HOUSING: COST OF BUILDING, LAND AND SUBSIDY

Dato Abdul Hamid Bin Haji Jumat asked the Minister for National Development what will be the building costs of the following types of accommodation: - (i) those to be let out at $20 p.m., (ii) those to be let out at $40 p.m., and (iii) those to be let out at $60 p.m.; and what will be the proportionate cost of land and the approximate subsidy of each of the above categories.

Mr Tan Kia Gan: The average building costs of the following types of accommodation are:-

(i) 1-room unit to be let out at $20 p.m. - $3,000 per unit

(ii) 2-room unit at $40 p.m. - $3,700 per unit

(iii) 3-room unit at $60 p.m. - $4,700 per unit

I should explain that the building costs include the following three elements: construction cost, cost of site work and cost of land. The subsidy applicable to units of any particular housing project will depend very much on the cost of the land involved, which can vary considerably, from 5 cents per sq. ft, to as high as $10 per sq. ft. It is therefore not possible to say generally what the subsidy will be for a particular type of unit; the information can be given only in respect of a particular housing estate.