THE eagerly anticipated new flats in the mature Dawson estate in Queenstown were launched for sale yesterday – complete with plenty of wow factors.
For the first time, the Housing Board (HDB) is offering flexible flat layouts to best suit individual family needs. Three floor plans are available: a standard layout, a larger living room option or a larger master bedroom option.
The HDB is also tweaking a plan first tried 22 years ago which allows young families to live close to elderly parents by selling flats in pairs.
HDB deputy chief executive (estates and corporate) Yap Chin Beng said that in 1987, these flats in estates such as Bishan were sold like a single unit.
‘Under this new arrangement, however, there are two units with each applicant – the married child and elderly parents – needing to meet the respective conditions. We believe that through this arrangement we can relook this multi-generation living arrangement,’ he said.
In 1987, 367 units were built but the plan was scrapped due to poor demand.
The studio apartments housing elderly parents will have separate entrances to maintain privacy, with connecting doors to the young families’ flats.
Mr Yap said the HDB was trying to offer more options to homebuyers to suit different lifestyles. ‘Depending on the response we will consider extending these two schemes to other projects as well.’
The upgrading of Dawson estate was always going to be a head-turner, with two towers soaring more than 40 storeys amid the charm of the older style estate. The towers will feature sustainable and environmentally friendly features, and classy finishing touches.
The flats are being built under the HDB’s build-to-order (BTO) scheme with 1,718 premium flats being launched.
They are among 2,670 new flats announced by HDB yesterday, which included two other BTO projects – Montreal Dale in Sembawang and Segar Grove in Bukit Panjang. Together, they form the final batch to complete the 5,000 new units announced by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan in October.
There are 105 studio apartments, 231 two-roomers, 643 three-roomers, 1,489 four-roomers and 202 five-room flats.
Marketing executive Desiree Ng, 23, is drawn by the affordable prices and prime location. She plans to marry within three years so the 2015 completion is ideal.
‘I will probably choose the larger living room option as my family tends to spend more time there. I think it’s great that HDB is offering such flexibility and thinking about catering to different lifestyle needs,’ she said.
The rejuvenation plans for Dawson estate were announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally speech in 2007 as part of HDB’s Remaking Our Heartland (ROH) initiative.
Laid-back Dawson estate was earmarked for about 10,000 new HDB and private flats to inject new life there.
The two new Dawson projects – SkyVille and SkyTerrace – were designed by award-winning local architects.
Typical three-room units of 63 sq m are priced from $280,000 to $365,000, four-roomers of 81 sq m to 85 sq m cost $373,000 to $504,000, while five-room flats of 98 sq m to 101 sq m cost $532,000 to $643,000.
Conveniently located along Margaret Drive and Dawson Road, the area is well served by the Queenstown MRT station and bus services, parks, recreational facilities and eateries.
The Dawson homes will boast touches such as timber flooring for bedrooms and porcelain ceramic tiles for living rooms. The facade and landscaping are also more elaborate, with features such as sky gardens throughout.
HDB expects the Dawson flats to be many times oversubscribed.
The flexi-layout scheme applies in SkyVille and the multi-generation living scheme in SkyTerrace, which will offer 65 studio apartments linked to four-room or five-room flats. These will be allocated to married children and their parents for joint application.
Ngee Ann Polytechnic real estate lecturer Nicholas Mak said that these initiatives, coupled with the Dawson flats’ prime location in a mature estate, appear certain to generate strong interest. ‘Initiatives like the flexi-layout will put pressure on private developers to offer more innovative products for homebuyers.’
Montreal Dale and Segar Grove will offer 424 and 528 standard flats respectively, comprising two-, three- and four-room units.
Source: Straits Times, 16 Dec 2009
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