DC - Commercial

Commercial developments include office buildings, shopping malls, convention/exhibition centres, commercial schools/banks, market and food centres/restaurants, cinemas, entertainment and trade missions. Some developments may contain a mix of commercial uses such as a shopping podium with an office tower block above.

The form of a commercial development may vary from a free-standing, podium/tower arrangement, to a party-wall development. The resultant building form depends on the location and street block plans for the site.

Commercial developments can be developed on land zoned:

• Commercial;

• Mixed Commercial and Residential; or

• Residential with Commercial at 1^st Storey

Mixed commercial and residential developments include a combination of commercial uses and residential flats and may be developed on land zoned Commercial & Residential or Commercial.

Specific guidelines for mixed commercial and residential developments are outlined in the following sections.

In addition to the guidelines for mixed commercial and residential developments, the commercial component shall comply with the guidelines for commercial developments and the residential component shall comply with the guidelines for residential flats¹ developments.

¹ The residential component within a mixed commercial and residential development will not be accorded condominium status as it is not developed in accordance with condominium guidelines.

The commercial uses shall be located on the lower floors, below the residential areas.

The use quantum controls for mixed commercial and residential developments are detailed in the table below.

Use Quantum for Mixed Commercial and Residential Developments

² Not applicable to land zoned Commercial within the 4 Historical Conservation Districts of Kampong Glam, Chinatown, Little India, and Boat Quay. Residential or institutional uses which are more than 40% of the total GFA can be allowed in these 4 districts.

³ Where Hotel use can be supported on land zoned Commercial and Residential or Commercial, the Hotel use may be counted as part of the commercial quantum in the mixed use development. The applicable Development Charge Rate for gross floor area attributed to Hotel use or Hotel-related uses will correspond to Use Group C. Rezoning of the land to Hotel zone will be carried out if the Hotel use is equal to or exceeds 60% of the total gross floor area. 

All buildings in mixed commercial and residential developments shall be sufficiently set back from the road and common boundary. The setback distance is measured from the road reserve line or boundary line to the external wall of the buildings, excluding land to be vested to the State for road and/or drainage purpose.

All buildings in mixed commercial and residential developments fronting a public road shall provide a road buffer, the width of which depends on the hierarchy of the road. A green buffer shall be set aside in the road buffer depending on the width of the road buffer.

The road buffer and common boundary setback requirements for mixed commercial and residential developments are determined by the building form, and are detailed in the table below.

Road Buffer and Common Boundary Setback

Mixed commercial and residential developments may abut the road reserve at the front if:

• The site is within the Central Area; and/or

• The site is constrained or if there is an intention to retain the existing streetscape which is abutting the road reserve line.

The floor-to-floor height control for the various uses in the mixed commercial and residential development is shown in the table below.

Floor-to-Floor Height

The parking guidelines for commercial developments listed in this handbook also apply to mixed-use developments where the commercial and/or hotel components form more than 20% of the total GFA.

“Residential with Commercial at 1^st Storey” developments include a combination of commercial uses and residential flats and may be developed on land zoned Residential with Commercial at 1^st Storey or Commercial/Residential.

Specific guidelines for residential with commercial at the 1^st storey developments are outlined in the following sections.

In addition to the guidelines for residential with commercial at the 1^st storey developments, the commercial component shall comply with the guidelines for commercial developments and the residential component shall comply with the guidelines for residential flats developments.

Commercial uses are confined to the 1^st storey.

Commercial uses at the basement and upper floors may be considered for developments located within the Central Area or if the development is within a mixed use area fronting major arterial routes outside the Central Area. Proposals to transfer commercial uses to the other storeys shall be evaluated depending on merits, taking into consideration the location, site context, traffic, and impact on the surroundings.

If permitted, proposals to transfer commercial uses to the other storey shall comply with the following guidelines:

• Total commercial quantum shall not exceed the maximum commercial quantum allowed at the 1^st storey;

• There shall be commercial uses at the 1^st storey fronting the street;

• The commercial areas shall be contiguous;

• There shall be a clear separation between the commercial and residential uses;

• The commercial uses shall be kept within the minimum height of the building edge for the streetblock or 4-storeys, whichever is applicable; and

• The commercial uses shall not create disamenity to the adjoining residential use

The allowable commercial quantum is determined by the 1^st storey building footprint.

Commercial uses that are likely to cause disamenity to the residents are not allowed. Examples of such commercial uses include night clubs and karaoke bars.

All buildings in “Residential with Commercial at 1^st Storey” developments shall be sufficiently set back from the road and common boundary. The setback distance is measured from the road reserve¹ line or boundary line to the external wall of the buildings, excluding land to be vested to the State for road and/or drainage purpose.

All buildings in “Residential with Commercial at 1^st Storey” developments fronting a public road shall provide a road buffer, the width of which depends on the hierarchy of the road. A green buffer shall be set aside in the road buffer depending on the width of the road buffer.

The road buffer and common boundary setback requirements for “Residential with Commercial at 1^st Storey” developments are determined by the building form and are detailed in the table below.

Road Buffer and Common Boundary Setback

“Residential with Commercial at 1^st Storey” developments may abut the road reserve at the front if:

• The site is within the Central Area (PDF, 436 KB); and/or

• The site is constrained or if there is an intention to retain the existing streetscape which is abutting the road reserve line.

¹ Road Reserve: The plot of land to be vested in the State as required under the Street Works Act. It is demarcated by the line of Road Reserve in the Road Line Plan and the site boundary.

The floor-to-floor height control for the various uses in the “Residential with Commercial at 1^st storey” development is shown in the table below.

Floor-to-Floor Height

• Outside Key Routes
  Proposals for pure residential developments shall be assessed based on the compatibility of the proposal with the surrounding land uses and planning intention.

• Along Key Routes in Central Area
  Proposals for pure residential developments without activity-generating commercial uses such as retail, food and beverage, and entertainment shall not be supported.

*Key routes are indicated in the Activity Generating Uses Control Plan here.

Shophouses and shopflats are developments with shops at the 1^st storey and flats on the upper storeys. They are usually located on land zoned Residential with Commercial at 1^st Storey but may be allowed on land zoned Commercial & Residential.

Commercial uses are restricted to the 1^st storey only. Basements are not allowed for commercial use.

Strata subdivision is allowed for shophouses and shopflats except for conservation properties within the Historic Districts and Historic Residential Districts.

Only selected conservation buildings within Historic Residential Districts shall be allowed to strata subdivide if they meet the following criteria:

• Original purpose-built compartmentalized common staircase designed to serve different floors;

• Staircase forms part of the external architectural expression; and

• Original reinforced concrete floors and structures.

The parking guidelines for commercial developments listed in this handbook shall apply to mixed-use developments where the commercial and/or hotel components form more than 20% of the total GFA.

The allowable Gross Plot Ratio (GPR) of a commercial development is guided by the GPR specified in the Master Plan (MP). The MP plot ratio is the upper bound as it may not always be achievable because of site limitations like shape of the plot, site topography or ground conditions, building setbacks, building height or technical requirements of other authorities that may affect the site.

If the GPR is not specified in the Master Plan, the development potential would be determined taking into consideration the location, site context, traffic and impact of the commercial development on the surroundings.

The area of the land required to be set aside for Drainage Reserve¹ (DR) and/or Road Reserve² (RR) to be vested in the State may be included in the site area to compute the gross floor area (GFA) for a GPR – see figure below.

¹ Drainage Reserve (DR): An area safeguarded for purposes of building or widening a public drain

² Road Reserve: The plot of land to be vested in the State as required under the Street Works Act. It is demarcated by the line of Road Reserve in the Road Line Plan and the site boundary.

Commercial developments are eligible for the following bonus GFA incentive schemes if they comply with the relevant guidelines:

The Community and Sports Facilities Scheme (CSFS) facilitates the co-location of compatible community and sports uses with highly accessible commercial developments. Under the CSFS, bonus GFA for the community and sports uses is subject to an overall cap of 10% of the maximum permissible GFA for the site allowed under the prevailing Master Plan or 2,000sqm (whichever is lower).

