Functions of HDB Branch Offices

a) Manage lease, tenancy and property ownership/ subletting/ changes of occupants matters
b) Collect conservancy and service charges on behalf of Town Council, loan instalments, rents and HDB parking fines
c) Issue renovation permits
d) Manage carparks, pay-parking, HDB markets and hawker centres
e) Administer public housing policies, rules and regulations
f) Sales of season parking tickets and coupons, and enforcement on carpark offences
g) Undertake internal repairs of properties
h) Maintain and repair CATV system
i) Process applications for telephone lines in market/ hawker centres and electrical appliances in general
j) Administer purchase of recess area


*Information gathered from Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council website

For more information, please call HDB Branch Offices at 1800 225-5432.

Functions of Town Council

Estate Maintenance
a) Maintain lifts, water pumps, electrical installation, carparks
b) Undertake conservancy and cleaning works
c) Provide 24 hour essential lift maintenance and rescue services
d) Landscaping and horticulture maintenance
e) Flushing of water tanks

Improvement / Cyclical Works
a) Undertake repairs and re-decorations, re-roofing and estate improvement works
b) Replace water and booster pumpsets
c) Upgrade common areas facilities
d) Undertake Interim Upgrading Programme (IUP)

Finance
a) Collect rent and loan instalments on behalf of HDB
b) Collect conservancy and service charges

Others
a) Issue Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL) for use of common areas, and permits for use of void decks and other facilities
b) Control obstruction at shop fronts and passageways
c) Enforcement on illegal parking at common


*Information gathered from Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council website.

Contact Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council at:
Tel: 6585-4938 (Pasir Ris Office)
Tel: 6489-0520 (Sengkang Office)

Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council

Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council operates at two offices:

Pasir Ris Office
Blk 577 Pasir Ris St 53
#01-88 Singapore 510577
Tel: 6585-4938
Fax: 6585-4937
Email: pasirris@prpg-tc.org.sg

Sengkang Office
Blk 156A Rivervale Crescent
#01-01Singapore 541156
Tel: 6489-0520
Fax: 6385-0930
Email: sengkang@prpg-tc.org.sg

Website: www.prpg-tc.org.sg


Operating Hours:

Mondays to Fridays - 8am to 5pm
Saturdays - 8am to 1pm
Sundays and Public Holidays - Closed

24 hours Hotline - 1800-275 5555

Bull run over for Singapore property

Monday, January 12, 2009

As published in the Business Times

SINGAPORE: The Year of the Ox begins later this month but the bull run is already over for Singapore's property sector, described as the world's hottest market just two years ago.

Prices of private homes fell 5.7 per cent in the fourth quarter, following a 2.4 per cent drop in the preceding period, according to the latest data from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), the state agency responsible for land use planning.

The fourth quarter marked the sharpest drop in home prices in a decade, the URA said.

"Further contraction is on the way," analysts from the Hong Kong-based CLSA brokerage and investment group said in their outlook for the property sector. "We continue to expect the URA in-dex to see an accelerated fall in the next quarter."

Local home prices have not fallen so far since 1998 when Singapore was stung by the Asian financial crisis that pushed the local property sector into a slump lasting until 2005, when the government approved the construction of two multi-billion-dollar casino complexes.

By 2007, real estate giant Jones Lang LaSalle was describing Singapore's market as the world's hottest, and the city-state's property prices surged 31 per cent overall.

Rents at condominium units favoured by the many expatriates here also dramatically increased, and in some cases doubled.

While fourth-quarter data is preliminary, analysts say the casino-inspired property boom is history now that the economy is in recession.

Analysts said the duration of the current property slump was difficult to predict but they agreed it will hinge on when Singapore pulls out of the recession.

"A lot of it depends on the economy," said Ong Choon Fah, executive director for consulting and research with DTZ real estate consultancy.

"The economy really underpins the market... People have to feel safe about their jobs. That is the first thing," she said.

Serious buyers see pockets of opportunity in the current slump but are being unusually cautious because of the recession, Ong added.

Property agents at a show flat for a yet-to-be built condominium, located less than 20 minutes' drive from the main Orchard Road shopping belt, said they were hopeful, despite the dismal market.

"There will always be buyers even in a tough market and our prices are rather attractive," said one agent, who did not want to be named.

A two-bedroom unit at the condominium, which will come with a heated swimming pool and a gym, sells for about S$860,000 (S$1 = RM2.40).

In good times, the 915 sq ft apartment could fetch at least US$915,000 (US$1 = RM3.54), the agent said.

