SMALLER NEW HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD FLATS

Dr Lee Tsao Yuan asked the Minister for National Development whether the new 4- and 5-room Housing and Development Board flats are smaller than the older versions and, if so, what are the reasons for the reduction in the respective areas.

Mr Lim Hng Kiang: HDB flat sizes are reviewed regularly and adjusted to meet housing demand. In our small country, it is important that the land use is optimised.

Compared to the 70s and 80s, we now have smaller family units. Hence, while we try to provide larger flats to meet the aspirations of flat applicants, the floor area of the flats must take into consideration the smaller household size of the 90s.

Based on the current 5-room flat of 110 sm and the average of 4 persons per household, the living space per person for Singapore is about 27.5 sm. Even for the smallest 4-room flat of 85 sm, the living space per person is 21 sm. This is larger than most apartments in other Asian countries and comparable to many private apartments in Singapore. For example, the average living space per person in Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo is about 7 sm, 13 sm and 15 sm respectively.

With continuous improvements in the quality and design of our HDB flats, the newer flats have better finishes and design. These flats are therefore just as functional and are of even better quality than those built previously. HDB will continue to review the design and finishes of our new flats to meet the preferences and needs of the majority of flat applicants.