DC - Flats and Condominiums

Flats and condominiums are non-landed residential developments approved for dwelling purpose. Each residential unit shall have a satisfactory layout for residential purpose comprising bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen and toilets.

Flats and condominiums are allowed in areas zoned Residential, Commercial & Residential, Residential with Commercial at 1^st Storey, White, and Residential/Institution (in the Geylang Planning Area) in the Master Plan. They are not allowed in areas designated only for landed housing developments, except for existing flats and condominiums previously approved in such areas. The residential component within a mixed use development will be approved as flats and will not be accorded condominium status.

Condominiums typically offer more generous provision of communal and recreational facilities than flats developments, and have larger Site Area and more Common Boundary Setback.

For sites zoned Commercial/Residential or Residential with Commercial at 1^st Storey, refer to the Commercial Handbook for the relevant guidelines.

Serviced Apartments (SA) are self-contained apartments with kitchenettes/kitchens, and typically provide support services such as concierge, common dining areas, housekeeping and/or laundry for the residents.

SA units shall meet a minimum unit size of 35 sqm (nett). For proposals with design merits or specific concepts, URA would consider applying the 35 sqm minimum unit size based on the global average of self-contained units (with kitchenette and toilet) and covered communal facilities exclusively for SA tenants’ use¹.

SA shall be rented out for lodging purposes for a minimum period of 7 days or longer, and shall be developed and/or managed under one ownership. Strata subdivision of SA is strictly not allowed.

Support services such as concierge, housekeeping and/or laundry provided for the residents of Serviced Apartments may be allowed. In addition, limited bar/lounge facilities may be permitted, subject to a maximum of 0.3% of the total residential GFA.

SA may be allowed in Residential zone and may also be considered on mixed-use sites where residential uses are allowed.

¹ The following areas would generally be excluded from being considered as covered communal facilities exclusively for co-living tenants’ use:

• Public areas or facilities not exclusive to co-living tenants (e.g. communal areas that double as public cafes, public co-working offices)

• Functional and circulation spaces (e.g. concierge/check-in areas, back-of-house, corridors)

• Open-to-sky areas (e.g. open roof terraces)

Applicants may submit an Outline Application to URA to determine the suitability of the location, the Gross Plot Ratio (GPR) control and the storey height for a proposed SA.

SA may be allowed where the site fronts a major or arterial road (ie Category 1, 2, 3 roads or equivalent) at the fringe of a residential area; or the site is located in a mixed-use area (eg commercial centres, business parks, or abutting medical hubs).

SA shall not be allowed within the designated Landed Housing Areas; areas where SA may potentially cause dis-amenities to the neighbouring residents; and areas where there are already dis-amenities in the surroundings (examples of such areas can be found under the Hotels Handbook).

SA may be considered in mixed-use areas and are not restricted by the category of roads fronting the site. 

Serviced Apartments II (SA2), also known as long-stay Serviced Apartments, is a pilot housing typology for occupants seeking long-term rental accommodation. Being a pilot, flexibility is allowed in the design of SA2 units as long as they achieve a global average unit size of 35 sqm nett. SA2 units need not be self-contained with the full suite of living/dining/kitchen amenities but should minimally be en-suite (i.e. with attached bathroom).

Each SA2 unit shall have a layout that serves as quality and meaningful long-term dwelling. The definition of an SA2 unit should take either of the following forms:

1. An en-suite room (i.e. with attached bathroom); or

2. Multiple bedrooms sharing common amenities such as toilet(s), a living room, a dining room and a kitchen.

SA2 shall be rented out for lodging purposes for a minimum period of 3 months or longer, and shall be developed and/or managed under one ownership. Strata subdivision of SA2 is strictly not allowed.

Support services such as concierge, housekeeping and/or laundry provided for the residents of SA2 may be allowed. In addition, limited bar/lounge facilities may be permitted, subject to a maximum of 0.3% of the total residential GFA.

