Some Singapore HDB residents unhappy despite freeze on S&C charges

Some Singapore HDB residents unhappy despite freeze on S&C charges 

They feel rates are too high compared with charges for condo residents

By Mavis Toh 
THE 14 town councils under the People’s Action Party are all freezing their service and conservancy (S&C) rates, but some HDB residents still feel the charges are too high.
Mr Richard Lim, 42, lives in a five-room flat in Pasir Ris, but pays more for parking and maintenance charges than some condominium residents.

The accountant pays $163.50 a month: $90 for parking and $73.50 in S&C fees.

What residents in private estates pay can go as low as $150, a check with 10 condominiums found.

Mr Lim said: ‘My friend who lives in a similar-size unit in a Bishan condo pays $200 and he gets so many more facilities.’

Writing to The Straits Times Forum recently, he asked why, despite fewer perks, HDB residents pay more than some condo residents: ‘Are they overcharging residents or are they not giving enough value for the amount we pay?’

TOO MUCH FOR HDB
‘My friend who lives in a similar- size unit in a Bishan condo pays $200 and he gets so many more facilities.’
ACCOUNTANT RICHARD LIM, who lives in a five-room flat in Pasir Ris and pays $163.50 a month: $90 for parking and $73.50 for S&C fees
NO COMPLAINTS
We never have to worry about having to fork out extra money for major upgrading work. I think we are well taken care of for the money we pay.’
MR SIMON CHUA, owner of a four-room Bukit Batok flat who pays $138 in monthly charges
LOW FEES FOR CONDO
‘We get our own jogging track, tennis courts and gym, and I’m paying less than some HDB residents.’
ADMINISTRATION OFFICER MARY TEO, who lives in a 1,500 sq ft unit in Farrer Court near Holland Road. She pays $160 a month in charges
His letter ignited discussions in at least three online forums, with many asking why S&C charges for HDB flats were only a little lower than those for private estates.

In Parliament last month, Dr Teo Ho Pin, coordinating chairman of the PAP town councils, announced there will be no hike in their S&C charges this year.

The move is in response to Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s call recently for them to follow the Government’s lead in freezing fees for its services.

S&C rates for Singaporeans living in public housing can range from $18.50 for a one-room HDB flat to $61.50 for a five-room unit. Non-Singaporeans pay up to $30 more.

S&C charges in HDB estates are collected by the town councils and go towards cleaning, grass cutting, lift maintenance and upkeep of common areas. Costs for cyclical work such as re-painting are also taken from this kitty.

A public housing resident who owns a car has to pay between $65 and $90 for a parking spot. This, according to HDB residents, is what causes the overall charge to rocket.

Parking charges are collected by the HDB which maintains the carparks.

In a Forum letter replying to Mr Lim, the HDB explained that, unlike private property, HDB parking spaces are not included in the selling price of the flat.

It said: ‘HDB parking charges are aimed at recovering the cost of providing and maintaining the carparks and help regulate demand so residents need not compete with visitors for lots.’

Mr Lim is now looking for a condo unit since the charges are not that much higher and he can enjoy condo facilities such as a swimming pool, clubhouse, playground, barbecue pit, gym, carpark and security for just a bit more.

Most condos charge a monthly fee of about $250, although some, like Ardmore Park near Orchard Road, can go as high as $1,250.

Those which charge below $200 include Normanton Park, Gillman Heights, Farrer Court and The Warren.

Condos usually collect money for a sinking fund, which is used for major repairs and improvements to the estate such as lift upgrading and re-painting.

Dr Teo, MP for Bukit Panjang, assured HDB residents that what they pay in S&C fees is ‘definitely value for money’.

‘We’ve many more covered linkways than condos and also amphitheatres and playgrounds,’ he said.

He added that the Government gives a grant every year to top up the S&C fund, making major projects like lift upgrading affordable.

Mr Charles Chong, an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, said charges for condos are higher than for HDB units because condo residents pay more upfront when they buy their homes.

‘Besides, condos could also ask residents to fork out lump sums for major repairs when the sinking fund isn’t fat enough,’ he said.

