Eight blocks of flats at Blocks 513 to 520 West Coast Road will make way for new developments under the latest Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers), said the Housing Development Board (HDB) on Wednesday (Aug 3).

Residents of the nearly 1,000 units, which are mostly three-room flats, will have to move out by the second quarter of 2023.

They will be offered new flats with fresh 99-year leases being built at Clementi Avenue 1 and West Coast Link, which will have more than 1,300 units. The new flats are expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2022.

This Sers project will also involve two sold shops and an eating house at Block 516, as well as 12 sold shops at Block 517. Owners of these commercial properties will be given compensation based on the market value of their units at the time of the Sers announcement, said the HDB.

They will have the option of buying a new unit on a 30-year lease with selling prices fixed at market value at the time of the Sers announcement, or they can choose to rent a new unit. Those who choose not to take up a new unit will receive an additional 10 per cent of the market value of their existing unit, added the HDB.

Completed in 1979, the eight blocks on West Coast Road will be the 80th site to benefit from Sers since its introduction in 1995.

The last Sers project was announced in 2014 for Tanglin Halt Road and Commonwealth Drive, which was also the largest Sers plan involving 31 residential blocks since Hillview Avenue’s redevelopment in 1999.

Residents of the affected blocks had mixed reactions to the news. Some, like Mrs Toh, who also runs an alteration business, said she is used to the environment after living in West Coast since 1990 and was saddened at the thought of moving out.

“This is where all my children grew up,” said the 60-year-old.

Others were excited about moving into a new living environment, noting their ageing flats have posed maintenance issues, such as cracked cement and peeling paint.

Mr Sabarudin Mohd Belsha, 23, who lives with his parents and shares a room with his sister, said his family was looking forward to getting a bigger flat.

“We’ve been living here for very long but ... we want a change,” said Mr Sararudin, who was excited about the new project at West Coast Link. “I was telling my mum if we take a (unit on a) higher floor, maybe we can see the sea.”

The HDB said the two new 40-storey residential blocks at Clementi Avenue 1 will have recreational and communal facilities, as well as a commercial block with shops and an eating house. There will also be multi-storey carpark that will house a childcare centre and senior care centre.

As for the West Coast Link project, there will be three 30- to 32-storey residential blocks. Beyond the usual facilities like playground, eating house and childcare centre, the Ministry of Health also plans to develop an eldercare hub next to the estate to provide services such as day care and home care.

Property analysts TODAY spoke to said the West Coast Road plot could be redeveloped into residential projects that follow recent housing trends more closely. ERA Realty Network’s key executive officer Eugene Lim said up to half of the new units could be four-room units, for instance.

Plans for high-density residential developments could also integrate other facilities like supermarkets, shops and childcare centres, said Mr Nicholas Mak, head of research and consultancy at SLP International. Given the good mix of housing types in that area, condominiums could be built there, he added.

Source:
courtesy of TODAY

by Laura Philomin

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