SA2 may be allowed in Residential zone and may also be considered on mixed-use sites where residential uses are allowed.

Applicants may submit an Outline Application to URA to determine the suitability of the location, the Gross Plot Ratio (GPR) control and the storey height for a proposed SA2.

SA2 may be allowed where the site fronts a major or arterial road or primary access road (ie Category 1, 2, 3, 4 roads or equivalent); or the site is located in a mixed-use area (eg commercial centres, business parks, or abutting medical hubs).

SA2 shall not be allowed within the designated Landed Housing Areas and areas where SA2 may potentially cause dis-amenities to the neighbouring residents.

SA2 may be considered in mixed-use areas. Except for the Upper Circular Road streetblock, SA2 may be considered in the other locations where Serviced Apartments (SA) with minimum 7-day stays, are not allowed (examples of such areas can be found under the Hotels Handbook).

The development potential of a residential development is guided by the Gross Plot Ratio (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.

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.

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

² Street/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 Bonus GFA schemes applicable to flats and condominiums are:

Refer to section on Balconies, Private Enclosed Spaces, Private Roof Terraces, & Indoor Recreation Spaces.

The GFA of conserved bungalows may be computed as additional GFA over and above the GPR stipulated in the prevailing Master Plan.

The incentive is applicable to all bungalows meeting the following criteria:

• Volunteered for conservation or designated for conservation by URA; and

• Located on a site with GPR control.

Submissions of Development Applications involving conserved bungalows shall be made only by a Qualified Person (QP), who is registered as an Architect under the Architects Act and who has in force a practising certificate issued under the Act.

The QP shall demarcate the area of the conserved bungalow in the submission and declare the additional GFA from the conserved bungalow in the application form.

Refer to section on Balconies, Private Enclosed Spaces, Private Roof Terraces, & Indoor Recreation Spaces.

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.

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 is allowed over and above the MP GPR 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 shall not be carried over. In other words, the GPR for the site shall revert to the GPR specified in the prevailing MP.

Although a site may make use of multiple bonus GFA incentive schemes, the total bonus GFA shall not exceed the overall cap of 10% above the MP GPR.

The GFA of balconies in flats and condominium developments may be computed over and above the Master Plan (MP) allowable GPR, subject to a cap of 7% computed based on the proposed residential GFA of the development. The additional GPR may only be used for balcony GFA and shall not form the future development potential of the site upon redevelopment. The additional balcony GFA may be subject to SLA levying Land Betterment Charge, where applicable. When submitting development proposals with balconies, the QP is required to demarcate the balcony area clearly on the Calculation Plan and declare the total balcony area that exceeds the MP allowable GPR.

Existing developments whose GPR have exceeded the Master Plan intensity may qualify for the additional balcony GFA, subject to a cap of 7% of the existing and approved residential GPR inclusive of planter boxes, if any. This does not apply to existing developments whose building form, height or use are not in accordance with the planning intention of the Master Plan, Building Height Plan or Special and Detailed Control Plan. For instance, a flats development within a designated landed housing area shall not qualify for the bonus balcony GFA.

To qualify for the additional GPR only for use as balcony, the balcony designs shall adhere to the following guidelines and submission requirements:

Location	Balconies shall be located away from M&E areas to safeguard the quality and usability of these spaces.
Openness	Balconies shall have a continuous perimeter opening of at least 40%. The portions of a balcony that face a parapet wall (eg a wall between the balconies of two adjoining units) not exceeding 1.3m in height are considered “open”. The QP shall show the computation of perimeter opening for the proposed balconies on the floor plans.
Size	Total balcony size for each dwelling unit is capped at 15% of the internal nett unit size1. 1This excludes voids, balconies, air-conditioner ledges and other external areas, computed to the middle of the walls. The intention is to ensure that the balconies are not disproportionately large relative to the main unit.
Width	Balconies shall have a minimum width of 1.5m as measured from the external building wall. Exceptions to the width requirement may be considered arising from the design merit of the proposal, such as a curved or odd-shaped balcony but the balcony shall be reasonably sized.
Access	Balconies with exclusive access from the kitchen/yard/utility space are treated as service balconies and do not qualify for bonus GFA. Balconies which serve as the only access into a dwelling unit do not qualify for bonus GFA.
Screen	Balconies shall not be enclosed with walls or glass panels as balconies are meant to be semi-outdoor spaces. Blinds are akin to furnishing and can be allowed at balconies without planning permission from URA. Balcony screens (e.g. in the form of vertical fins, louvered panels) may be allowed provided: The balcony screens can be drawn open or retracted fully; and The balcony screens allow for natural ventilation/air flow within the balcony at all times, even when the screens are fully drawn closed. See diagrams below for some possible designs of balcony screens.  Balcony screens shall be designed upfront and approved as part of the Development Application process for all new residential developments with proposed balconies (including the residential component of mixed-use developments). Developers may propose a single screen design or a few designs for the end-users to choose from. Developers shall provide a Letter of Undertaking to be submitted at the Development Application Stage, downloadable via the following link (PDF, 351 KB). The plans shall show the balcony screens in elevation view; one view fully retracted and another view fully closed with a fully retracted view in a plan view. The porosity of the balcony screen shall be annotated, and if the screening is louvred, the individual slats shall be fixed (ie not adjustable). Section cuts of the louvres shall be provided to show that the screening is naturally ventilated at all times, even when closed. If sales gallery and/or show unit(s) is/are erected for the development, developers shall be required to install the approved balcony screen in its actual scale in the show unit of the development. If the balcony screens are not erected within the show unit as it may block the entrance, the developer shall erect a mock-up of the full approved balcony screen elsewhere within the show gallery premises. Mock-ups showing only parts of the approved balcony screen or scaled down versions of the balcony screens installed at the balcony are not allowed. For developments with multiple approved balcony screen designs, mock-ups of all the balcony screen designs shall be installed at the show gallery of the development. A written notice and a detailed drawing of the approved balcony screen showing the overall specifications shall be displayed next to the mock-up balcony screen. The written notice shall include the following: Explicitly state that ‘The balcony shall not be enclosed except with the approved balcony screen’. For balconies where the screen is not installed within the balcony of the show unit itself, the notice shall refer to the mock up balcony screen installed in the other show unit or sales gallery. State that the purchasers shall have the option to have the balcony screen pre-installed in the units and make clear if the purchasers have to bear separate costs for its installation. Under rule 10(4) of Housing Developer Rules, developers shall explicitly state in the unit floor plan in Form 3 that “Balconies shall not to be enclosed except with a balcony screen which has been approved and complies with the Competent Authority’s guidelines”. Developers shall provide purchasers the option to have the approved screening pre-installed at their balconies. This option shall be offered via a side letter at the point of issuance of the Option to Purchase. This is not applicable for developers who choose to pre-install approved screens for all balconies in the development. For existing developments without balcony screens, screens may be installed provided they fulfil the performance criteria above. Subsidiary proprietors who wish to propose balcony screens should adhere to any design guidelines set out by their MCST. Safety grilles are not considered balcony screens, and do not require URA's approval.

A Private Enclosed Space (PES) refers to a semi-outdoor area adjacent to a strata unit. It forms part of the private strata area of units which are sold to homeowners.

The GFA of PES in flats and condominium developments may be computed over and above the Master Plan (MP) allowable GPR, subject to a cap of 7% computed based on the proposed residential GFA of the development. PES approved before 12 January 2013 may not be counted towards the development’s GFA.

To qualify for the bonus GFA scheme, PES shall comply with the guidelines to retain a semi-outdoor character. The structures shall comply with the relevant requirements from technical agencies.

The guidelines for PES are in the table below.