The co-location of community or sports uses under the CSFS is intended primarily for commercial retail developments which are highly accessible. The commercial development that may be considered for the community and/or sports uses under the CSFS shall be in close proximity to transport nodes or town centres/neighbourhood centres, and the additional CSFS space may be supported from the land use and transport planning points of view.

Community and sports uses under the CSFS would not be supported in hotel developments as the resultant synergies are limited.

Community and sports uses under the CSFS in office developments shall only be considered if it is clear that the use has clear synergies with the office development and caters to the needs of the office workers.

The proposed community and sports uses shall primarily be intended for public or community use and not profit-driven, with the exception of commercial child care centres endorsed by the Early Development Childhood Agency (ECDA). Refer to table below for a list of allowable uses.

Allowable Uses for CSFS Scheme

For the purpose of computing Land Betterment Charge, SLA may assess such additional CSFS space for community uses based on Group E Civic & Community Institution rate,  and assess such additional CSFS space for sports uses based on Group A Sports/Recreational rate.

Ancillary uses (eg supporting offices) shall be kept to a maximum of 40% of total GFA of the CSFS space. Any commercial uses within the CSFS space (eg cafés or gift shops), if permitted by URA, shall be computed as part of the overall commercial quantum of the development.

Ownership of CSFS Space

The party that holds the strata-title/lease of the approved CSFS space shall ensure that the use of the CSFS space complies with the terms and conditions of the CSFS guidelines.

In the event that there is a change in ownership arrangement of the CSFS space, the seller or owner of the CSFS space shall inform the new buyer or lessee on the obligation to ensure that the CSFS space shall at all times be used for the approved purposes. The seller or owner of the CSFS space shall also keep the championing agencies informed of any such changes.

The following documents shall be submitted as part of a development application to URA for evaluation.

1. A letter of undertaking (LOU) from:

   • The community service provider for community uses;

   • The SSC for sports use;

   • The child care centre operator endorsed by ECDA.

2. An endorsement letter from the relevant championing government agency for the proposed use and/or ownership arrangement of CSFS space

Refer to the section on Greenery.

The Built Environment (BE) Transformation GFA scheme aims to encourage adoption of higher tier Construction Industry Transformation Map (ITM) outcomes in areas of digitisation, productivity and sustainability. The incentive scheme is jointly administered by BCA and URA. Applicants may qualify for the scheme by adopting stipulated ITM outcomes as part of the development proposal. 

The incentive is applicable for new erection or major Addition & Alterations to private sites of at least 5000sqm GFA¹. Sites launched under the Government Land Sales (GLS) programme prior to 31 March 2022 may also be eligible for the incentive scheme.

The types of developments eligible for the incentive scheme are as follows:

¹Smaller developments of less than 5,000 sqm GFA may be considered on a case-by-case basis if agencies determine that sizeable productivity and sustainability outcomes relative to the development proposal can be achieved based on BE ITM measures proposed by the developers.

²The maximum allowable number of dwelling units for residential developments located outside of Central Area is derived from the Master Plan permissible intensity, which excludes any bonus GFA the site is eligible for.

Private sites may be granted up to 3% bonus GFA under the scheme³. The scheme is applicable for new proposals till 23 November 2026.

GLS sites are eligible up to 2% bonus GFA. The scheme is applicable for new GLS launched prior to 31 March 2022.

The cumulative bonus GFA shall be kept within the overall budget of 10% above the Master Plan Gross Plot Ratio (GPR), or the maximum allowable GFA of the development. It shall not form the future development potential of the site upon redevelopment. 

The quantum of allowable bonus GFA under the BE Transformation Scheme is based on the proposed uses, use quantum that complies with the Master Plan zoning, and any additional requirements imposed as part of the endorsement for the bonus GFA. 

Should development proposals fall within areas with specific planning considerations (e.g. storey height controls) or are unable to fully accommodate the additional intensity due to on-site conditions (e.g. areas with traffic concerns), the bonus GFA under the BE Transformation Scheme that can be approved may be lower than the endorsed quantum, and/or the bonus GFA may be limited to a particular use or uses.

³Applications submitted under the Strategic Development Incentive (SDI) and Central Business District (CBD) incentive schemes will have to comply with stipulated outcomes in the areas of digitalisation, productivity and sustainability. The required ITM outcomes will be separately assessed in relation to the context of the proposal, upon submission of the outline application for the SDI/CBDI development proposal. ITM outcomes will be imposed as conditions for planning approval for redevelopment proposals via the SDI/CBD Incentive scheme. SDI/CBDI proposals will not qualify for the additional GFA under the BE Transformation Gross Floor Area Incentive Scheme.

Applicants are to submit an application to BCA with supporting documents on the proposed ITM outcome concept plan and detail the proposed ITM outcome to be adopted for the development proposal. The submission can be made at this link. 

Following BCA’s grant of letter of acceptance, applicants shall submit the development proposal with the proposed quantum and use group of the proposed bonus BE Transformation GFA to URA, for detailed assessment. The development application shall be submitted within 6 months from BCA’s grant of Letter of Acceptance, and shall include a copy of the Letter of Acceptance, and the BE Transformation GFA computation form. The submission process and verification of ITM outcomes is summarised at this link.

Applicants are to comply with BE ITM outcomes for the bonus scheme based on the building type. The specific requirements for the development proposal will be shared in detail as part of the application process to BCA for the Letter of Acceptance.

Refer to section on POPS.

The scheme aims to encourage building owners to adopt either DCS or CCS for their building. This could be by collaborating with other building owners to establish new DCS or CCS networks, or tapping onto an existing DCS or CCS network in the area.

Host buildings in DCS and CCS networks will need to set aside spaces for the district cooling plant and chiller plants respectively to serve the larger network. Such Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) spaces needed to support the DCS/CCS network will be allowed as bonus Utility GFA, over and above the Master Plan allowable GFA for the site. The additional Utility GFA may be subject to payment of Land Betterment Charge (LBC), if any.  

For CCS networks:

• If the host building’s original in-building chiller plant (IBCP) spaces are computed as GFA, these can then be computed as bonus Utility GFA. The freed up GFA from the original IBCP can be put to other uses in the development. 

• If the host building’s original IBCP spaces are exempted from GFA¹, bonus GFA equivalent to the size of the IBCP room will be allowed over and above the Master Plan allowable GFA for the site. Bonus GFA may be subject to payment of LBC based on its proposed use.

The DCS/CCS-related M&E spaces may also be considered for GFA exemption if the spaces fulfil the respective criteria of the prevailing M&E-related GFA exemption schemes. 

¹Applies to IBCP spaces within the building envelope that were previously granted GFA exemption based on the relevant GFA exemption provisions. Does not apply to open-to-sky IBCP spaces (e.g. on the rooftop)

Submission requirements

The following information / documents are to be furnished to URA as part of the development application (DA): 

Developments receiving chilled water from the host building(s) in a DCS/CCS network benefit from not having to provide their own in-building chiller plant (IBCP) systems. The following GFA incentives are applicable for such receiving developments:

Submission requirements 

The following information / documents are to be furnished to URA as part of the development application (DA):

The following types of developments will not be eligible for the GFA incentives:

• Existing buildings that are already connected and part of a DCS/CCS network, as the GFA incentives will not retroactively apply to such buildings.

• Where it is a mandatory requirement for the development to adopt DCS/CCS (e.g. as part of conditions of tender in Government Land Sales sites). 

Specific to receiving developments who wish to tap onto an existing DCS/CCS network, the following criteria are to be met before the GFA incentives will apply:

• The receiving development was originally approved at a time when there was no operational DCS/CCS network in the area; or

• The receiving development shall be a minimum age of 10 years¹ (from date of original TOP).

Where necessary, the bonus GFA may be approved on temporary basis for monitoring purposes of this new scheme.