Ms Eleana Teo, a director at Knight Frank Estate Management, said condos with more units can enjoy economies of scale and charge more affordable fees.

At Farrer Court, near Holland Road, which has 618 units, administration officer Mary Teo, 58, said the $160 a month she pays is ‘very low’.

‘We get our own jogging track, tennis courts and gym, and I’m paying less than some HDB residents,’ said the owner of a 1,500 sq ft unit.

Information technology specialist David Seah, 30, who lives in a five-room flat in Jurong West, agreed S&C and parking fees for bigger HDB units can add up to a hefty sum.

He pays $153 a month - $63 in S&C fees and $90 for parking.

‘The S&C charges for smaller flats are much lower and I think it’s fair,’ he said.

Mr Simon Chua, 34, owner of a four-room Bukit Batok HDB flat who pays $138 in monthly charges, has no complaints.

‘We never have to worry about having to fork out extra money for major upgrading work. I think we are well taken care of for the money we pay,’ he said
 

Source : Straits Times  - 17 March 2008

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The Hamilton , Sky-High parking

The Hamilton , Sky-High parking 

By Frankie Chee 
VROOM WITH A VIEW: The Hamilton, to be located on Scotts Road, will become the first residential high-rise in Singapore, and the third in the world after New York and Dubai, to have a private car porch for each apartment. — PHOTO: HAYDEN PROPERTIES
 
PARKING the car is set to reach a whole new level - with a high-rise condominium where every apartment comes with its own private garage in the sky.
The Hamilton, coming up at 37 Scotts Road on the former site of Hotel Asia, will make this fantasy come true.

Residents of the 30-storey tower will be able to drive their vehicle into a special glass elevator that will lift the vehicle from the ground floor to their ‘porch’ on the same level as their living rooms.

The 56-unit development has not been launched yet. But when built, it will become the first residential high-rise in Singapore, and only the third in the world after developments in New York and Dubai, to have this vroom-with-a-view parking feature.

Ms Leny Suparman, director of developer Hayden Properties, said the feature offers ‘a unique way of living in a condominium yet with the advantages of a landed property’.

Motorists here have already become familiar with high-tech ’stack’ parking, though it is not quite the seamless elevator ride The Hamilton promises.

At the Chinatown nightlife hub Club Street, the first fully mechanised public carpark was launched last month.

And MacDonald House in Orchard Road has had an elevator take vehicles to its carpark on the second and third levels after its refurbishment in June 2005.

Owning a unit at The Hamilton, complete with its own private parking bay, will not come cheap.

Hayden Properties is unable to give any price indication for its units - averaging 3,000 sq ft in size.

But according to the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s website, apartments in the vicinity have been going for around $4,000 per sq ft.

At The Hamilton, that could work out to about $12 million a unit.

In land-scarce Singapore, mechanised parking systems may seem the way to go, taking up less space than conventional parking lots.

A spokesman for the Land Transport Authority (LTA), which owns the M-Park@Club Street, said the mechanised carpark occupies 900 sq m and provides 142 parking lots.

A conventional multi-storey carpark would need a 2,000 sq m site to provide space for the same number of vehicles.

Hayden is a joint venture between local financial consultancy company KOP Capital and Emirates Tarian, a subsidiary investment company of the Emirates Investment Group.

While its car-porch-in-the-sky is a ritzy feature, not all motorists are sure they will like their cars riding up and down elevators.

‘What if the lift breaks down?’ asked regional foreign exchange manager David Hong, 44, who prefers to keep his wheels on the ground.

Source : Straits Times  - 17 March 2008

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Some findings about escape won’t be revealed - Singapore

Some findings about escape won’t be revealed  - Singapore

Panel will get to the bottom of how Mas Selamat got away: DPM

By Chong Chee Kin 

THE three-member panel investigating the escape of detainee Mas Selamat Kastari is doing its work behind closed doors and that is the best way, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said yesterday.
Their main aim is to get to the bottom of how the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist fled the Internal Security Department’s (ISD) Whitley Road Detention Centre on February 27, but some of the information unearthed will have to remain under wraps.

