 more childcare places this year

My First Skool to offer 2,000 more childcare places this year
NTUC's My First Skool also aims to grow its enrolment to 20,000 by 2020 - up from the current 13,000 places.

By Loke Kok Fai
Posted 15 Mar 2016 23:20 Updated 16 Mar 2016 15:09

SINGAPORE: Young, dual-income families can look forward to over 2,000 more childcare places in 2016, with the National Trade Union Congress' (NTUC) My First Skool opening childcare facilities in Jurong West, Punggol and Sengkang.

Each of the four centres opening this year can take in between 200 and 500 children.

My First Skool aims to grow its enrolment to 20,000 by 2020 - up from the current 13,000 places. This was announced at the opening of its newest childcare centre at Punggol Waterway Point on Tuesday (Mar 15).

NTUC's Secretary-General Chan Chun Sing, who was at the launch, said larger childcare centres give teachers the chance to pilot and try new ways of doing things. For instance, they can try out different teaching and learning pedagogies to bring out the best in every child.

"It's not just about the numbers - we're talking about people who are committed to the preschool sector and have the interests of the children at heart," he said. "But as you can see in this larger centre, it actually allows us to have economies of scale. It also makes it more attractive for the teachers to come because they're working as part of a larger team. So actually it gives us a lot of advantages to try new concepts."

- CNA/ly

- wong chee tat :)

Joint Press Release by URA & HDB - Government to release three sites with about 1,500 housing units in December 2014

Joint Press Release by URA & HDB - Government to release three sites with about 1,500 housing units in December 2014

Date issued : 05 Dec 2014

 To provide home buyers with more choices for private housing, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Housing & Development Board (HDB), as the Government’s land sales agents, will be releasing three sites that can yield about 1,500 units for sale in December 2014 under the 2nd half 2014 (2H2014) Government Land Sales (GLS) Programme.

 URA released a residential site at Jurong West Street 41 (Parcel B) for sale today, while HDB will launch an Executive Condominium site at Woodlands Avenue 12 for sale on 16 December 2014. Both sites are under the Confirmed List. URA also made available a commercial & residential site at Holland Road for sale on the Reserve List¹ today. Please refer to Annex 1  (PDF 11KB) for details on the land parcels andAnnex 2  (PDF 448KB) for the location plans.

Commercial & Residential site at Holland Road

- First sale site under Holland Village Extension plans

 Holland Village is one of Singapore’s most distinctive lifestyle destinations. Set amidst winding narrow lanes and low-rise shophouses, it has an urban village feel distinguished by its laid-back daytime allure contrasted with a vibrant dining scene at night. Residents and visitors mingle amidst the wide-ranging and eclectic mix of shops and restaurants in the area that contribute to Holland Village’s unique identity. Public transport access to the area has also improved with the opening of the Holland Village MRT station on the Circle Line.

 Plans for the Holland Village Extension were first announced during the Master Plan 2014. URA is now offering a land parcel at Holland Road for sale to extend this Identity Node with a new, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented development that would add to the vibrancy of Holland Village as a great place to live, work and play. This mixed-use development will offer more retail and dining options to enhance the area’s buzz and provide more residences for people who wish to live in the heart of Holland Village.

 The quality of the public realm is also central to the new extension of Holland Village. A network of pedestrianised streets and public spaces will connect seamlessly with the surrounding lorongs and the housing estate beyond. The new development will build on and reinforce the continued success of Holland Village while creating new community spaces for people to gather and interact.

Concept and Price Revenue tender system

 As the design of the new development is critical to ensuring good integration with the existing context and setting Holland Village apart as a distinctive and endearing Identity Node, a Concept and Price Revenue tender system will be adopted to evaluate the tenders received for the commercial & residential site at Holland Road.

 Under this system, tenderers are required to submit their concept proposals and tender prices in two separate envelopes. The concept proposals will be first evaluated against a set of criteria specified in the tender. Only tenders that meet the criteria will be considered for award. Refer to Annex 3  (PDF 163KB) for the evaluation criteria.

 At the second stage, the price envelopes of the proposals with acceptable concepts will be opened for consideration. The site will then be awarded to the tenderer with the highest bid price among those with acceptable concept proposals.