^{1 This is the average lifespan of an IBCP system. The intent is to discourage the premature decommissioning of IBCP systems of newly completed buildings. Owners of newer buildings can instead consider switching to DCS as part of their planned IBCP replacement cycles (i.e. after 10 years).}

The bonus GFA allowed under the bonus incentive schemes is over and above the MP GPR and is subject to a maximum of 10% of the MP GPR. When the site is redeveloped in future, the additional GFA already used under the bonus GFA incentive schemes cannot be carried over. In other words, the GPR for the site shall revert to the GPR specified in the prevailing MP.

Commercial developments may make use of any combination of the bonus GFA incentive schemes (ie CSFS and Rooftop Greenery ORA), as long as the cumulative bonus GFA does not exceed the overall cap of 10% above the MP GPR.

The CBD Incentive Scheme and the Strategic Development Incentive (SDI) Scheme aim to encourage the rejuvenation of the CBD and other strategic areas in Singapore. Sites that fall within the designated areas for the CBD Incentive Scheme shall be guided by the CBD Incentive Scheme and shall not be considered under the SDI Scheme.

Details of the two schemes are as follows:

The CBD Incentive Scheme aims to encourage the conversion of existing, older, office developments into mixed-use developments that will help rejuvenate the CBD by:

• Providing a wider diversity of uses, including more residences, hotels, and creative lifestyle possibilities;

• Realising better connectivity to adjacent developments and transport nodes;

• Creating a more intimate, people-friendly environment with walkable streets and public spaces that will provide an appealing address for people to live and work in.

The incentives are calibrated to encourage:

• The creation of mixed-use neighbourhoods at the CBD fringe areas of Anson and Cecil Street, with greater extent of residential uses supported by a variety of social/community amenities;

• A blend of mixed-uses within Robinson Road, Shenton Way and Tanjong Pagar, while retaining the predominantly commercial character of the core areas of our CBD in Raffles Place.

Existing predominantly office developments in selected areas where mixed-use neighbourhoods are encouraged will be eligible for the incentives if they meet the following eligibility requirements:

CBD Incentive Scheme Eligibility Requirements

¹ Exemptions may be considered depending on the merits of the case.

Residential and Hotel uses are encouraged within mixed-use developments to inject live-in population into the CBD. The allowable land uses and the corresponding maximum allowable increases in development intensity are shown in the table below. Approval of the allowable uses shall be subject to the statutory rezoning process and compliance with Rule 4 and Rule 7 of the Planning (Master Plan) Rules.

Allowable Land Uses and Maximum Allowable Increase in Development Intensity

² Based on GPR as stipulated on Master Plan 2019 or Approved GPR, whichever is higher.

³ Bonus GFA approved under the CBD Incentive Scheme shall not form the future development potential of the site upon redevelopment.

⁴ Proposals seeking rejuvenation / redevelopment under this land use conversion option will need to either set aside the entire non-Commercial quantum for Serviced Apartment II (SA2) use, or (ii) provide a minimum of 200 SA2 units. If option (ii) is pursued, any remaining GFA under the allowable non-Commercial quantum can be put to uses such as Hotel or Residential use. 

⁵ Proposal must achieve a meaningful reduction in existing office space.

The proposed increase in development intensity shall be subject to:

• Planning permission from URA;

• SLA may levy Land Betterment Charge, where applicable;

• Submission of Sustainability Statement and (where applicable) a Carbon Optioneering Assessment to consider feasibility of retrofitting part / all of existing building(s) for adaptive reuse;  

• Compliance with the prevailing Urban Design guidelines for Downtown Core Planning Area;

• Adoption of the lower bound of the Range-Based Parking Provision Standards as prescribed in LTA’s prevailing Code of Practice for Vehicle Parking Provision;

• Provision of Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure within the development in accordance with LTA’s prevailing requirements;

• Compliance with NEA’s requirements for Noise Impact Assessment, where applicable;

• Adoption of enhanced Construction Industry Transformation Map (ITM) standards, which include: 

  • Minimum Green Mark (GM) Platinum Super Low Energy or any other prescribed standard under the prevailing GM framework

  • Maintainability (Mt) and Whole Life Carbon (Cn) Badges under the GM certification framework.

  • Specific ITM requirements on digitalisation and productivity will be assessed in relation to the context of the proposal;

• Applicants are required to submit the following to BCA:

  • Implementation plan for the ITM requirements imposed for the CBDI development proposal;

  • Bi-annual progress reports on compliance with ITM requirements during construction of the development;

  • Security deposit pegged to a percentage value of the proposed CBDI development, to ensure compliance with ITM requirements. The security deposit will be released with full compliance with ITM requirements upon completion of the development.

• Strata subdivision of the commercial component into individual units is not allowed, except when it is to delineate between different commercial uses (subject to URA’s assessment). 

The maximum development intensity shown in the table above shall be assessed based on the detailed design, in relation to the site context and other planning or urban design considerations. URA may refuse planning permission, or impose conditions if the proposal is not aligned with the planning intention of the area, or if the proposal is unable to comply with relevant technical and urban design requirements.

Bonus Gross Floor Area (GFA) shall not apply for the Green Mark requirements. Developments will still be eligible for Bonus GFA granted under other applicable schemes such as balcony or indoor recreational spaces, subject to the prevailing overall cap on Bonus GFA.

Lease renewals, where applicable, shall be subject to the approval of SLA and assessed in line with the Government’s prevailing lease renewal policy.

Proposals under the CBD Incentive Scheme shall be submitted as an Outline Application to URA for consideration. If supported, the applicant should follow up to make a formal development application within the stipulated validity period of URA’s in-principle approval of the proposal, unless otherwise agreed by URA.

All the relevant appendices and submission forms can be downloaded at <this link>.

The revised CBD Incentive Scheme (‘CBDI 2.0’) will be in effect from 07 February 2025 to 06 February 2030¹ and will apply to all Outline Applications submitted within the validity period of the scheme. URA will review the effectiveness and relevance of the scheme at the end of this period. URA reserves the right to vary or change the specific requirements outlined in the scheme during this five-year period.

¹ The scheme will apply to Outline Applications submitted before or on 06 February 2030 leading to URA’s in-principle support for the proposal.  

Building owners of developments in strategic areas across Singapore may make use of the SDI Scheme in their applications for re-development if it meets the eligibility criteria.

The planning parameters for which deviations may be considered under the SDI Scheme are: 

• GPR/GFA;

• Land Use and Use Quantum;

• Building Height

The SDI Scheme is open to applications from building owners for developments in strategic areas across Singapore that meet the eligibility criteria.

In particular, applications to redevelop existing developments in Orchard Road, Central Business District (CBD) and Marina Centre areas are encouraged, in line with the broader planning intention to rejuvenate these areas. Sites that fall within the designated areas for the CBD Incentive Scheme shall be guided by that scheme instead of being considered under the SDI scheme.

Eligibility for consideration under the SDI Scheme is subject to the criteria outlined in the table below: 

SDI Scheme Eligibility Requirements

Note: Exemptions from the eligibility criteria above may be considered where redevelopment has a positive impact beyond the confines of a single site, to contribute to the rejuvenation of the larger street block or precinct, for example:

• The redevelopment helps to plug critical gaps in the planned pedestrian networks for the precinct;

• The redevelopment helps to open up a view corridor or physical access to a key public asset e.g. waterfront, park or public space; or

• If the redevelopment of a single site is large enough on its own to achieve the desired transformational impact.

Redevelopment proposals submitted under the SDI scheme shall be evaluated based on the following criteria:

SDI Scheme Evaluation Criteria

Relevant technical agencies such as LTA and PUB shall be consulted to ensure that any proposed intensification can be supported from an infrastructure planning perspective. URA will guide the proposals to ensure that planning objectives are achieved.

Approval of the proposals shall be subject to the statutory rezoning process and compliance with Rule 4 and Rule 7 of the Planning (Master Plan) Rules.