The reason: the inquiry demands a thorough examination of the centre, including its security and how ISD officers conduct their investigations and gather intelligence.

‘Exposing these details in public will compromise the confidentiality which is necessary for ISD’s security and intelligence operations to remain as effective as they have been,’ Mr Wong said.

But he repeated an assurance he had given earlier, that once the committee finished its work, the Government would give ‘a full account’ of how Mas Selamat escaped and what would be done to prevent another escape.

Mr Wong spoke to reporters yesterday after a walkabout at a market and food centre in Shunfu Mart.

SENSITIVE DETAILS
‘It is not an exercise at grandstanding or playing to the gallery.’
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER WONG KAN SENG, on why the committee will work behind closed doors
 
He said the search for Mas Selamat was still going on, with the officers involved remaining determined and following all leads.

‘I understand that they have intelligence analysis of the man which may be pertinent to their search on the ground,’ he said, without elaborating.

Mr Wong, who is the Home Affairs Minister, responded to a call by Workers’ Party chairman Sylvia Lim that it would be more transparent to have a Commission of Inquiry set up under the Inquiries Act so that all the findings would be made public.

He said that regardless of whether the inquiry was by a Committee or Commission, not all the information would be revealed because the detention centre is a ’sensitive installation’ holding detainees under the Internal Security Act, including terrorists.

‘Its focus is on intelligence collection in relation to an ongoing investigation pertinent to national security. It is not simply a prison to incarcerate persons to discharge a judicial punishment on conviction of an offence,’ he said.

What was most important was to provide the committee members unrestricted access to do their work, and it was best to let them do their work behind closed doors, he said.

‘It is not an exercise at grandstanding or playing to the gallery,’ he added.

Mr Wong also defended the choice of panel members, in light of criticism that they include a deputy secretary of his ministry, Dr Choong May Ling, and former police chief Tee Tua Ba.

He said there were no grounds to doubt their impartiality or independence.

Dr Choong oversees security policy but is not linked to the ISD or any operational department. Former police commissioner Tee retired in 1997 and has since been Singapore’s ambassador to various countries.

And committee chairman Goh Joon Seng had ‘impeccable standing’ as a retired High Court judge and member of the Presidential Council of Advisers.

‘They are not about to put their own considerable achievements and good reputations at risk to do anything other than a thorough and impartial job at seeking the truth,’ he said.

The panel has been working long hours ‘examining many witnesses from the lowest to the highest rank’ and over the weekend.

Mr Wong also revealed that a separate probe by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) into the possibility of an inside job leading to the escape is almost completed.

Several dozen witnesses and officers have been interviewed, including ISD officers and the Gurkhas who guard the detention centre.

The CID has done a forensic examination which included the toilet from which Mas Selamat vanished.

Once its probe is over, the case will be sent to the Attorney-General’s Chambers to decide if anyone should be charged with a crime.

Source : Straits Times  - 17 March 2008

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Singapore getting all hands on deck for Youth Olympics

Singapore getting all hands on deck for Youth Olympics

Organising panel, with backing of team of 550, likely to be named soon
By LEE U-WEN

(SINGAPORE) Having clinched the honours of hosting the inaugural Youth Olympic Games after a keenly-fought battle, Singapore is now moving at a frantic pace towards the 2010 deadline, getting all hands on deck.
 
After the first hurrah: Some 200 staff from the Singapore Sports Council will be seconded to the organising committee to lend their expertise Organising panel, with backing of team of 550, likely to be named soon 
Top of the priority is to form the organising committee, who sources say will be backed by a multi-agency team that will number close to 550 people - as large as an average-sized statutory board.

The organising committee is expected to be named this week. Confirming a recent media report, the source said the committee’s chief executive officer will be Goh Kee Nguan, a Singapore Armed Forces brigadier-general who was also executive committee chairman of the 2006 National Day Parade.

BG Goh also made headlines back in 2005 for his role as chief of the SAF’s joint-task force for the tsunami relief efforts in Indonesia.