Residential site at Jurong West Street 41 (Parcel B) and the Executive Condominium (EC) site at Woodlands Avenue 12

 The two sites at Jurong West Street 41 (Parcel B) and Woodlands Avenue 12 (EC) are located within established residential estates. The tender closing dates for the land parcels at Woodlands Avenue 12 (EC) and Jurong West Street 41 (Parcel B) are as follows:

Woodlands Avenue 12 (EC)	12 February 2015
Jurong West Street 41(Parcel B)	10 March 2015

 More details on the land parcels are available on the respective URA and HDB websites:

 Holland Road

 (http://www.ura.gov.sg/uol/land-sales-repository/sites-available/holland-rd-ma.aspx)

 Jurong West Street 41 (Parcel B)

 (http://www.ura.gov.sg/uol/land-sales-repository/Sites/jurong-west-st41-pb-cl.aspx)

 Developer's packets containing details and conditions of tender of the land parcels at Jurong West Street 41 (Parcel B) and Woodlands Avenue 12 (EC) are available at:

URA Land SalesCustomer Service Centre
1st Storey, The URA Centre
45 Maxwell Road
Singapore 069118

HDB Land SalesHDB’s Procurement Office
Basement 1, HDB Hub
480 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh
Singapore 310480

¹ As announced under the first half 2015 Government Land Sales (GLS) Programme on 4 December 2014

- wong chee tat :)

Lake Life EC priced below indication despite strong interest

Lake Life EC priced below indication despite strong interest

TODAY reports: The executive condominium has been priced at an average of S$857 per square foot (psf), below the indicative pricing of S$880psf to S$890psf.

SINGAPORE: Lake Life, the first executive condominium (EC) offering in Jurong in 17 years, has been priced at an average of S$857 per square foot (psf) for the 546-unit project, well below the indicative pricing as its developers seek to secure demand amid stricter financing rules.

The consortium of developers led by Evia Real Estate had earlier said units at Lake Life EC could be priced at S$880psf to S$890psf amid strong interest in the project. However, after analysing the profiles of its 1,853 e-applicants – a record high for an EC development – it found that the purchasing ability of the potential buyers was lower than expected.

“Most developers would target at least a 10 per cent margin, but then today we have the MSR (Mortgage Servicing Ratio), and looking at the buyers’ income levels and ability to borrow, I’m very reluctant to cross S$1.1 million for most units,” Evia’s managing partner Vincent Ong said on Thursday (Oct 30).

“There’s also the risk that there’s still a lot of stock in the market – for private units, BTO (Build-to-Order) flats and ECs. I could have taken the position to price higher after receiving a record number of applications, but after our calculations, we have to price with buyers’ affordability in mind,” he added.

Mr Ong said the price level translates to a margin of about  6 per cent. The consortium paid S$272.84 million in July last year for the 217,298sqft site at Yuan Ching Road/Tao Ching Road that Lake Life sits on. At about S$418 psf per plot ratio, it is the most expensive EC land to date.

Several months after the record bid, the government announced in December last year that EC purchases would be subject to the 30 per cent MSR cap, a rule that many property analysts said would hit demand for the hybrid public-private homes.

Lake Life’s show flats will open on Saturday and Mr Ong hopes to secure buyers for at least half of the units on offer this weekend.

“While Lake Life is on the higher end of the spectrum, its lower selling price as compared to that of a private condominium means buyers will stand to reap even more returns in the future when taking into account the anticipated appreciation in market value when the EC is fully privatised,” he said.

-TODAY/cy

- wong chee tat :)