Proposals under the SDI Scheme shall be submitted as an Outline Application to URA for consideration. If supported, the applicant should follow up to make a formal development application within the stipulated validity period of URA’s in-principle approval of the SDI proposal, unless otherwise agreed by URA. 

Form DC/SDI shall be completed and attached to the submission. The work flow for processing an application is shown in here.

All the relevant appendices and submission forms can be downloaded at <this link>. 

The evaluation by URA under the SDI Scheme is proposal-specific. An application that has been previously approved by the URA shall not be used or taken as a precedent for any other proposals or development applications seeking similar deviations from the planning parameters.

Any additional incentive GFA or development intensity granted under the SDI Scheme may be subject to SLA levying Land Betterment Charge, where applicable.

Proposals are required to submit a Sustainability Statement and (where applicable) a Carbon Optioneering Assessment to consider feasibility of retrofitting part / all of existing building(s) for adaptive reuse.

Proposals should obtain the support of the relevant championing ministries and / or agencies when arts / community / sports / tourism uses are proposed as public contributions.

Any increase in development intensity approved by URA under this scheme shall not count towards the future development potential of the subject site.

Bonus GFA shall not apply for requirements mandated as part of the SDI Scheme. The developments will still be eligible for Bonus GFA granted under other applicable schemes such as balcony or indoor recreational spaces, subject to the prevailing overall cap on Bonus GFA.

Strata subdivision of the commercial component into individual units is not allowed, except when it is to delineate between different commercial uses (subject to URA’s detailed assessment). 

Provision of Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure within the development in accordance with LTA’s prevailing requirements. 

Lease renewals, where applicable, shall be subject to the approval of SLA and assessed in line with the Government’s prevailing lease renewal policy.

Adoption of enhanced Construction Industry Transformation Map (ITM) standards, which include: 

• Minimum Green Mark (GM) Platinum Super Low Energy with Maintainability (Mt) and Whole Life Carbon (Cn) Badges, or any other prescribed standard under the prevailing GM certification framework

• Specific ITM requirements on digitalisation and productivity will be assessed in relation to the context of the proposal. 

Applicants are required to submit the following to BCA: 

• Implementation plan for the ITM requirements imposed for the SDI development proposal;

• Bi-annual progress reports on compliance with ITM requirements during construction of the development; 

• Security deposit pegged to a percentage value of the proposed SDI development, to ensure compliance with ITM requirements. The security deposit will be released with full compliance with ITM requirements upon completion of the development. 

The revised Strategic Development Incentive Scheme (‘SDI 2.0’) will be in effect from 07 February 2025 to 06 February 2030¹ and will apply to all Outline Applications submitted within the validity period of the scheme. URA will review the effectiveness and relevance of the scheme at the end of this period.

URA reserves the right to vary or change the specific requirements outlined in the scheme during this five-year period.

¹ The scheme will apply to Outline Applications submitted before or on 06 February 2030 leading to URA’s in-principle support for the proposal. 

All buildings in commercial developments shall be sufficiently set back from the road and common boundary. The setback distance is measured from the road reserve¹ line or boundary line to the external wall of the buildings, excluding land to be vested to the State for road and/or drainage purpose.

All buildings in commercial developments fronting a public road shall provide a road buffer, the width of which depends on the hierarchy of the road. A green buffer shall be set aside in the road buffer depending on the width of the road buffer.

The buffer requirements for the Road Categories 1 to 5 are in the tables below.

¹ Road Reserve: The plot of land to be vested in the State as required under the Street Works Act. It is demarcated by the line of Road Reserve in the Road Line Plan and the site boundary.

Road Buffer and Green Buffer

Commercial developments in the Central Area are guided by the urban design requirements, which may allow the development to abut the road reserve at the front.

Commercial developments outside the Central Area may abut the road reserve at the front, if there is site constraint or if there is an intention to retain the existing streetscape which is abutting the road reserve/road widening line.

Common Boundary Setback & Planting Strip

Ancillary structures are minor structures erected to support the main use of the site. The building setback distance and height control for ancillary structures are shown in the table below.

Ancillary structures located within the green buffer may be assessed in accordance with NPARKS' guidelines – see here.

Ancillary structures located within the physical buffer and building setback that exceed the requirements in the table below, but are below 6m in height, shall be evaluated depending on the merits of the design and function.

Setback and Height Control for Ancillary Structures

The building setback for multi-storey car parks (MSCP) is detailed below.

Building Setback for MSCP

Setback for Building Appendages

The overall building height for commercial developments are determined by the number of storeys and the prescribed floor-to-floor height.

The number of storeys for commercial developments is guided by the building height plan.

If the storey height is not specified in the building height plan, the number of storeys shall be evaluated by taking into consideration the location, site context, site topography, and impact of the commercial development on the surroundings.

Basement storeys that protrude more than 1.0m above ground level on any side shall be counted as a storey.

The maximum floor-to-floor height for commercial developments is 5m, including mezzanine floor.

Variations in floor-to-floor height are subject to evaluation depending on the use and location of the floor. If permitted, the proposed building height shall not exceed the maximum building height control computed based on the permitted number of storeys.

Unless otherwise stated, the overall building height¹ of commercial developments is subject to compliance with the technical height controls of the relevant agencies such as Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA). 

¹ Building height is based on Singapore Height Datum (SHD). 

Predominant Sky Terrace Storeys (PSTS) are floors where the sky terrace areas within the 45-degree line occupy at least 60% of the floor plate. 

If the proposed number of storeys in the development is more than 7 storeys, commercial developments with PSTS may be allowed additional building height depending on the number of storeys proposed as shown in the table below:

Additional Building Height based on Proposed Storey Height

The additional building height may only be distributed to the sky terrace floors within the development. Spaces for M&E services located directly beneath the sky terrace floor may be included in the additional height.

The overall building height is subject to technical height controls.

The additional building height shall not apply to:

1. Developments within Conservation Areas and sites with National Monuments;

2. Developments with height control of 6 storeys or less; or

3. Developments with special controls e.g. areas with street block plans.

In addition to (a) – (c), any additional building height will be subject to evaluation for developments adjacent to conserved buildings or in urban design areas with site-specific height considerations.

A basement storey refers to a storey of a building which may be partially or wholly below the existing ground level. In so far as storey height control is concerned, basement storeys that protrude more than 1.0m above ground level on any side shall be counted as a storey. 

The physical limit which the basement may be built up to is shown in the table below.

Basement Setback

¹ Road Reserve: The plot of land to be vested in the State as required under the Street Works Act. It is demarcated by the line of Road Reserve in the Road Line Plan and the site boundary.

Basements with vertical openings on the side walls may be allowed only if they are required for natural ventilation and to meet the building regulations. The guidelines are as follows:

• While the protrusion measured from the level at the site boundary shall not exceed 1.0 m, basements may be exposed up to 2.0 m from the point where the platform level meets the basement wall (ie the earth around the basement wall may be cut to slope down to achieve the 2.0 m basement exposure with openings).

• The extent of the slope within the green buffer or planting strip shall have a gradient of 1:2.5.

• Vertical cutting of the earth resulting in a trench around the basement is not allowed.

• The extent of the vertical openings or the types of cover over the vertical openings shall be subject to the requirements of the other technical departments.

• Horizontal openings to the basement are allowed within the setback distance outside the green buffer and planting strip, subject to provision of effective screening to hide the view to the basement.

Special and Detailed Control Plans (SDCP) provide detailed guidelines for specific areas. The SDCPs may be viewed here.

The following areas may be subject to security screening requirements. URA will confirm this upon submission of a proposed development.

Qualified Persons (QPs) should consider the screening requirements in the early stage of their planning and design to avoid abortive work subsequently.

Where security screening is deemed necessary, it shall consist of permanent fixtures that are difficult, if not impossible to remove. The following screening measures may be considered:

Residential units and common areas may be screened where necessary with blank walls, external concrete/metal fins, or the building may be re-orientated such that the windows¹/openings/balconies do not have direct view towards the protected area.