Until the economy recovers, prospective property buyers are likely to hold out in hope of better bargains, said Song Seng Wun, a regional economist with CIMB-GK brokerage. - AFP

What is Build-To-Order (BTO)

What is Build-To-Order (BTO)
extracted from HDB's website

The Build-To-Order (BTO) is a responsive system offering flexibility in location and timing for flat buyers. Eligible buyers planning to shift into a new HDB apartment in the near future can apply for apartments in their preferred location from specific sites launched.

Contracts launched under BTO offer either 2-room, 3-room, 4-room or 5-room apartments, or a combination of the flat types, with standard or premium finishes. Tender for construction will be called only when most of the apartments in a specific contract have been booked.

Get to know more about Build-To-Order from HDB's website.

The information covered includes:
• How BTO works
• How do I apply
• Optional Component Scheme (OCS)

Punggol Waterfront Housing Design Competition (For Professionals)

Latest Update (2 Mar 2009):

Registration for the Punggol Waterfront Housing Design Competition and the signing up for the Technical Seminar have closed. Thank you for your interest.

To all registrants of the competition: The Technical Seminar will be held on 10 Mar 2009 at the HDB Hub, Auditorium.

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2-Stage Housing Competion

The competition will be held in two stages:

Stage One
Participants are required to submit a local master plan / urban design proposals for the Housing District in the West and the architectural concepts for the first housing parcel within the housing district.

Stage Two
The top 5 entries will proceed to Stage 2. The consultant teams will develop and submit a full architectural solution and design for the first housing parcel along the waterway.

The outcome of this housing design competition is expected to be announced and exhibited in November 2009. The winning team will be appointed as the Consultant team to execute the design thereafter.


Competion Details

Note: Registration for competition has closed on 23 Feb 2009.

Stage One - Starts from March 09 to 17 April 09.
Stage Two - Starts from mid-May 09 to 21 August 09.

This 2 stage competition is open to all architectural firms (sole proprietorships, partnerships, or corporations) that are qualified or licensed to provide architectural services in accordance with the laws and requirements in existence in their respective place of practice.

Each architectural firm is allowed a maximum of three submissions. However, each separate submission must be accompanied by a separate Competition ID. All submissions must be accompanied by the official Submission Forms provided in the Competition Information Package.

All participants are required to purchase a Competition Information Package which contains an unique Competition ID and password required for purpose of registration. Only architectural firms that have registered for the Competition will be allowed to participate.


Registration must be submitted by 12pm on 23 February 2009 (Monday).

Online resource: Remaking Our Heartland

Related Posts:
▪ Punggol Waterfront Housing Design Competition
▪ Landscape Design Contest for Punggol waterway
▪ Announcing Punggol Waterway Competition Results
▪ Punggol Waterway Winning Design

Punggol Arcadia

PUNGGOL ARCADIA
A PROJECT UNDER BUILT-TO-ORDER 2008
CONTRACT : PUNGGOL WEST C3
COMPRISING : 120 UNITS of 3-ROOM FLATS, 465 UNITS of 4-ROOM FLATS & 165 UNITS of 5-ROOM FLATS

Punggol Arcadia is a Premium contract comprising 120 units of 3-room, 465 units of 4-room and 165 units of 5-room flats. Situated at the junction of Punggol Place and Punggol Field, the development is located next to the future Town Centre and is conveniently served by the Punggol MRT station and Punggol Bus Interchange. Commercial facilities and educational institutions such as Punggol Secondary School and Edgefield Primary School are only a short stroll away.

Distribution of Flats

Housing Development (Contract)	Flat Type	Floor Area (sqm)	Internal Floor Area (sqm)	No. of units	Indicative Price Range ($)
Punggol Arcadia (Punggol West C3) Premium Flats	3-room	70 - 73	68 - 69	120	$181,000 - $211,000
	4-room	95 - 99	94 - 95	465	$268,000 - $327,000
	5-room	111 - 117	110 - 111	165	$356,000 - $416,000

Note:
1) Floor area refers to the estimated area of the whole apartment, inclusive of the area of the air-conditioner ledge (where applicable).
2) Internal floor area refers to the estimated area of the apartment computed based on the centre line of the apartment wall.
3) The indicative prices do not include the cost of optional components.

More information can be found on HDB's website.

Click through to read more about Punggol Arcadia:
▪ online brochure
▪ general information
▪ layout and floor plans
▪ map
▪ perspective
▪ flats selection

The application period for this BTO exercise was from 13 Nov 2008 to 26 Nov 2008.

The Estimated Delivery Possession Date (EDPD) for Punggol Arcadia is 28 Feb 2013. The EDPD is an estimate of the date that HDB is required under the Agreement for Lease to deliver possession of the flat. Applicants will be informed of the actual Delivery Possession Date during the signing of Agreement for Lease. The flats may be completed earlier, depending on the progress of construction. Punggol Arcadia is expected to complete by 1st Qtr 2012.