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Excerpt
of letter to Forum Page, The Straits Times of 9 Jul 2004
(23) |
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"...Over
the years, the design of HDB flats has changed in tandem
with changes in Singaporeans' expectations, lifestyle and
living standards. We have offered a range of flat types,
with different models, designs and layouts for each flat
type, to give applicants more choices. |
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"In
building flats, HDB tries to meet Singaporeans' rising
aspirations while avoiding over-consumption of housing
space. |
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"The
household size in HDB flats has declined from about 6.2
persons in the 1960s to 3.7 in recent years. In view of
this, HDB has re-sized its flats downwards slightly since
the mid-1990s. |
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"New
four- and five-room flats offered for sale under the
Build-To-Order scheme in newer towns such as Sengkang and
Punggol are about 90 sq m and 110 sq m respectively. They
are functional, space efficient and come with three
bedrooms, which can cater to the needs of most families. |
|
"A family
of five would have a living space of about 18 to 22 sq m
per person, which compares favourably with cities such as
Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul, where the average living space
per person ranges from 7 to 15 sq m. |
|
"We would
like to clarify that in pricing new flats, HDB takes into
account their attributes, such as location, floor area,
design and finishes, as well as the prevailing market
prices of comparable resale flats. |
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"The
board ensures that new flats are priced below their
equivalent market prices at the point of offer so that
buyers enjoy a subsidy. |
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"HDB
continually conducts surveys and reviews its designs to
better meet flat buyers' needs and preferences. As the
private balconies and study space previously provided in
five-room flats were not well received, these are no
longer standard provisions. |
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"Lessees
are free to decide on the location of the study and how to
partition the space, if needed..." |
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Tay Boon Sun |
|
Senior Public
Relations Officer |
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for Director,
Corporate Development |
|
Housing &
Development Board |
Housing & Development Board (HDB)
Why new 4- & 5-room
flats are smaller