He is likely to be assisted by two deputy CEOs, along with a team of senior directors overseeing various areas such as sports and venues, ceremonies, security, education and culture, marketing and corporate communication.

A large chunk of the manpower will be filled by 200 staff from the Singapore Sports Council, who will be seconded to the organising committee on a full-time basis to lend their expertise.

By the end of April, members of the YOG working organisation will move to their newly-retrofitted office at Kay Siang Road - the site of the now-defunct University of New South Wales Asia - where they will be based until August 2010.

The committee is expected to have at least three political advisors, namely Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, his parliamentary secretary Teo Ser Luck and Singapore National Olympic Committee president and Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean.

Even as plans begin to take firm shape, a number of overseas working visits are already in the works. A team of security officers will travel to Beijing this August to observe first-hand the security measures in place for the Summer Olympics. Later this year, they will also visit Doha, Qatar - host of the 2006 Asian Games - to learn from its experience in managing security.

The committee, meanwhile, will be guided by a YOG board, to be chaired by Ng Ser Miang, Singapore’s representative on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board.

This morning, a seven-member delegation including Mr Ng and MCYS’ Mr Teo flew to Lausanne, Switzerland for a week- long visit. There, they will be briefed by the IOC on the hosting of the YOG, as well as prepare for the visit of IOC president Jacques Rogge to Singapore next month.

He is expected to be in town from April 4-6 to witness the signing of the host city contract.

Last month, Singapore beat Moscow after an eight-month battle to become the first host of the YOG, which will feature 3,500 youths aged 14 to 18 from around the world competing in 26 sports.
Source : Business Times  - 17 March 2008

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HK houses going for HK$300m -HONG KONG

HK houses going for HK$300m -HONG KONG

Supply squeeze on luxury homes seen driving up prices by 25% this year
By JANE MOIR
IN HONG KONG
HOUSES at The Peak are fetching close to HK$300 million (S$53 million), and are still rising. This epitomises Hong Kong’s very hot luxury property market, which is facing a tight supply squeeze. As a result, prices for top-tier homes are expected to skyrocket by 25 per cent this year alone.
 
Grand view: Fewer than 200 homes are expected to become available in ultra-high-end residential areas such as The Peak and the South Side. Mainland Chinese are among top buyers of super-luxurious homes 
In what is likely the most supply-challenged year since 1997, fewer than 200 units are expected to become available in ultra-high-end residential areas such as The Peak and the South Side, where prices for standalone houses are going for nearly HK$300 million.

In the last quarter of 2007 alone, luxury residential prices at The Peak rose by 11.8 per cent, according to data from property group Colliers International (Hong Kong).

The property firm anticipates growth of 25 per cent in the luxury sector this year. Moreover, supply is unlikely to become better next year and in 2010, it notes.

According to Ricky Poon, executive director of sales at Colliers in Hong Kong, prices at the top end of the market are already outstripping those seen during the previous property market highs of 1997.

‘In the super-luxury home area (where properties fetch HK$100 million and above), the prices are transcending the overall luxury market price,’ he noted. This would include houses that are in scarce supply in areas such as The Peak - in October, for example, one house there sold for HK$296 million.

‘There is limited land supply . . . all the developers are hungry for the prestigious locations,’ Mr Poon added.

Some developers have tried to trigger land sales by putting in applications for plots with the government, but the requests have been rejected.

‘The government has a high expectation for these types of locations,’ Mr Poon explained. ‘They expect more money for it.’

He said that the situation is unlikely to improve in the next three years, leading to a situation where stock will fall to as much as 59 per cent below historical averages.

On The Peak, for example, Colliers expects just 18 new houses to become available this year. On the South Side, it expects 11 new units to be completed during the year, while the Mid-Levels is likely to see 165 units become available.

The real estate firm estimates that just under 1,000 units in the residential sector will be completed in 2008, the majority being in the Residence Bel Air complex near the Cyberport development.

According to Mr Poon, among the top buyers of the super-luxurious homes are mainland Chinese. ‘I would say 50 to 60 per cent are mainland Chinese, and the rest are mainly second-generation wealthy or celebrities, with a few expatriates,’ he said.