Guidelines on PES

A Private Roof Terrace (PRT) refers to a semi-outdoor area located at the roof level of a strata unit. It forms part of the private strata area of units which are sold to homeowners. To avoid complications at the strata-subdivision stage, these should be clearly annotated as ‘Private Roof Terraces’.

The GFA of PRT in flats and condominium developments may be computed over and above the Master Plan (MP) allowable GPR, subject to a cap of 7% computed based on the proposed residential GFA of the development. PRT approved before 12 January 2013 may not be counted towards the development’s GFA.

To qualify for the bonus GFA scheme, PRT shall comply with the guidelines to retain a semi-outdoor character. The structures shall comply with the relevant requirements from technical agencies.

The guidelines for PRT are in the table below.

Guidelines for Roof Terraces

Communal roof terraces are open to sky areas managed by the MCST which serve to provide landscaping and communal facilities for residents in the development. They shall not be counted as GFA. Covered or enclosed features within these areas shall be counted as GFA¹.

¹ Springing Line: The line joining the points on which the roof rests.

Private non-landed residential developments and the residential component of mixed-use developments may apply for the communal indoor recreation spaces to be computed over and above the Master Plan (MP) allowable GPR, provided such spaces are more than 0.6% of the total proposed residential GFA of the development or 10sqm (whichever is higher). The bonus GFA shall be capped at 1% of the total proposed residential GFA of the development. 

Bonus GFA for Indoor Recreational Space

If the proposed communal indoor recreation spaces are less than 0.6% of the total GFA of the development or 10sqm (whichever is higher), these spaces shall be counted under the main building GFA instead of bonus GFA.

Examples of communal indoor recreation spaces that may qualify for this scheme include gyms, function rooms, libraries, game rooms and reading rooms. Developers may propose other forms of communal indoor recreation spaces for URA’s evaluation. These spaces shall be retained as common property and kept accessible to residents of the development. They shall only be used for non-commercial purposes.

The indoor recreation space bonus GFA scheme shall apply to all development applications for new erection, amendments to approved developments or additions and alterations (A&A) of existing private non-landed residential developments or mixed-use developments with a residential component.

All additional GFA granted under the indoor recreation space bonus GFA scheme shall not form the future development potential of the site.

The following sections detail the formulae to determine the maximum number of dwelling units (DUs) for a development, as well as the required mix of DU sizes to cater to the needs of different buyers (e.g. larger families). These requirements do not apply to HDB flats and Serviced Apartments.

As a guide, all self-contained DUs island-wide shall be at least 35sqm nett¹ in internal area. 

¹ Refers to nett living space of a unit measured to the middle of the walls of the unit but excluding voids, balconies, air-conditioner ledges and other external areas, computed to the middle of the walls. 

Maximum number of DUs

The formula for calculating the maximum allowable number of DUs is intended to derive an upper bound figure. The actual number of DUs that may be supported in any development shall be assessed based on the site context, existing site conditions and the impact on the local infrastructure. URA shall assess the overall layout, design and unit sizes of the residential development proposals, and may add other requirements where necessary to protect the quality of the living environment. 

The following formula applies to all flats and condominiums and residential component of commercial and mixed-use developments (e.g. Residential with Commercial at 1st storey or mixed commercial and residential developments), except those in the Central Area (see Map 1 (PDF, 1.02 MB)) and Maps 2-10 (PDF, 1.92 MB):

The following formula applies to all flats and condominiums and residential component of commercial and mixed-use developments within the estates in Maps 2-10 (PDF, 1.92 MB), due to the potential strain on local infrastructure from the cumulative effect of new developments in these areas.

Mix of DUs

Each development shall provide:

• A minimum of 20% of DUs with nett internal area⁴ of at least 100 sqm

• A maximum of 20% of DUs with nett internal area⁴ of 50 sqm or less

² Excludes bonus GFA (ie if the proposal is a mixed development, only the proposed GFA for the residential component shall be used in the calculation, excluding bonus GFA).

