Singapore is set to build the tallest HDB blocks at Pearl’s Hill, on the site of the former HDB estate, Outram Park Complex.
National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said in Parliament on Wednesday that the move is part of the government’s plan to “renew and rejuvenate older towns.”
The Build-To-Order (BTO) project, slated to have HDB blocks over 60 storeys, will be built on the site of the former Outram Park Complex, one of the earliest HDB estates in Singapore where flats were built in the 60’s and demolished in 2003.
The project comprises 1,700 two-room flexi, three- and four-room flats, and 140 public rental units.
The anticipated launch date will be in the next few years.
Chee said “green and landscaped spaces” will be incorporated into the project, such as water features and canopy of trees that resemble “mountain-water painting,” a traditional Chinese landscape style that depicts mountains and flowing water in harmony.
The project will also include some of the features in private housing like sky gardens and terraces.
Located near the Outram Park MRT station, the project will incorporate new features like barrier-free access from Pearl’s Hill City Park to the MRT station.
The project also marks the first time in more than 40 years that public housing is built on the hill.
It forms part of the 6,000 public and private housing to be progressively developed in Outram Park over the next decade in efforts to reinvigorate older HDB estates.
In the pipeline is a mixed-development connected to Outram MRT.
Ramp Up of Smaller HDB Units
The government will increase the number of two-room flexi flats over the next 3 years.
Chee said two-room flexi flat supply will be increased by nearly 50 per cent from 2026 to 2028 to meet growing demand from singles and seniors.
He said the government plans to intensify land use and build taller flats across Singapore to meet housing needs, adding that a 60-storey block can provide 50 per cent more flats than a 40-storey block.
Chee also said the median application rates for first-timers of three-room and larger BTO flats have declined to between 1.1 and 1.9 in 2025, from a high of almost seven per flat in 2020.