Hong Kong’s property market has seen a significant upswing on the heels of buoyant stock market activity and the Fed’s series of interest rate cuts.

And as inflation in the city increases and rents are pushed upwards, people are opting to buy into the residential sector.

In November, the number of sale and purchase agreements for residential units rose to 15,759, the biggest number of transactions in a single month since July 1997.

In the luxury sector, the number of sale transactions exceeding HK$10 million saw growth of 40 per cent between September and November compared with the year-ago period.

Source : Business Times  - 17 March 2008

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Radin Mas CCC pilots induction tours for new citizens, PRs - Singapore

Radin Mas CCC pilots induction tours for new citizens, PRs - Singapore

By Chio Su-Mei
SINGAPORE: To help new citizens and permanent residents adapt to Singapore, the Radin Mas Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC) kicked off a walking tour on Sunday to showcase the nation’s history and its way of life.

At a time when most Singaporeans were enjoying a leisure weekend breakfast, residents of Radin Mas constituency were up and about in Singapore’s Civic District.

Consisting mainly of new citizens and permanent residents, the group toured the nation’s political and historical sites.

It was the first of many tours that the Radin Mas Citizens’ Consultative Committee will conduct, in partnership with the People’s Association.

Lim Huan Chiang, chairman of Radin Mas CCC, said: “Today’s tour is not just about taking in the historical sights. During the tour, we take the opportunity to familiarise the participants with the Singaporean way of life, so they can adapt better. We also introduce the participants to the Singapore government’s policies, so this is not only about history, it’s also about the future.”

This induction tours programme is a follow-up from a cross-cultural food fair organised by the constituency last July.

Intended as a one-off event to facilitate interaction between locals and new citizens, it was so successful that the Radin Mas CCC decided to embark on the induction tours programme.

Putting in an appearance as tour guide is MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, Mr Sam Tan.

The Committee plans to hold two tours per month – one in English and one in Mandarin, and is in the process of training 12 volunteers to lead as tour guides.

Future tours will also focus on the nation’s arts, culture and food.

Sunday’s tour was such a big draw that it even attracted some long-term permanent residents such as Wendy Zoulu, a 37-year-old Chinese national.

“It’s been easy for me to integrate into society, which is why I’ve stayed on. A friend recently commented that I’ve stayed for four, almost five years now,” she said.

The tour started off at the financial district before looping through the civic district, ending at Clarke Quay.
- CNA/so

Source : Channel NewsAsia  - 17 March 2008

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7 Draycott For Sale District 10 -Apartment / Condo, 17.03.2008

7 Draycott For Sale District 10 -Apartment / Condo, 17.03.2008

TY : [C]ondo [D]uplex [H]iRise [L]oRise [T]ownHse [P]enthse [W]alkUp [M]asionette

TNR=Tenure, DT=District, BDRM=Bedroom, AREA=Built-In, STR=Storey, Price $K=In Thousand

Price are subject to changes , please call (+65) 91002985 for lastest update
Type — C
District — 10
Street — 7 DRAYCOTT DR, #17 ABOVE
Tenure — FH
Area — 1507
Age — 5
Room — 3
Psf — 2700
PRICE$ — 4068900

Type — C
District — 10
Street — 7 DRAYCOTT DR, #09 ABOVE
Tenure — FH
Area — 2121
Age — 5
Room — 3
Psf — 2700
PRICE$ — 5726700

Type — C
District — 10
Street — 7 DRAYCOTT DR, #12 ABOVE
Tenure — FH
Area — 1507
Age — 05+
Room — 3
Psf — 0
PRICE$ — 0

Type — C
District — 10
Street — 7 DRAYCOTT DR, #12 ABOVE
Tenure — FH
Area — 1507
Age — 7
Room — 3
Psf — 0
PRICE$ — 0

Type — C
District — 10
Street — 7 DRAYCOTT DR, #12 ABOVE
Tenure — FH
Area — 1507
Age — 8
Room — 3
Psf — 0
PRICE$ — 0

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