Ease of Maintenance as Consideration for Designs of Upcoming BTO Estates

Mr Sharael Taha asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry can provide an update on how ease of maintenance and maintenance costs have been factored into the design of upcoming BTO estates, including those launching in October 2024; (b) whether the Ministry has a forecast of the projected operating expenses for these new estates, including the horticulture and conservancy costs; and (c) whether the projected operating expenses in these new estates are higher or lower, compared to older estates.

Maintainability is considered upfront as part of our Housing and Development Board (HDB) Build-To-Order (BTO) designs. This includes requirements for maintenance accessibility, choice of materials and construction detailing. For example, in HDB’s provision of greenery to enhance quality of living, hardy plant species are selected to reduce maintenance costs, and plants are placed in areas with safe and easy maintenance access, such as at entrances, gathering spaces or in planter boxes on the facades of multi-storey car parks.

HDB actively seeks feedback from the Town Councils via regular dialogue sessions and regularly reviews its design guides in response to the Town Councils’ feedback to support and enhance maintainability in HDB estates.

HDB has been responsive to feedback from the Town Councils that plants in shaded courtyards face difficulty thriving and required frequent replacement. In response to such feedback, HDB has begun providing dry landscapes for these areas. Another example is gondola landings, which are provided in all HDB precincts to facilitate gondola operations for facade maintenance and repainting works. Following feedback from the Town Councils on insufficient landing space, HDB enhanced its technical requirements to allow for a wider obstruction-free landing area for gondolas.

The Ministry of National Development does not project the projected operating expenses for new HDB estates. As the common property in HDB estates are managed and maintained by respective Town Councils, they are best placed to estimate and project their own operating expenses. For example, Town Councils might enjoy economies of scale when grouping maintenance contracts within their towns. This notwithstanding, HDB will continue to study and address feedback received from Town Councils in upcoming building projects.