Balancing Construction Timelines against Rising Costs of Raw Materials and Labour Given Accelerated Pace for Building HDB Flats

Mr Lee Hong Chuang asked the Minister for National Development with the commitment to launch 19,600 BTO flats in 2026 and the increasing proportion of flats with shorter waiting time, how is the Ministry balancing the accelerated construction timelines against the rising costs of raw materials and labour.

Mr Chee Hong Tat: In deciding the supply of Build-To-Order flats, including Shorter Waiting Time (SWT) flats, the Housing and Development Board considers many factors, like housing demand, land availability and the capacity of our construction industry. The shorter waiting time for SWT flats is achieved by starting the development process earlier, without compromising safety, quality or paying significantly higher costs of construction.

To improve the productivity of our Built Environment sector, the Ministry of National Development has formed an action team together with industry partners to help companies save time, costs and manpower.