Three tender exercises for Government Land Sale sites – Lentor Central, Lentor Hills Road (Parcel B) and Bukit Batok West Avenue 5 (executive condominium) – concluded today, with each seeing between 2-4 bidders.
While previous tender exercises have seen as many as 8 bids (Jalan Tembusu), 9 (Lentor Central – Lentor Modern) and 9 (Bukit Batok West Avenue 8 – EC site), we did see just 4 bids for Lentor Hills (Parcel A) earlier in January. In June’s exercise, the Pine Grove (Parcel A) site attracted 5 bidders while the Dunman Road site saw just 2.
The highest bidding group for the new Lentor Central site was Forsea Residence, Soilbuild Group Holdings and UED Alpha, with a tendered price of S$481m, or S$1,108 psf per plot ratio (psf ppr). For Lentor Hills Road (Parcel B), the top bid went to TID Residential at S$276m, or S$1,130 psf ppr.
For the EC site at Bukit Batok West Avenue 5, the top bidder was CDL Zenith with a price of S$336m, or S$626 psf ppr.
Lentor Hills Estate
With the conclusion of the two land parcel tender exercises at Lentor, the Lentor Hills Estate neighbourhood in Ang Mo Kio is set to see even greater activity in the coming years.
This will follow the launch of Guocoland’s Lentor Modern mixed-use development this month, and the upcoming development of Lentor Hills Residences (previously Lentor Hills Parcel A). The latter concluded its tender exercise in January 2022 with Hong Leong Holdings, Guocoland and TID as the top bidder.
Lentor Central
| Location | Lentor Central |
| Site Area | 13,444.3 m2 |
| Allowable Development | Residential |
| Maximum Gross Floor Area | 40,333 m2 |
| Maximum Building Height | Max 23 storeys
Technical height |
| Project Completion Period | 60 months |
| Lease Period | 99 years |
Lentor Hills Road (Parcel B)
| Location | Lentor Hills Road (Parcel B) |
| Site Area | 10,819.0 m2 |
| Allowable Development | Residential |
| Maximum Gross Floor Area | 22,720 m2 |
| Maximum Building Height | Low-rise zone 8 storeys High-rise zone 19 storeys Technical height 120 m SHD (Singapore Height Datum) |
| Project Completion Period | 60 months |
| Lease Period | 99 years |
“The bid prices were close to our earlier projections of between S$1,000 and S$1,100 psf ppr, but the number of bids was lower than expected (7 to 10 bidders),” shared Christine Sun, Senior Vice President of Research and Analytics at OrangeTee & Tie.
“Developers may have held back their bids in view of the global economic uncertainties and rising interest rate environment. Moreover, there will be a ramp-up of new home supply in the Lentor area with 6 land sale sites (5 confirmed list plots and 1 reserve list plot). Therefore, future launches may face stiffer competition for buyers.
“Developers will likely observe the sales performance and launch price of Lentor Modern to decide if they will bid for future land sites in Lentor. Developers’ buying interest may be ignited if Lentor Modern achieves a good sales performance this month.”
According to Sun, with the highest land bid at S$1,108 psf ppr and S$1,130 psf ppr for Lentor Central and Lentor Hills Road (Parcel B), respectively, the estimated future selling price could range between S$2,000 and S$2,100 psf and S$2,030 and S$2,130 psf respectively.
The estimated number of housing units for Lentor Central was 470 units and 265 units for Lentor Hills Road (Parcel B). Note that the actual number of housing units proposed by the developers may vary.
Beyond the upcoming Lentor Gardens tender exercise (projected to be launched in October 2022), another Lentor Central site, which has a site area of 1.47 hectares and a 475-unit estimate, is on the Government Land Sale Reserved List for H2 2022.
Bukit Batok West Avenue 5 (Executive Condominium)
| Location | Bukit Batok West Avenue 5 |
| Site Area | 16,623.7 m2 |
| Allowable Development | Residential (Executive Condominium) |
| Maximum Gross Floor Area | 49,872 m2 |
| Maximum Building Height | 60-70m SHD (Singapore Height Datum) |
| Project Completion Period | 60 months |
| Lease Period | 99 years |
For the third land parcel in this tender round, the 4 bids received are fewer than the previous Bukit Batok West Avenue 8 site in December 2021, which saw 9 bidders. The highest bid price of S$626 psf ppr for this particular round was also lower than the previous exercise (S$662 psf ppr).
According to Sun, some developers may have held back their bids as there will be several ECs launching in the vicinity. This includes Copen Grand, the adjacent plot at Bukit Batok West Avenue 8, and the Tengah Plantation Loop site (which will be launched for sale in December).
“Moreover, rising interest rates and higher construction costs may have deterred some developers, especially since margins are not huge for EC developments,” she shared. She estimated that given the highest bid price of S$626 psf ppr at this site, the future selling price of the project could range between S$1,300 psf and S$1,400 psf.
Mark Yip, CEO of Huttons Asia, also added: “As the project is likely to be launched in 2024, developers might be hedging against unforeseen risks in the economy, construction and interest rates.”
He shared that the West region had not had an EC launch for many years, so there could be pent-up demand for ECs from both upgraders and first-time home buyers.
Based on HDB’s estimates, the Bukit Batok West Avenue 5 site can yield 495 residential units.
–
1
1
4
4
2
2
2
2
4
4
3
3
2
2
1
1
3
2
4
4
–
Are you looking forward to what developers are planning at Lentor Hills Estate or Bukit Batok West? Let us know in the comments section below.
If you found this article helpful, check out H2 2022 GLS: First condo in Marina South, second EC in Tengah and more sites at Lentor and H2 2022 GLS: Two Government Land Sales confirmed sites – Bukit Timah Link and Hillview Rise – have been released for tender.
The post 3 bids for Lentor Central, 2 for Lentor Hills Road (Parcel B) and 4 for Bukit Batok West Avenue 5 (EC) GLS sites appeared first on .