¹ Window: Raised openings that are at least 0.9m above the floor slab. They are intended to provide ventilation and lighting, and not for access. Full height windows and windows that are lower than 0.9m that can potentially be used as access points will need to be highlighted in the submission plans for URA’s evaluation and approval.

The parapet wall at the rooftop shall be at least 3m high and access to the rooftop from a public area shall be secured by a lockable door/hatch. The door/hatch may be electronically linked to an alarm system monitored by the building management.

Street block plans guide the detailed setback, storey height and building height, for the following locations. Click on the reference links to view the detailed street block plan.

Guidelines on Urban Design (UD) intentions are to preserve and enhance the urban character of the different planning areas. They help to ensure that developments integrate well with their surrounding urban environment.

Developments in the Central Area and Key Growth areas (such as Jurong Gateway, Paya Lebar Central, Punggol Digital District and Woodlands Central), may be guided by specific urban design requirements, where the planning intention is to introduce activity generating uses. These urban design requirements shall take precedence over the standard development control parameters.

Refer toURA SPACE for the Urban Design Guidelines Plan and designated AGU areas.

AGUs help to activate and enliven streets; contributing to its vibrancy, providing key basic amenities, and attracting visitor-ship to the precincts. The following situations may require AGUs:

1. Urban Design Areas shown in the Special and Detailed Control Plan (SDCP) Street Block and Urban Design Plan;

2. Government Land Sale (GLS) sites where AGUs are required as part of the Technical Conditions of Tender;

3. Sites that undergo redevelopment or major A&A works and where AGUs are required as part of the planning conditions issued for these works;

4. Other areas as directed and specified by the Competent Authority.

AGUs may be required to be provided in the following typical locations:

1. 1^st storey of developments fronting key streets, pedestrian malls, through block links, and public spaces;

2. Alongside underground pedestrian links (UPLs) at the basement levels of the developments;

3. Alongside elevated pedestrian links (EPLs) at the 2^nd storey of the developments.

The proposed AGUs in the above locations are to be assessed contextually, taking into account the planning intention for the area and potential amenity problems that will impact on the surrounding developments. Uses not allowed are those that do not directly contribute to street vibrancy and/or can potentially cause amenity problems to neighbours.

Example of uses that may be considered as Activity Generating Uses (AGUs) are:

• Shop

• Showroom/ galleries 

• Restaurant

• Pet shop/pet grooming

• Banks, adjoining or independent ATM clusters

• Commercial school

• Childcare centre/kindergarten

• Gym/fitness centre

• Visitor Centre/ museum

• Hotel/ Backpackers’ hostel

• Self-service laundry

The following uses are not AGUs:

• Office

• Bar

• Nightclub

• Massage establishment

• LAN gaming centre

To maintain the integrity and aesthetics of the waterfront areas so that the public can have free and unrestricted access to enjoy these spaces, developments at major waterbodies¹ shall observe the design and development application submission guidelines below.

¹ Major waterbodies: rivers, canals of at least 17.5m width, reservoirs, and seas.

1. Retaining Walls

   Retaining walls along the waterbodies may be allowed subject to the following criteria:

   1. Retaining walls are less than 1.5m in height;

   2. Retaining walls are set back at least 300mm from the boundary;

   3. Retaining walls are covered with creepers.

2. Boundary Walls/Fences

   For non-industrial developments, proposed boundary fences shall be porous (eg chained-link, metal-grille, or timber fence).
   For industrial developments, the following may be allowed:

   1. Solid boundary walls not exceeding 1.8m in height. The walls shall be aesthetically treated.

   2. Chain-linked fences not exceeding 1.8m in height with close planting of shrubs/vegetation as screenings. A planting strip of 0.5m width (minimum) shall be provided within the development.

3. Slope

   There shall be no abrupt change in slope gradient at the boundary between the development and the waterbody. The slope gradient shall not exceed 1:2.

4. Conservation of Vegetation

   Mature vegetation along the waterbodies are to be saved and conserved, wherever possible.

In all waterbodies-related development application submissions to URA, the following shall be provided, where applicable:

• Site/Location Plan showing the width and alignment of Drainage Reserve²/Waterbody/Coastal Profile;

• Layout plans and cross-sections showing the area between the site and the Drainage Reserve/Waterbody/Coastal Area including existing and proposed ground levels;

• Design details of integration with waterbody including slope, retaining wall, and boundary wall/fencing (Height, Type, Screening);

• Contour lines extending to 1m beyond the side of development fronting the Drainage Reserve/Waterbody/Sea;

• Checklist for Waterbodies-related proposals.

² Drainage Reserve (DR): An area safeguarded for purposes of building or widening a public drain

The design guidelines listed above shall apply to all developments adjacent to or with waterbodies except developments adjacent to or with Drainage Reserves less than 17.5m.

All proposals involving waterbodies shall comply with the development application submission guidelines listed above.

For land use planning and development control purposes, the foreshore³ and the area within 15m on both the landward and seaward side of the foreshore line⁴ shall be kept free of structures. Some structures such as ramps may be permitted if they are constructed in connection with an approved development (eg marine industries, refineries, and pleasure-boat storage complex). These structures are subject to planning evaluation depending on merits.

³ The area between the high water mark of the Spring Tide or the top of the seawall and the low water mark of the Spring Tide.

⁴ The high water mark of the Spring Tide; the top of the existing seawall or revertment or river wall (where appropriate) for controlling landward development.

LTA prescribes the parking provision standards and requirements for motor vehicles and bicycles. The requirements are usually based on the quantum of the gross floor area or the number of units of the development uses.

Separately, to enhance commuter experience and reduce congestion at Pick-up and Drop-off Points (PUDOs), LTA and URA collaborated with the industry to develop a design guide for PUDOs containing best practices that building owners and professionals can consider applying to new and existing PUDOs.

Under LTA’s Range-based Parking Provision Standards (RPPS), developments are subject to car and motor-cycle¹ parking provision requirements.

Unless explicitly approved as private parking lots in the approved plans, all car and motor-cycle parking lots shall be treated as common property.

¹ Motor-cycle parking provision is mandatory in all non-residential developments.

The RPPS allows developments to provide any level of car and motor-cycle parking provision within a specified range, defined by a lower bound and an upper bound – see figure below. The range varies according to location zones and land uses. Details may be found in LTA’s Code of Practice for Vehicle Parking Provision in Developments.

New commercial and mixed use² developments shall be subject to a process of waiver evaluation by LTA, if one wishes to provide surplus car and motor-cycle parking lots, ie parking provision above the upper bound based on the new RPPS.

If LTA approves the waiver, each surplus car parking lot shall be computed as 35sqm GFA, that being the average area of a car parking lot inclusive of circulation space. Each surplus motor-cycle parking lot shall be computed as 12sqm GFA.

Additional GFA arising from the surplus car and motor-cycle parking lots may be subject to SLA levying Land Betterment Charge, where applicable.

² Developments with commercial and/or hotel components that form more than 20% of the total GFA

Existing commercial developments within the Central Area (PDF, 1.02 MB) or within 400m of MRT and LRT stations may be allowed to permanently convert their surplus car parking lots³ to other uses.

LTA may consider conversion of car parks up to the lower bound as stipulated in the RPPS. Interested building owners are to arrange for a pre-application consultation with LTA before submitting a development application to URA.

The conversion of surplus car park may be allowed subject to compliance with ALL of the following:

• The proposed uses shall be in line with the Master Plan zoning for the site and the planning intention for the surrounding area. The detailed uses and any changes to the building form and design shall be subject to evaluation by URA and the relevant agencies.

• The existing infrastructure and traffic network shall be able to support the increase in GFA and uses, and take into consideration proposed measures to mitigate traffic generation.

• The resultant car parking provision shall be able to support the additional GFA and proposed uses.

