Affordable housing, sustainability among ministries’ priorities

Plans released in ministries’ addenda to President’s address at Parliament’s opening

- Vanessa Paige Chelvan Correspondent

Public housing will be kept affordable and the public transport system improved to ensure Singapore remains a good place to live and work.

For example, the next stage of rail expansion in the late 2030s and early 2040s will include the upcoming Jurong Region Line’s West Coast Extension, and the Seletar and Tengah lines.

To address future challenges such as climate change, the Government said on Sept 18 that it is also working on Singapore's first National Adaptation Plan.

These are part of upcoming plans for the Ministry of National Development, the Transport Ministry and the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment.

They were released on Sept 18 in the ministries’ addenda to President Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s address at the opening of Parliament.

In his speech on Sept 5, Mr Tharman said that the Government will keep public housing affordable and accessible, and invest in technologies that will help Singapore tackle existential threats like climate change.

Here are the highlights of the various addenda or public statements of each ministry’s plans:

MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (MND)

Public housing will be kept affordable and accessible through a robust supply of Build-To-Order flats across different regions, including more with shorter waiting times, said National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat. His ministry will also maintain a strong supply of land for private housing.

MND will review the income ceiling for public housing and study how to provide more housing options, including for singles, seniors and larger families.