Sale of Balance Flats May 2014

Sale of Balance Flats May 2014

Town / Estate  Flat Application Category Flat Supply Ethnic Quota Selling Price (excluding Grants) Selling Price (including Grants) Malay Chinese Indian / Other Races   Non-Mature Towns/Estates:   Bukit Batok  3-room Standard 3 3 3 2 From $225,000 From $175,000  Executive 1 1 1 1 $475,000 -   Bukit Panjang  Studio Apartment 19 19 19 15 From $82,000 -  2-room 22 0 22 6 From $110,000 From $50,000  3-room Standard 9 7 9 9 From $176,000 From $126,000  4-room 24 24 24 24 From $259,000 From $224,000  5-room 13 13 13 13 From $338,000 From $328,000   Choa Chu Kang  Studio Apartment 5 4 5 5 From $82,000 -  3-room Standard 32 2 32 14 From $150,000 From $100,000  4-room 339 47 339 116 From $244,000 From $209,000  5-room 247 102 247 70 From $313,000 From $303,000   Hougang  Studio Apartment 223 73 197 42 From $76,000 -  2-room 9 5 9 9 From $119,000 From $59,000  3-room Standard 7 5 7 5 From $200,000 From $150,000  3-room Premium 3 3 3 3 From $215,000 From $165,000  4-room 39 35 39 33 From $284,000 From $249,000  5-room 17 17 17 17 From $339,000 From $329,000   Jurong East  2-room 4 0 4 0 From $143,000 From $83,000  3-room Standard 47 9 47 10 From $196,000 From $146,000  4-room 8 8 8 8 From $303,000 From $268,000  5-room 1 1 1 1 $342,000 $332,000   Jurong West  Studio Apartment 23 6 23 7 From $92,000 -  3-room Standard 43 11 43 15 From $169,000 From $119,000  4-room 22 22 22 21 From $265,000 From $230,000  5-room 4 4 4 4 From $391,000 From $381,000   Punggol  Studio Apartment 10 10 10 10 From $91,000 -  3-room Standard 23 18 23 22 From $173,000 From $123,000  3-room Premium 47 43 47 43 From $218,000 From $168,000  4-room 124 115 122 122 From $296,000 From $261,000  5-room 81 79 81 80 From $362,000 From $352,000   Sembawang  3-room Standard 4 3 4 4 From $198,000 From $148,000  4-room 148 48 140 31 From $255,000 From $220,000  5-room 90 37 83 18 From $328,000 From $318,000   Sengkang  Studio Apartment 60 35 60 33 From $85,000 -  3-room Standard 7 7 7 7 From $198,000 From $148,000  3-room Premium 21 21 21 21 From $206,000 From $156,000  4-room 142 136 142 132 From $247,000 From $212,000  5-room (119 units) / Executive (1 unit) 120 120 120 106 From $324,000 From $314,000   Woodlands  3-room Standard 4 1 4 2 From $183,000 From $133,000  3-room Premium 1 1 1 1 $199,000 $149,000  4-room 24 17 24 20 From $258,000 From $223,000  5-room (4 units) / Executive (2 units) 6 6 6 6 From $336,000 From $326,000   Yishun  Studio Apartment 3 3 3 2 From $82,000 -  2-room 1 1 1 1 $135,000 $75,000  3-room Standard 11 8 11 11 From $198,000 From $148,000  3-room Premium 2 2 2 2 From $205,000 From $155,000  4-room 72 61 72 65 From $244,000 From $209,000  5-room 36 35 36 32 From $326,000 From $316,000   Mature Towns/Estates:   Ang Mo Kio  3-room 8 8 6 8 From $237,000 From $207,000  4-room 29 29 21 25 From $344,000 From $329,000  5-room 10 10 7 10 From $521,000 From $511,000   Bedok  Studio Apartment 6 6 6 6 From $97,000 -  3-room 2 1 2 2 From $227,000 From $197,000  4-room 5 5 5 5 From $308,000 From $293,000  5-room (2 units) / Executive (1 unit) 3 3 3 3 From $351,000 From $341,000   Bishan  Studio Apartment 1 1 0 1 $130,000 -  3-room 1 1 0 1 $311,000 $281,000  4-room 2 2 0 2 From $394,000 From $379,000  5-room 1 1 0 0 $566,000 $556,000   Bukit Merah  Studio Apartment 38 33 31 21 From $110,000 -  2-room 29 29 29 25 From $251,000 From $211,000  3-room 14 14 12 14 From $290,000 From $260,000  4-room 13 13 8 13 From $467,000 From $452,000  5-room 29 29 3 29 From $582,000 From $572,000   Bukit Timah  Studio Apartment 25 25 14 25 From $111,000 -   Central  S2 Apartment 1 1 1 1 $769,000 $759,000   Clementi  3-room 4 4 2 4 From $256,000 From $226,000  4-room 8 8 5 7 From $352,000 From $337,000  5-room 3 3 2 3 From $518,000 From $508,000   Geylang  Studio Apartment 85 45 71 28 From $114,000 -  3-room 44 38 42 26 From $192,000 From $162,000  4-room 15 15 13 15 From $420,000 From $405,000  5-room 2 2 0 2 From $701,000 From $691,000   Kallang/   Whampoa  Studio Apartment 254 153 224 67 From $105,000 -  3-room 30 30 24 21 From $221,000 From $191,000  4-room 164 124 119 61 From $334,000 From $319,000  5-room 6 5 2 3 From $633,000 From $623,000   Pasir Ris  Studio Apartment 4 4 4 4 From $89,000 -  3-room 1 0 1 0 $223,000 $193,000  4-room 8 7 8 8 From $326,000 From $311,000  5-room (4 units) / Executive (3 units) 7 4 7 7 From $386,000 From $376,000   Queenstown  Studio Apartment 118 49 98 32 From $113,000 -  2-room 30 30 30 30 From $253,000 From $213,000  3-room 4 4 1 4 From $232,000 From $202,000  4-room 2 2 0 2 From $569,000 From $554,000  5-room 1 1 0 1 $681,000 $671,000   Tampines  Studio Apartment 7 6 7 7 From $95,000 -  3-room 9 7 9 9 From $230,000 From $200,000  4-room 30 28 30 30 From $320,000 From $305,000  5-room (3 units) / Executive (2 units) 5 5 5 4 From $414,000 From $404,000   Toa Payoh  Studio Apartment 6 6 2 6 From $103,000 -  3-room 95 42 78 18 From $212,000 From $182,000  4-room 23 23 21 19 From $314,000 From $299,000   Total 3,383 2,084 3,111 1,830