• Additional GFA arising from the conversion may be subject to SLA levying Land Betterment Charge, where applicable. The additional GFA arising from the conversion of surplus car parking, detailed uses and any changes to the building form and design shall be subject to evaluation by URA and the relevant agencies.

• Requests for conversion of surplus car parks may not be supported for sites where there are specific conditions imposed in planning approval or the government land sale that restrict the conversion of the surplus car parking spaces, or sites located within or adjacent to Conservation Areas where additional car parking spaces are needed to support the uses within the conserved buildings.

Additional GFA gained via the conversion of surplus car parking spaces shall not be taken into consideration in determining the maximum permissible intensity that may be allowed for the re-development of the site.

Where surplus car parking spaces were allowed by LTA through a waiver application to exceed the upper bound of the Range-based Parking Provision Standards (RPPS) after 1 Feb 2019, the development will not be allowed to convert any of the surplus car parking spaces to other uses.

³ With the RPPS, surplus car parking lots in existing developments may arise if the upper bound for the development type is revised downward and/or if developments choose to reduce car parking provision to the lower bound set out by the RPPS.

Conversion of Surplus Car Parking Spaces within Central Area

In line with the planning intention to encourage conversion of office developments to Residential, Hotel and other mixed uses within the CBD, only applications for conversion of existing surplus car parking spaces to non-office uses (see examples in the table below) will be considered in selected areas where CBD Incentive Scheme applies.

For the rest of the Central Area, conversion of surplus car parking spaces to non-office uses is also highly encouraged, in line with the planning intention to inject more live-in population in the city.

To promote a car-lite society, commercial and mixed use developments shall provide bicycle parking facilities within the developments. Refer to LTA’s Code of Practice for Vehicle Parking Provision in Developments here for the list of requirements.

Unless explicitly approved as private parking lots in the approved plans, all bicycle parking lots shall be treated as common property.

Bicycle parking lots provided according to LTA’s new standards are exempted from GFA computation. Surplus provision of bicycle parking lots may be exempted from GFA computation depending on merits and context of the development.

We advise all building owners, developers and QPs to refer to the Loading Bay Design and Operations Best Practice Guide when developing new commercial buildings or when redeveloping existing commercial buildings, especially for buildings with large retail components.

This guide provides information, best practices and recommendations regarding the design and operation of the loading bays within commercial buildings, to achieve the following objectives:

• Efficient loading/unloading turnaround time

• Improve traffic safety and goods flow

• Adapt to changing delivery trends

In cases where it is difficult to adhere to the good practice for the design and operation of the loading bays, we encourage buildings owners to explore other means to achieve the same design and operation principles.

The Best Practice Guide supplements the technical agencies’ prevailing Code of Practices, requirements or design standards, which should take precedence.

All commercial developments and commercial buildings of mixed commercial and residential developments shall provide covered walkways along the periphery of the building facing roads and pedestrian routes.

Covered walkways for commercial developments in the Central Area may be guided by urban design requirements. These urban design requirements shall take precedence over the standard development control parameters.

The specific urban design requirements for each planning area within the Central Area can be found on our Urban Design Website.

The soffit height of covered walkways is 3.6m.

Where higher ceiling height is desired, glass or other cladding may be provided at the edge of the covered walkway to achieve the 3.6m height.

A higher soffit height may be allowed in independent developments provided the walkway width is increased correspondingly to maintain the 45-degree angle, at main entrances to facilitate articulation, and on urban design grounds.

The minimum width for covered walkways varies depending on the location of the site and proximity to transport nodes. These are subject to urban design guidelines for selected locations with higher footfall eg Central Area, Regional Centres and Key Growth Areas. For walkways wider than the minimum requirement, GFA exemption may be considered depending on merits of the proposal.

Covered Walkway Width Requirements

Covered walkways shall be provided at the periphery of the buildings next to or facing public roads.

The walkways shall be continuous, providing connections into the interior of the building, open space or open walkway. All ramps leading into the interior of the building shall begin outside the covered walkway.

Covered walkways shall be seamlessly connected to adjoining developments. Covered linkways shall be provided between non-party wall developments.

All level differences within the covered walkways shall be mitigated with ramps and not steps. For covered linkways between developments, steps are only allowed for steep gradient where ramping is not possible. All ramps leading into the interior of the building shall begin outside the covered walkway.

Covered walkways shall be kept free from all obstructions. All building services and services which may cause obstruction when maintenance works are being carried out shall be located within the building.

The platform level of covered walkways shall match the platform level of the open walkways.

• For open walkways that are at or to be raised to the Minimum Platform Level¹

  

  The covered walkways shall be built to the minimum platform level or other level stipulated by PUB so that they match the existing or proposed platform level of the open walkways.
  
  Steps or ramps shall be provided to link to covered walkways in adjacent buildings which are not raised. The steps or ramps shall be levelled when the adjacent buildings are raised.

• For open walkways that are below the Minimum Platform Level

  

  The covered walkways may be allowed below the minimum platform level or other level stipulated by PUB so that they match the existing platform level of the open walkways.
  
  The first storey of the building shall be raised to the minimum platform level, with provision of steps or ramps for access.

¹ Minimum Platform Level (MPL): The minimum 1st storey level to be provided within the site. The MPL is determined by the Public Utilities Board (PUB).

Retail Unit Size

The average retail unit size shall not be less than 50sqm. Average retail unit size is determined using the following formula:

The width requirements for internal corridor are dependent on the number of commercial units it serves, and are detailed in the table below.

Internal Corridor Width

¹ Primary corridors are thoroughfares where high foot traffic is expected. These are typically the routes between the main entrances and exits of the development. Each commercial development shall provide at least 1 primary corridor and indicate this on plan.

² Secondary corridors refer to all other corridors.

For other types of corridor width requirements, refer to relevant guidelines (eg. BCA Approved Document and SCDF Fire Code). Where a corridor is required to fulfil other functions (eg. Accessible Corridor), the minimum corridor width shall take reference from whichever corridor width requirement that is greater.

Note: A wider corridor width may be required for corridors with expected heavy pedestrian traffic.

RC flat roofs shall remain inaccessible except for maintenance purposes only¹. Activating the rooftop for uses such as roof terraces and landscaped gardens may be allowed depending on the merits of the proposal. No structures shall be allowed unless otherwise approved by URA. Where allowed, structures (including any safety barriers) shall comply with height controls² and the following guidelines.

¹ RC flat roofs that are accessible via ladders for maintenance purposes only are subject to agencies’ requirements for safety barriers to ensure the safety of maintenance personnel. Safety barriers shall not exceed 1m in height.

² Height controls applicable, include:

• Absolute technical height constraints^@ (e.g. Aviation paths restrictions, military and telecommunications installations).

• Conservation guidelines (available at URA SPACE)

• Urban design height controls (available at URA SPACE)

^@ The absolute technical height (Based on Singapore Height Datum [SHD]) shall take precedence if it is stricter than any of the other height controls.

Communal pavilions are small-scale, ancillary landscaping features that function as sheltered, open-sided resting points. Access to communal pavilions shall be from common areas only. The pavilions shall be computed as GFA unless they meet the following criteria:

• Maximum 500sqm¹ or 50% of roof coverage, whichever is lower.

• For developments which have reached the allowable storey height control, the pavilions shall remain open-sided when viewed externally. This is to ensure that the pavilions do not form an additional storey.

• For developments which have not reached the allowable storey height or are not located within areas subject to storey height control, maximum 50% perimeter enclosure of the rooftop pavilions may be allowed.

• Communal pavilions shall be integrated with lush greenery. The greenery on the rooftop shall be both enjoyable by the building users and visible from the surroundings.

• Plants shall be incorporated on permanent and preferably sunken planting, planned with sufficient soil depth based on the types of plants proposed. Some space shall be set aside for the provision of communal facilities and furniture to enhance the rooftop.

• A Landscape Plan and relevant sections for ground/rooftop spaces containing communal pavilions, showing the proposed landscaping scheme, pavilion dimensions, planting palette, soil depth, communal facilities, shall be submitted with the Development Application.

