Vacant HDB blocks in MacPherson to be used as temporary rental flats

The 3 blocks will provide housing for families awaiting BTO flat completion until end-2028

- Isabelle Liew and Wong Yang

Three empty Housing Board blocks in MacPherson Lane that are slated for redevelopment will be used as temporary rental housing for families waiting for their new Build-To-Order (BTO) flats.

HDB in February called a tender for works to spruce up Blocks 81 to 83 MacPherson Lane, which were picked for the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers) in 2018.

Tender documents published on government procurement portal GeBiz state that the works will involve 307 units of two-, three- and four-room flats across the three blocks.

They include the replacing of gates, doors and windows, as well as painting and electrical rewiring. The tender closed on March 14.

HDB told The Straits Times that the three MacPherson Lane blocks will be used for the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS) until the end of 2028, when the site is required for redevelopment.

PPHS, which was started in 2013, provides temporary rental housing for families awaiting the completion of their BTO flats, with units allocated by ballot. Married couples, with children aged 18 and below, and expectant parents get priority.

HDB has ramped up the supply of such temporary rental housing.

It said it has increased the supply of such flats from 800 units in 2021, to about 2,000 units in 2024. It intends to double this to 4,000 units by 2025.