900 Teban Gardens flats picked for Sers
10 of Jurong East’s 30-year-old blocks to be redeveloped
By Jessica Cheam
THE residents of 10 blocks in Teban Gardens, one of the oldest residential estates in Jurong East, will soon be offered new flats as part of the Housing Board’s latest redevelopment exercise.
Under the Selective En-bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers), more than 900 households in the 30-year-old precinct in Teban Gardens Road will be relocated to a new site near Block 61, Teban Place, the HDB announced yesterday.
This is the second site in Jurong East to be selected for Sers - the first was in 1998 - and brings the total number of Sers sites to 71 since it was launched in 1995.
The HDB will build 1,100 new two- to five-room replacement flats. Eligible owners now living in Blocks 2 to 11 will be invited to select their new flats in the middle of next year, when construction begins.
Teban Gardens will also be the first HDB precinct in Jurong East to feature new two-room flats and 40-storey blocks.
Of the four new blocks in the precinct, three will be 40 storeys high and one block will have a staggered height of 25 to 40 storeys.
The new estate, due for completion by the end of 2011, will have recreational facilities such as playgrounds, fitness corners and a landscaped deck to integrate the residential blocks with its central carpark.
The new flats will also come with universal design features catering to the needs of people of all ages and physical abilities.
Under Sers, owners are compensated for their homes at the prevailing market rate, and also get a 20 per cent discount on their new flats.
They are also assured of flats at the new site so they can choose to live with their old neighbours again. Alternatively, they can select flats elsewhere.
After the residents have been relocated, HDB said the existing blocks will be torn down for residential development.
Mr Andrew Chua, chairman of the Ayer Rajah-West Coast Citizens’ Consultative Committee said that based on initial responses, residents were positive about the news.
‘Residents are happy to get new flats to replace their existing ones, which are now very old,’ he said.
Source : The Straits Times, 12 July 2007
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