Land Area Occupied by Black and White Bungalows and Occupancy Rate
Ministry of LawSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the land area and occupancy statistics of heritage black and white bungalows, as raised by Mr Leong Mun Wai who inquired about total area, occupancy rates, and vacancy periods. Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong Chun Fai responded that the Singapore Land Authority manages about 600 heritage bungalows, with adjacent land usage determined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority Master Plan. He explained that the usage of these properties has been broadened to judiciously balance heritage preservation with redevelopment needs. The Minister noted that adjacent state land may be included in tenancy boundaries depending on alternative use requirements for residential or commercial place-making. He concluded that the occupancy rates for these bungalows generally move in tandem with broader market conditions.
Transcript
9 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Law (a) what is the total land area and built-in area respectively occupied by black and white bungalows in Singapore; (b) what is the occupancy rate of black and white bungalows as of 30 June 2023; and (c) what is the median vacancy period.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai (The Second Minister for Law): As the custodian of state land and properties, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) oversees the management of about 2,600 state properties, including around 600 heritage black and white bungalows.
It has previously been explained in detail in Parliament on 3 July 2023 that SLA deploys state properties to a variety of different uses. [Please refer to (a) "Approvals for Rental of and Works to be Done at State-owned Bungalows", Official Report, 3 July 2023, Vol 95, Issue 105, Written Answers to Questions section; and (b) "Rentals of State Properties", Official Report, 3 July 2023, Vol 95, Issue 105, Ministerial Statements section.]
In the same way, the surrounding state land is used in a variety of ways, having regard to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Master Plan. For heritage bungalows which are located within landed estates and rented out for residential use, the adjacent state land which does not have an alternative specified use may be included in the tenancy boundary. For cases where the bungalows are put to other uses, such as commercial use, the adjacent land can be used for other purposes like place-making and may be excluded from the tenancy boundary.
It has also been explained in Parliament that SLA has carefully broadened the usage of these heritage bungalows to meet the evolving needs in Singapore, bearing in mind the URA Master Plan and the need for a judicious balance between protecting heritage properties and redeveloping them altogether.
The occupancy rates of these heritage bungalows have generally moved in tandem with changes in market conditions.