HDB has cut 1,200 homes from its plans for two of the largest sites in Singapore and given the space back to forest. The board’s revised plans for Maju Forest in Clementi and Gillman Barracks off Alexandra Road were published on Wednesday, 28 October, after a public consultation that drew 7,200 submissions on one site and 2,300 on the other.
The two sites will now hold 11,000 homes over the next decade, down from the earlier estimate. Maju Forest keeps 4,000 flats, 400 fewer than first planned, and Gillman Barracks keeps 7,000 homes, 800 fewer, of which 5,500 are public housing.
For anyone waiting on a flat in either area, the numbers that matter are the timelines. Land preparation at Maju Forest starts in the first half of 2028, and public access to the site is restricted from then. At Gillman, demolition of the existing buildings begins in the second half of 2027 and land preparation in 2029.
More forest kept at Maju Forest
The retained greenery at Maju Forest grows from 8ha to 10ha, or 45 per cent of the 23ha site against 35 per cent before. The extra two hectares sit mostly in the south, where they join up with the existing forest to form one larger block.
That matters for wildlife that will not cross open ground. The wider corridor strengthens ecological links along the Clementi Nature Corridor and gives species such as the straw-headed bulbul and the Sunda pangolin room to move.
The enlarged area will be protected as a new nature park, with room for residents to join habitat work.
Gillman Barracks keeps 12ha
At Gillman Barracks the green area rises from 8ha to 12ha, or 60 per cent of the site’s 20ha of existing greenery, up from 40 per cent. The extra land is mostly on the east side, keeping more of the forest around the hillock and widening the corridor along Lock Road and Malan Road.
That greenery will form part of the future Alexandra Nature Park and connect the Southern Ridges towards Berlayar Creek and Labrador Nature Reserve. NParks will improve the round island route along Alexandra Road and add nature ways along Alexandra Road, Telok Blangah Road and a new stretch at Telok Blangah Street 31.
What residents asked for
The consultation ran from 10 July to 6 August. HDB also met 1,000 stakeholders, including nature groups, academics and planning professionals.
Minister of State for National Development Alvin Tan described the earlier plan as keeping a very thin strip of forest in the south of Maju Forest, with the revision adding a buffer that allows more native planting. The extra retention is a compromise, he added, because the development stress stays within the same footprints rather than moving to another patch of forest.
Nature groups welcomed the change while warning that the reduced forest will still put pressure on wildlife, with more animals competing for less food and shelter. They have asked for environmental monitoring to run through construction.
HDB has not published the housing mix or launch dates for either site. Both figures are planning estimates and will be worked out at the detailed design stage.
