DC - Health and Medical Care

Health and Medical Care (HMC) developments include hospitals, polyclinics and nursing homes. These are zoned HMC in the Master Plan. All HMC developments are licensed by the Ministry of Health (MOH). For more details on MOH’s licensing requirements, see this link.

Private medical clinics¹ is an allowable use within commercial buildings. Such buildings refer to shopping and office developments approved on sites zoned Commercial or other commercial premises approved within the allowable commercial quantum of sites zoned Hotel, White, Commercial & Residential, Residential with 1^st Storey Commercial, Business Park, and Business-White.

These clinics may be allowed subject to the following conditions:

• The total GFA for medical clinics is capped at 3,000sqm or 20% of the total floor area approved for commercial use, whichever is lower.

• The 20% GFA cap does not apply to medical clinics located in shophouse developments and HDB shops where the 20% quantum limit would be too restrictive. The total GFA for medical clinic shall, however, not exceed 3,000sqm.

Planning permission is required for new private medical clinics in commercial buildings except in the following situations:

• The total medical clinic GFA in the development including the proposed clinic does not exceed 1,000sqm or 20% of the total commercial GFA of the development, whichever is lower.

• For shophouses and HDB shops, the total medical clinic GFA in the block including the proposed clinic does not exceed 1,000sqm, and HDB’s prior approval has been obtained.

Operators who wish to set up medical clinics shall write to MOH at MOH_Check_GFA@moh.gov.sg to verify that the proposed clinic would qualify under the exemptions above, failing which they will need to submit a planning application to URA. Necessary clearances and permits from relevant licensing agencies, including MOH and Fire Safety and Shelter Department (FSSD) shall be obtained before commencing the use.

¹ SLA may assess such medical clinics/suites based on Group A (Commercial) rate for the purpose of computing Land Betterment Charge, where applicable.

The design of HMC developments shall take into consideration the surrounding uses. For example, the building orientation and internal floor layout shall be designed with due care and consideration to address the amenity and privacy concerns of neighbouring developments. Façade screenings, copious planting along the periphery boundary, generous building setback from common boundary, high windows etc are encouraged to blend in the HMC development with the surroundings.

The allowable Gross Plot Ratio (GPR) is subject to evaluation, taking into consideration the location, site context, topography, traffic situation, impact of the HMC development on the surroundings and other agencies’ requirements.

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.

The Bonus GFA schemes applicable to Health and Medical Care are:

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).

Unless otherwise stated, the overall building height¹ of HMC 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). 

The maximum floor-to-floor height of HMC developments is 5.0m.

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, HMC 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 streetblock 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.

All HMC 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 building, excluding land to be vested to the State for road and/or drainage purpose.

All HMC 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 Table 1 below. The common boundary setback requirements are in Table 2 below. Different setback requirements may apply for sites within the Central Area, which is guided by Urban Design guidelines.

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.

A basement is a sunken structure with a maximum protrusion of 1.0m above the ground level on all sides. If the protrusion is more than 1.0m above the ground level regardless of the number of protruded sides, it shall be treated 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 2.0 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 2.0m 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 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.

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.

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-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 HMC 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.

To promote a car-lite society, HMC developments may be required to 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.

At least 60% of the total proposed GFA shall be used for HMC purposes only. These predominant uses may include inpatient/outpatient facilities, medical clinics/suites¹, diagnostic and treatment facilities, nursing bed areas, dispensaries, clinical research facilities, patient-facing administration spaces, etc.

The remaining maximum 40% use quantum are for supporting or ancillary uses like nurses’ quarters, general administration and staff facilities.

¹ SLA may assess such medical clinics/suites based on Group A (Commercial) rate for the purpose of computing Land Betterment Charge, where applicable.

Use Quantum Control

Other supporting or ancillary uses may include Visitors’ Hostel or limited Commercial uses. Visitors’ hostels are meant for family members and companions of the patients and users of hospitals. The limited commercial uses are meant to support the hospital operations and functions. Their use quantum controls are as follows:

• The hostel shall not exceed 10% of the total proposed GFA or 1,500sqm, whichever is lower.

• SLA may assess such visitors' hostels based on Group B2 (Non-landed Residential) rate for the purpose of computing Land Betterment Charge, where applicable.

• A Letter of Undertaking (LOU) shall be provided by the applicant, declaring that the visitors’ hostel shall only be occupied by the family members and companions of the patients and outpatients of the hospital.

• Supporting commercial uses such as retail pharmacies, shops, F&B outlets, food court, banks etc shall not exceed 5% of the total proposed GFA. The actual commercial quantum allowable shall be subject to planning consideration depending on the location, site condition, site context, impact on the surrounding area and requirements of other government agencies.

• SLA may assess such supporting commercial uses based on Group A (Commercial) rate for the purpose of computing Land Betterment Charge, where applicable.

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

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.

Hospitals 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.

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.