Gillman: MND announced 1500 private housing and 5500 BTOs
By now, most of us would have seen the revised Gillman development plan. MND also revealed the housing numbers: 1500 private housing, 5500 BTOs.
Where will the private homes be built?
Could we request to see the conceptual plan for that? Because if on cleared forest land, how is that a good trade-off and what could be the rationale behind it.
In the latest Gillman plan, the western tip of Singapore's Southern Ridges is still marked for new housing. This is the highest ridgeline, NOT the foothills. And given the height of the forested ridgeline, it's unlikely that high rise HDBs will be built atop the ridge, isn't it? This is a fair question in my opinion: whether deforestation is being carried out for private or public housing.
On 23 October, URA issued a Press Release that reported 'vacancy rate of completed private residential units (excluding ECs) increased to 7.2% as at the end of Q3 2026'. Therefore there is no urgent housing demand in terms of private condos and landed properties.
Improve sequencing and time management?
In the news, site works for Gillman are scheduled to begin in the second half of next year
In the case of Gillman, this new housing plan feels like a stop-gap measure before VERS commences in early 2030s. VERS is the government scheme for recovering land from aging HDBs. The Great Southern Waterfront project near Gillman will also open up massive brownfields in the near future.
The government could certainly do better. For example, Depot Lane Industrial Estate nearby was already vacated since end-2025 for the purpose of new housing — but why hasn’t demolition begun yet? Building there now would ease the pressure of 7000 new Gillman homes before VERS begins. Perhaps making it feasible to reduce the footprint to the southern half concentrated around Labrador MRT. That would preserve the forests of the Southern Ridges too.
Was there a Statutory Consultation?
This one keeps me up at night. MND issued a written parliamentary response that there were NO objections to the rezoning of Gillman's land use. How did all the objections to gov agencies and Telok Blangah MP go unrecorded or ignored? Read more in previous petition update
👉 An explanation is certainly warranted. Can investigations be done before irreversible development begins?
We cannot lose a precious enclave like Gillman Barracks and its surrounding forest to procedural errors. Even if development proceeds in the end, it could be a difference between a full residential footprint (like the 2025 rezoning decision) or a MIXED USE site comprised of community haven, new housing, and commercial/lifestyle enclave with the forest preserved.
Please write in one last time for 2026
The year end is the busiest time for many of us! But if you agree with any of the points above, please find 15-20 minutes to pen that email. Singapore has a government that prides itself on doing things right and being accountable to the people. Let's put that into practice.
Prime Minister Office: pmo_hq@pmo.gov.sg
And your MP wherever you are in Singapore.
Higher salary means higher accountability.
Thank You for being part of the positive change that we are striving for.