³ The GFA of any proposed strata landed units shall be excluded from the calculation in the formula.

⁴ Refers to nett living space of a unit excluding voids, balconies, air-conditioner ledges and other external areas

Maximum number of DUs

There is no cap on the maximum number of DUs within the Central Area (see Map 1 (PDF, 1.02 MB)). This is because new developments within the Central Area are less likely to put a strain on local infrastructure, as the area is generally well-served by public transport with residents less reliant on private vehicles.

Mix of DUs

All flats and condominiums and residential component of commercial and mixed-use developments shall provide a minimum of 20% of DUs with nett internal area⁴ of at least 70 sqm.

⁴ Refers to nett living space of a unit excluding voids, balconies, air-conditioner ledges and other external areas

The minimum site area for a flats and condominium development is 1,000sqm and 4,000sqm respectively. Condominiums require larger site area to ensure that there is sufficient space for more communal and recreational facilities.

For proposals where terrace or semi-detached houses breakaway for redevelopment into flats & condominiums, the remaining adjacent lots shall be capable of redevelopment into flats & condominiums. The remaining adjacent lots are known as left-behind lots, and shall fulfil the minimum site area of 1,000sqm.

The minimum site area refers to the net area of the site excluding the area of the land required to be set aside for vesting to the State e.g. excluding Drainage Reserve (DR) and/or Road Reserve (RR).

The owner(s) of the left-behind lot(s) do not wish to participate in the redevelopment despite being informed of the limited development potential of his/their land after it is left out of the redevelopment; and

An agreement cannot be reached between the owner(s) of the left-behind lot(s) and the owner of the redevelopment proposal after extensive discussion. There shall be clear documentary evidence of prior negotiation with the owner(s) of the left-behind lot(s).

Site coverage ensures that there are adequate areas set aside for greenery and landscaping within the development.

The computation of site coverage has been simplified to include all building structures that protrude more than 1m from the ground as seen from the top-down ‘Site Plan’ view, and is expressed as a percentage of the net site area. The net site area refers to the area of the site excluding areas to be vested to the State for public roads, public road widening reserves¹, and drainage reserves².

The maximum site coverage for flats and condominiums is 50%.

In the Development Application, the Site Plan shall include a separate site coverage layer for computation purposes. An example is shown 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.

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

Flats and condominiums 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 flats, excluding land to be vested to the State for road or drainage or public purpose.

The setback for flats and condominiums from public roads are determined by the road buffer, which is dependent on the category of the road that the site fronts and the height of development. For roads that are not categorised, the minimum road buffer of 7.5m applies. A green buffer shall also be set aside within the road buffer. The classification of the road category may be obtained from LTA’s Road Interpretation Plan (RIP).  

The type of road buffer & setback are shown in the diagram above, and are detailed in Tables 1 & 2.

Bay windows, ledges, roof eaves and other minor building features may encroach into the setback distance up to the extent shown in Table 3 below.

Exceptions to the setback and buffer requirements are listed below:

• Sites with street block controls (refer to the Street Block Plans section);

• Party-wall³ developments (to be assessed upon formal submission of a proposed development);

• Flats and condominium developments within the River Valley, Newton and Orchard Planning Areas. The standard road buffer for these shall be 7.5m (of which 3m is green buffer);

• Flats and condominium developments in the Central Area (PDF, 436 KB) other than those in the River Valley, Newton and Orchard Planning Areas. The required road buffer shall be based on urban design considerations.

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.

*Roof terrace(s), if proposed, shall be orientated to face away from the GCBA

The overall building height for flats and condominiums shall be determined by the number of storeys and the prescribed floor-to-floor height.