Notes: Prices are rounded up to the next higher thousand. Actual selling price of individual flats will vary based on location and other attributes. For 2-room flats, assumed Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) of $40,000 and Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG) of $20,000; for 3-room flats, assumed AHG of $30,000 and SHG of $20,000; for 4-room flats, assumed AHG of $15,000 and SHG of $20,000; for 5-room flats, assumed AHG of $10,000. Actual Grant amounts will vary based on income and choice of flat. Click here for more information about the various CPF Housing Grants available. The eligibility conditions for the AHG and SHG are: (a) first-timer household; (b) applicant must have worked continuously for one year immediately before the flat application, and is still working at the time of application; (c) average gross monthly household income over the one year period must not be more than $5,000 (for AHG) or $6,500 (for SHG); and (d) SHG applies only for the purchase of a 2-room, 3-room or 4-room flat in the non-mature estates.  Studio Apartments (SAs) are sold on a 30-year lease, beginning from the date of key collection. Prices are inclusive of the elderly-friendly fittings/finishes. Please refer to the “Flat Details” tab to check the lease commencement date of each block.  The 3-room Standard flats in the non-mature towns/estates with a $5,000 income ceiling will be offered as a separate category from the 3-room premium flats in the non-mature town/estates which are sold with a $10,000 income ceiling. The 3-room flats (standard/premium) in the mature towns/estates with an income ceiling of $10,000 will be grouped together under a flat application category. The 4-room flats in the non-mature and mature towns/estates will be treated as a separate flat application category for those who are only interested in 4-room flats to submit their applications. Since 1995, HDB has closed the Executive Flat (EF) register. The number of EF on offer is limited and they are largely repurchased/repossessed flats. Hence, HDB will group the EF and 5R as one flat application category. Flat at The Pinnacle@Duxton is classified as S2 (similar to 5-room) flat. Flats in Jurong East will be grouped together with those in Jurong West for offer under “Jurong East/West” Town, where applicable. For the administration of the Married Child Priority Scheme (MCPS), applicants may apply for MCPS if their parents/married child are living in either Jurong East or West or within 2 km from any of the blocks offered for sale. There is a 4-room repurchased DBSS flat at Blk 138A Lorong 1A Toa Payoh #13-08 at The Peak @ Toa Payoh.

- wong chee tat :)