¹ The area is defined as the area of pavilion measured up to the roof eaves line.

The installation of solar panels on RC flat roofs may be considered if they meet the following criteria:

1. Solar panels are installed between 10 to 15 degrees relative to the horizontal plane to optimise the performance of solar panels and minimise glare to the buildings in the vicinity; and

2. The installation of solar panels shall not result in the removal of any greenery approved under the Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises (LUSH) Programme.

Installation of solar panels and M&E equipment such as inverters for the solar panel system does not require planning permission except in locations and contexts described below.

1. Areas subject to urban design guidelines and Conservation Areas² shall require planning permission due to their impact on the roofscape.
   ² For Conservation Areas, installation of solar panels without any additional works are treated as localised works for the purpose of repair and maintenance and are considered Category 3 works for Conserved Buildings. Applications for such Category 3 works can be made by owners and contractors. Refer to the Conservation Guidelines here and information on submission procedure here.

2. Elevated solar panels³ located in developments on the following land use zones shall require planning permission:

³ A solar panel is deemed to be elevated if it is raised more than 1m from the roof level for landed housing developments or 1.8m from the roof level for other developments.

3. Spaces under solar panels are enclosed or put to commercial use
   Planning permission shall be required if the spaces under elevated or non-elevated solar panels are enclosed or put to commercial uses such as Outdoor Refreshment Areas. In such instances, the spaces shall be computed as GFA.

Elevated solar panels that require planning permission may be assessed as an additional storey for storey height control purposes unless they comply with the guidelines below:

Guidelines for Elevated Solar Panels

LUSH is a comprehensive urban and skyrise greening programme comprising both Landscape Replacement Areas (LRA) requirements and incentives to provide greenery and communal spaces.

The LRA requirements are calibrated by location, GPR and development type. A development may count Sky Terraces, Communal Planter Boxes and Covered Communal Ground Gardens (see Greenery sub-tabs) amongst other features, towards meeting the LRA requirement.

Applicants may refer to the following self-help checklists for the applicable greenery requirements and information to be submitted for assessment: for private developments here and public sector developments here.

Developments in identified Strategic Areas shall provide LRA that is minimally equivalent to the development’s gross site area, as shown in the table and diagram below. At least 40% of the LRA requirement shall be reserved for softscape (permanent planting) areas. The remaining LRA requirement may be provided as hardscape.

The Green Plot Ratio (GnPR) provides an objective measure of the density of greenery within a site. The formula for computing GnPR and the minimum GnPR requirement is as follows:

The Total Leaf Area shall be computed based on the Leaf Area Index (LAI) for each plant species, canopy area (for trees and palms) and the quantity planted. The plant species sub-categories and LAI values may be obtained online from NParks’ Flora Fauna Web by searching the common or scientific names of plants.

LRA Requirements for Developments in Strategic Areas

¹ Building height is based on Singapore Height Datum (SHD).

The Strategic Areas are as follows:

• Within Central Area: Downtown Core (part), Straits View (part), Marina South, and Orchard (part) Planning Areas, as well as 2 mixed-use parcels along Orchard Boulevard in Paterson Hill Subzone (see Plan 1-1);

• Outside of Central Area: Regional Centres and Growth Areas including the Jurong Lake District, Kallang Riverside, Woodlands Regional Centre, Punggol Creative Cluster, Tampines Regional Centre and Paya Lebar Central as well as commercial and commercial/residential developments within Town Centres (see Plans 1-2 to 1-26).

List of Strategic Areas

The LRA requirement is not applicable to conserved buildings in historic conservation areas. URA may exercise flexibility on LRA requirements when evaluating individual developments affected by specific constraints.

The table below shows the guidelines for computation of LRAs in Strategic Areas. LRA in Strategic Areas is the sum of:

• Horizontal surface area of the softscape eg permanent planting beds;

• Horizontal surface area of the hardscape eg communal facilities, urban farm; and

• Vertical surface area of green walls and extensive green roofs (if any).

Guidelines for LRAs in Strategic Areas

Outside of the Strategic Areas, all sites zoned Commercial, Residential with Commercial at 1st storey, Commercial and Residential, Hotel and White shall be required to meet minimum greening standards, tiered according to the development’s GPR as shown in the table below.

LRA Requirements for Developments Outside Strategic Areas

The Green Plot Ratio provides an objective measure of the density of greenery within a site. The formula for computing GnPR and the minimum GnPR requirement is as follows:

The Total Leaf Area shall be computed based on the Leaf Area Index (LAI) for each plant species, canopy area (for trees and palms) and the quantity planted. The plant species sub-categories and LAI values may be obtained online from NParks’ Flora Fauna Web by searching the common or scientific names of plants.

The general guidelines of LRA are shown in the table below. The computation of the LRAs outside the Strategic Areas is the sum of:

• Horizontal surface area of the softscape eg permanent planting beds; and

• Vertical surface area of green walls (if any).

Guidelines for LRAs in Outside Strategic Areas

A Landscape Plan for all Landscape Replacement Areas shall be submitted together with the Development Application, as illustrated below.

The plans shall include:

• Relevant plans, cross sections and perspectives with layouts of the softscape and hardscape areas. The softscape and hardscape areas shall be visually differentiated on plans with the following details:

  • Computations of the overall LRA, softscape areas and Green Plot Ratio;

  • Proposed schedule and annotation of plant species and paving materials;

  • Where relevant, annotations of ancillary uses eg Swimming Pool, BBQ Area, etc.;

  • Where relevant, annotations of the 45-degree line;

  • Short statement on the proposed maintenance and irrigation methods for the planting.

Label and package the landscape plans and sections separately from the rest of the floor plans, and separate the softscape and hardscape areas into different layers.

URA’s approval is required if there are changes to the softscape areas (eg planting and structure of the planting beds) and hardscape areas that result in an overall reduction in area for the required LRAs.

URA’s approval is not required for changes to the planting species as long as the softscape and Green Plot Ratio requirements are complied with.

The following table for GnPR computation shall be filled in and submitted together with the landscape plans.

Green Plot Ratio Computation Template

Beyond the various LUSH requirements, building owners and developers are strongly encouraged to adopt the following good practices in their landscape designs to further integrate nature into the urban environment:

Building owners and developers should also continue to exercise care in their landscaping design, including the curation of the planting palette. For example, selection of specific plant species that minimises attraction of pests.

The following incentive schemes can be used throughout the development to provide greenery and communal spaces.

Sky terraces are communal garden spaces provided at the intermediate storeys of a building.

To qualify for GFA exemption, sky terraces shall comply with the criteria in the following table.

To qualify for GFA exemption, communal planter boxes shall comply with the following criteria:

• Maximum width of 1m;

• Minimum depth of 500mm (for planting purpose);

• To be sufficiently externalized.

Communal planter boxes which are more than 1.0m wide may be allowed if the wider planter boxes are part of an overall scheme with design merit.

Details of the communal planter boxes, including planting palette, spot sections showing soil depth, and dimensions shall be provided as part of the storey plans.

Communal planter boxes shall be designed with safety and maintainability provisions in mind.

Covered Communal Ground Gardens (C2G2) are on-ground greenery spaces at the 1^st storey. The garden should flow seamlessly between the covered and uncovered spaces of the 1^st storey and designed to be bright and airy with quality landscaping. There are two types of C2G2:

1. Predominant C2G2s shall occupy at least 50% of the first storey building footprint. Within the covered garden area, a minimum of 60% shall be lushly landscaped, while the remaining 40% can be set aside for meaningful communal gathering and activity spaces, and unenclosed communal facilities. These spaces may include garden paths, playgrounds, and covered pools. Covered drop-off points may be considered as part of the C2G2 if well-integrated, paved with appropriate material and integrated with lush landscaping.

2. Secondary C2G2 are communal landscaped areas on the 1^st storey which are shaded by a structure or a floor or overhang above. These may be exempted from GFA computation up to a maximum area defined by a 45-degree line taken from the edge of the overhead projection. The GFA-exempted communal areas within the 45-degree line shall contain quality lush landscaping with a variety of vegetation.