For sites zoned Residential only, the number of storeys for flats and condominium developments shall be guided by the GPR as shown in the following table:

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

The maximum no. of storeys may differ for the areas which:

1. Have street block controls (refer to Street Block Plans section);

2. Have technical height controls (refer to Building Height Plan in URA SPACE);

3. Have conservation or urban design requirements;

4. Have security considerations;

5. Do not conform to the typical GPRs shown above, eg GPR 2.9, GPR 1.7;

6. Are located in the vicinity of the Singapore Botanic Gardens (see map below), where there are current height restrictions to protect the visual amenity of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

   

For (c) to (e), and for sites zoned Commercial/Residential and Residential with Commercial at 1^st Storey, the maximum number of storeys shall be subject to further evaluation at the formal Development Application stage.

For (f), the allowable number of storeys shall be guided by the following table:

In addition to the number of storeys control, the individual storeys shall be guided by the prescribed floor-to-floor height as shown in the table below.

Variations to the floor-to-floor height of each storey may be allowed, provided the total building height is the sum of the prescribed floor-to-floor height control.

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. Such floors may be allowed a floor-to-floor height of 5.0m. If the sky terrace occupies less than 60% of the floor plate, the floor-to-floor height shall comply with a 3.6m floor-to-floor height.

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

Both the 5.0m floor-to-floor height for PSTS and 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.

The chart below illustrates the acceptable building height and building length of flats and condominium developments of at least 8 storeys. The objective is to minimise the creation of wall-like developments which would adversely affect the quality of our built environment. Each residential block shall be guided by the height and length ratio shown under the ‘Acceptable Zone’:

Where there are multiple building blocks, there shall be a minimum spacing between each block to visually break the massing of the development. The minimum spacing standard is shown in the table below:

• If 2 or more blocks fall within different height bands, the height of the taller block shall be used to determine the minimum building spacing.

• If 2 or more blocks are unable to meet the minimum building spacing, the blocks shall be treated as a single block.

The zones illustrated in the graph above are:

1. Acceptable Zone

   • Flats and condominium developments complying with the height and length ratio in an Acceptable Zone are unlikely to have an adverse impact on the surrounding environment.

     

2. Intervention Zone

   • Flats and condominium developments with the height and length ratio shown below may or may not pose severe impact on the surrounding environment, depending on the site context and the design measures adopted by the designers.

     

3. Undesirable Zone

   • Flats and condominium developments with the height and length ratio shown below are considered to be too massive in scale, and may adversely impact the surrounding environment. Apart from impeding wind flow, such buildings will block off views of the surrounding development and result in a congested skyline. Such developments are not likely to be supported.

     

Flats and condominium developments within the Intervention Zone shall be subject to detailed evaluation. For developments falling within the Intervention Zone, the following 3 performance criteria [refer to (a) to (c) below] shall be met. This may be achieved through the suggested measures listed below, or other alternatives that the QP may propose:

1. Whether the development enhances the streetscape

   • Blocks fronting roads shall be staggered at the foreground and background so that pockets of greenery are created along the street.

     

2. Whether the surrounding developments can also view major green and blue public spaces

   • The placement and design of the blocks shall minimise blocking of views towards public assets such as waterbodies, parks, etc.

   • The design of the blocks shall provide permeability in the form of sky terrace floors or fenceless boundaries so as to promote visual relief and wind movement.

     

3. Whether effective mitigating measures have been adopted to break down building massing

   • Building heights may be varied.

   • More interesting building ‘crowns’ may be proposed as opposed to flat roofs.

   • Landmark blocks may be strategically located within the development to provide a focal point.

   • The façade shall be well articulated with visually interesting patterns.

     

For further information on Building Height and Building Length, refer to the following link.

To encourage greenery and to conceal car park spaces, developments may provide landscape decks that double up as car parks. These may be ground level, or partially sunken car parks which are decked over with greenery and communal facilities and partially covered with earthfill.

A landscape deck may be provided if the site meets the following parameters:

• Minimum site area of 4,000sqm;

• GPR above 1.4 in the Master Plan;

• Not within existing landed housing areas or abutting landed housing areas.

