[throwback] FAKE NEWS? HDB sold repurchased land to private developers for profit and didn’t redevelop it as HDBs for future Singaporean generations

[Voldermort]

Over the last few years I have written several articles on the HDB issue, the last ones being on 10th and 11th December 2018 but as this hot topic arose again while I was at Hong Lim and on my threads recently, I want to take you back to them.


The first, and one of the biggest parts of the HDB saga since Lawrence Wong let the cat out of the bag that contrary to years of promises of them being your share in the growth of the nation and a long-term investment your HDB is on a limited lease and will go to zero, is the plainly false justification of why it has to be a 99 year lease.


We were told by the PM at the last National Day Rally that it is because land is limited so we have to reserve it for future generations so let’s look at that more closely.


My father in law had paid off his mortgage, was getting ready to retire when his HDB was compulsory purchased for redevelopment. This was around 2002 and his estate was on Alexandra Road prime plots of land. After the purchase HDB tore down the flats, planted grass, then left the lot empty for at least 4-5 yrs. Then they divided the land and sold the plots to the private sector. And what do we have today? Condos.

Specifically:


• The Metropolitan (TOP 2009)

• Ascentia Sky (TOP 2014)

• Echelon (TOP 2016)

• Alex Residences (TOP 2017)

• Artra (construction started 2017)


And many these are owned by foreigners.

More at https://shrtcô.de/YnmtpH

 

[Cottonmouth]

He must be stupid to trust pap.

 

[zhihau]

Vote the PAP out!

 

[Willamshakespear]

Fake news or not, it's not easy to explain Singapore's land policy & management as land is scarce here, & many MORE far significant had played critical roles to manage it with lengthy logical policy papers, but the insignificant nobody me will try & using simple laymen terms & keep it short. Forgive me if this post may be lengthy, & I doubt if most will read it anyway. Still, the Sammyboy spirit, to help others out of the darkness, must prevail...

1. HDB policy in the past, circa 1970s to late 80s, was to built as many flats as possible, to help citizens stay in homes & not slums as prevalent in other nations. However, the drawback was that most choose to live near the city area, & as a result, flats that were far were taken no notice of by citizens, such as in Bedok that eventually many were rented out at $300/mth, at a loss to taxpayers funds to build those flats, in the late 80s.

Thus BTO - built to order or Build only on demand policy, was born. It was a better policy & saved much of taxypayer funds in that every single unit was occupied & paid, even if in the outer regions of Singapore, as citizens realized that Spore is small - it takes only 30mins by MRT to Orchard from any point on the shores of Singapore less the southern central coast, unlike Msia where one who lives in Johore will have to drive 3hrs to reach KL for work, & 3hrs to go home.

2. Time flies fast. It seems like a blink of an eye that Spore will be 57 yrs old in mere 2mths time. Most of those flats that were built pre-independence era were built using 50s construction tech era, & already structural defects are noticeable today. We citizens, thru our elected govt, did try our best to upgrade it, or at worse, used SERS to tear down those flats, offer the citizens new flats at RENEWED 99yrs lease, & only levy extra costs based upon the cost of construction based upon inflation as the costs of labor & materials had risen over years, or else taxpayers will have to bear the difference in costs which will be unfair to them.

3. Our govt is well known to think far ahead, far more than any citizen. When they say 'reserve the land for future generations', they did not mean a future that ends in 9yrs time, or 29 yrs time. In property terms, it is 99 yrs or even 999 yrs time. During the time of independence, most HDB flats were concentrated near the city, & by now are old, in need of repair & worse, some only 10 storeys high while office buildings in the same area -city zone- are up to 52 storeys, an eye watering sore on the poor use of land management.

Only those flats that are either considered heritage sites or near military/civilian airbases will be allowed to remain at 10 storeys high & maintained so as not to hinder air traffic, unless air bases in the future are relocated at reclaimed land to the east or south of Spore for better land mgmt.

4. Thus, some of those old HDB building in the city area or sub-urban areas will have to be torn down & citizens given the SER treatment. It hurts for those whom were living near the city, but as land is scarce in Spore, & being that from any point on coastlines being only 30mins away, a better & fairer policy is needed to save the land for future generations. However, rather than to rebuild HDB in prime areas when other fellow citizens will willing to sacrifice 30mins daily to work in the city, those prime land would be better use with farsightedness - sell to the rich & foreigners, on 99 yr lease & earn revenues for Spore's social expenditure.

5. Some may cry unfairness, but they did not think further than their noses. Private developers build those apartments, comes with amenities even swimming pools & gyms, with latest construction tech & design, as well as monthly paid maintenance to upkeep those 99 yr lease buildings by owners. Guess what happens when the 99yrs lease is up? It belongs to us - CITIZENS, lock/stock & barrel. It may need only a few more upgrades but will not cost taxpayers much & certainly not the cost to rebuild new HDB flats on those plots, & this policy will be effected on other privately owned property on leases even on the outer regions of Spore.

6. Does anyone think our 3 great & visionary Founding fathers Ah Kongs are stupid? Think again. There were far far ahead than we, whom have to study, learn & experience for years that still cannot match their minds. While not perfect, as no mortal is, they were geniuses. They planned far ahead than any of us ever could. HDB Duxton Pinnacle 52 storeys high right in the city center was meant to prove 2 points - a) Our growing Citizen population will ALWAYS be able to live in or go to the central core, to share in our achievements, & b) Spore WILL build higher floors proven safely by Duxton, if need be from existing average 32 storeys, to ensure NO citizen will NEVER AGAIN need to live in slums as they once had while growing up under colonial rule.

 

[tobelightlight]

you let a govt has control of so many things like land, you will end up losing a whole lot more as a citizen. Vote PAP lah, this is what happen. Not only you are vaxxed and lose your human integrity and you also lose your land as a citizen. That is like giving up your land to foreigners. no difference from getting invaded.

 

[syed putra]

Malays had it worse.
Their land acquired cheaply and later forcibly dispersed to prevent a malay majority constituency.