All areas of C2G2 spaces shall be easily accessible to the public and/or building users during normal opening hours for the development. The communal ground garden shall not be easily enclosed and converted to any other uses in the future.

For GFA exemption for C2G2, refer to the GFA handbook. URA will assess the C2G2’s design, spatial quality and overall integration with the wider landscaping scheme in considering the proposal’s eligibility for GFA exemption.

A landscape plan shall be submitted as part of the Development Application for the predominant covered ground garden proposal, showing the proposed landscaping scheme.

Communal pavilions are small-scale, ancillary landscaping features that function as sheltered, open-sided resting points. Access to the pavilions shall be from the common areas only.

In addition to being sited within lushly landscaped areas, they shall satisfy the criteria below to qualify for GFA exemption:

Guidelines for Communal Pavilions

A Landscape Plan and relevant sections for ground/rooftop spaces containing communal pavilions, showing the proposed landscaping scheme, pavilion dimensions, planting palette, soil depth, communal facilities, shall be submitted with the Development Application.

Commercial developments with expected high pedestrian and cyclist traffic are required to provide a WCP as part of the Development Application. As a guide, development types listed in the table below are subject to WCP requirement.

Development Types that require WCP as part of TIA¹

Developments not listed in the table above may also be required to submit a WCP if they fall under the following criteria:

• Developments located in car-lite precincts⁴; or

• Developments located within 400m of major transport nodes, ie within Zone 2⁵; or

• Retail, Office, Mixed Use developments.

Applicants of developments meeting the above criteria are strongly encouraged to check in early with LTA for the requirement of a WCP. See the diagram below for the submission flowchart to LTA and URA.

¹ Developments that have a master developer, and consist of two or more plots that staged at different time will also be required to submit a WCP at the concept design stage.

² LTA and URA will work with HDB on the WCP requirements.

³ Only industrial developments located within car-lite precincts or 400m of major transport nodes ie within Zone 2, will be required to submit a WCP.

⁴ The five car-lite precincts are Bayshore, Jurong Lake District, Kampong Bugis, Marina South and Woodlands North.

⁵ Zone 2 as defined in the Zonal Car Parking requirement in the Code of Practice on Vehicle Parking Provision in Development proposals. Please refer to LTA's website for more details.

The WCP shall consider the safety, convenience, and accessibility of pedestrians and cyclists, and incorporate the following elements in the design of the development:

• Provision of convenient and direct access from nearby public transport facilities and adjacent developments;

• Provision of measures to minimise conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles at locations such as the vehicular ingress/egress, car park entrances, and drop-off points;

• Provision of sufficient and conveniently located bicycle parking spaces and supporting amenities such as shower facilities and lockers;

• Provision of way-finding signage to public transport facilities and amenities for cyclists; and

• Provision of barrier-free access and routes for children, elderly and the mobility challenged groups.

The detailed guidelines on WCP and submission requirements are summarised in LTA’s Code of Practice “Street Work Proposals Relating to Development Works”.

To provide assistance on developing active mobility-related infrastructure in a holistic manner, a Walking & Cycling Design Guide has been produced as a supplement to the respective agencies’ prevailing COPs, engineering and development standards. The Guide can be downloaded here.

Areas where strata subdivision of the commercial component of commercial and mixed-use developments may not be allowed are as follows:

URA may also impose strata subdivision restrictions on other sites of strategic importance in Central Area and Outside Central Area based on the context and significance of each site.

Restrictions on strata subdivision will also be imposed on developments that are approved under the CBD Incentive Scheme or Strategic Development Incentive (SDI) Scheme.

As the intention of the guidelines is to limit the number of strata lots within a development to avoid fragmented ownership, strata subdivision for the purpose of delineating boundaries between different uses within mixed-use developments will continue to be permitted. For example, office and retail uses within a development can each form a strata lot.

To improve the overall connectivity network, building owners/developers are encouraged to construct direct subterranean connections from nearby developments to existing and future RTS stations. The UPL shall form part of the public circulation network, designed to be barrier-free, and be directly accessible from common public areas during the operating hours of the RTS.

Activity-generating uses such as shops and eating establishments shall be incorporated along one or both sides of the UPL linking to the RTS station.

The UPL shall be open during operating hours of the RTS station/normal business operation hours for public use. Signage indicating opening hours shall be provided at the entrances of the link.

• The UPL shall provide a clear walkway width of:

  • 6 – 7m for UPLs without shops or with single-loaded uses

  

  • 7m for a UPLs with double-loaded uses

  

• The UPL shall provide a clear minimum ceiling height of 4m.

• The activity-generating uses may be allowed a maximum total depth of 14m.

• Given its function as a public thoroughfare, the walkway of the UPL may be exempted from GFA computation subject to the compliance with the criteria above. For walkways more than 7m wide, GFA exemption may be considered depending on the merits of the proposal.

• The activity-generating use shall be computed as GFA and may be computed over and above the allowable GPR as stipulated in the prevailing Master Plan or permissible GFA for the development.

• The GFA for this additional commercial space is not transferrable and shall not form the future development potential of the site upon redevelopment.

• Additional GFA from activity-generating use may be subject to SLA levying Land Betterment Charge, where applicable.

• Properly annotated plans and sections showing the proposed UPL in relation to the adjoining developments and nearby RTS station shall be submitted for evaluation by URA.

• Since a UPL will occupy State land, the developer/owner shall obtain SLA’s endorsement for the submitted plans.

Earthworks are defined as any operations or works in, on, or over land which result in substantial modification to the existing ground terrain, land form, or slope. These include excavation, formation of a new slope or embankment, and cut and fill operations.

Extensive earthworks are discouraged as it may change the existing terrain. Earthworks may also result in the building of high retaining walls that mar the streetscape and have adverse impacts on the surrounding areas. Earthworks on any development site, where necessary, shall be minimised.

Planning permission is required if earthworks involve more than 2,000sqm of land or change in the level of the land of more than 1.5m anywhere in the development site or relative to the neighbouring land.

The guidelines for earthworks are dependent on where the earthworks are carried out.

Earthworks may not be allowed within the building setback area, except in the following circumstances:

• When the proposed earthworks are to match the existing platform levels of the neighbouring sites;

• When the sites are on undulating or sloping terrain, with large differences in platform levels within the site, or between the site and the road;

• When the earthcut is necessary to build a fully submerged basement. The area within the building setback shall be reinstated to the original platform level upon the completion of the basement.

Earthworks within the build-able area of more than 1m are subject to evaluation depending on merits. If the earthfill of more than 1m is allowed, the earthfilled area shall not be counted as an additional storey provided the overall aggregate building height complies with the maximum allowable building height measured from the allowable platform level.

Earthfill involving the entire development site may only be considered if the proposed earthworks are required to meet the technical requirements of PUB. Such earthfill may be allowed up to the Minimum Platform Level (MPL)¹ stipulated by PUB.

¹ Minimum Platform Level (MPL): The minimum 1^st storey level to be provided within the site. The MPL is determined by the Public Utilities Board (PUB)

The maximum allowable height for boundary walls is 1.8m.

High retaining walls shall be avoided wherever possible, particularly for small in-fill plots. If they have to be built and can be allowed, they shall meet the following requirements:

• the height shall be less than 1.5m;

• retaining walls higher than 1.5m may be considered due to site constraints and the need for extensive excavation;

• the total visible height of the solid boundary-cum-retaining wall shall not exceed 2.8m, of which the solid boundary wall shall not exceed 1.8m.

If the retaining walls are to meet the MPL requirement stipulated by PUB for drainage purposes, the retaining walls along the site boundaries (except along boundaries that abut foreshore, roads, or waterbodies with drainage reserve equal to or more than 17.5m wide) need not be tiered as these are transitory, pending the redevelopment of the neighbouring land to the same MPL.