The above parameters are to ensure that the site is sufficiently large for a landscape deck without affecting the amenity of the neighbouring developments, and to safeguard the low-rise character of landed housing areas.

As landscape decks with parking provisions are better alternatives to multi-storey car parks, flats developments with landscape decks may not be allowed to provide multi-storey car parks.

The following are the detailed guidelines for landscape deck:

Guidelines for Landscape Deck

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 for 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 1.0m, basements may be exposed up to 2.0m from the point where the platform level meets the basement wall (ie the earth around the basement wall can be cut to slope down to achieve the 2.0m 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 shall not be allowed.

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

• Horizontal openings to the basement may be 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.

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.

An attic is an incidental space under a sloping roof that functions as an extension of the unit below. As it is not meant to be an additional storey, a separate exit at the attic level may only be allowed under the following circumstances:

• The attic and the unit below shall not be strata subdivided; and

• The primary access to the attic shall be from the internal staircase to the unit below.

All attic spaces shall adhere to the following requirements:

• The maximum floor to roof height shall be 5m.

• The floor of the attic shall be level with the springing line¹, and at least one side of the sloping roof shall rest on the springing line (only small openings in the form of dormer windows may be allowed on the side of the sloping roof resting on the springing line). The Competent Authority may determine where the springing line is to be taken from.

• The maximum allowable pitch of the main roof shall be 45-degrees. All roof features, with the exception of dormer windows and 1.0m high parapet wall or railings, shall be kept within the 45-degree attic roof pitch.

¹ Springing Line: The line joining the points on which the roof rests.

A limited number of units for shops to provide personal services may be allowed in flats and condominium developments subject to evaluation taking into account the following considerations:

• the scale of the development as reflected in the total gross floor area;

• the location of the site in relation to the main road;

• the character of the surrounding developments; and

• the planning intention of the surrounding area.

Up to 0.3% of the proposed residential gross floor area (excluding bonus balcony GFA, if any) may be proposed for shops. For example, flats and condominium developments with a proposed residential GFA of 20,000sqm may have up to 60sqm of shop GFA subject to the following conditions:

• The total permissible GPR and GFA shall include the above-mentioned shop GFA.

• Only personal service trades may be allowed (eg mini-marts/laundromats). Independent offices are not allowed.

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

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-cycle 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. If the car or motorcycle parking lots are counted towards the unit’s strata area (i.e. private car parking lots), they will be computed as GFA.

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 residential and mixed use 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.

Note: Mixed use developments are developments with commercial and/or hotel components that form more than 20% of the total GFA. The above guidelines shall apply to mixed use developments within the Central Area or within 400m of MRT and LRT stations.

Existing residential 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 lots¹ to other uses.

¹ 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.

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.

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, residential 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. If the bicycle parking lots are counted towards the unit strata area (i.e. private bicycle parking lots), they will be computed as GFA.

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.

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 50sqm¹ 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. If attached to the main building, the area excludes the adjoining walls.

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 flats and condominiums developments islandwide shall be required to meet minimum greening standards, tiered according to the development’s GPR as shown in the table below. For developments on sites zoned 'Residential with Commercial at 1^st Storey' or 'Commercial and Residential', please refer to the relevant LRA guidelines here (under the "LRA Guidelines outside the Strategic Areas" subsection).

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 LRA may be located on any storey of the development, and shall be communally-accessible to the public and building occupants during normal operating hours. The LRAs shall form part of the common property.

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.

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.

Flats and condominiums with more than 700 DUs are required to provide a WCP as part of their Development Application. For HDB housing developments with more than 1,000 DUs, LTA and URA will work with HDB on the WCP requirements.

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.

Only residential units may be strata sub-divided. Common areas (including the management corporation office, if applicable) shall not be strata subdivided into a separate strata unit.

Strata subdivision of Serviced Apartments is not allowed.

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 because of 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 measures, pending the redevelopment of the neighbouring land to the same MPL.