Most of the flats delayed by Covid-19 now completed
Some 10,500 Housing Board flats were completed in the first eight months of this year, the vast majority of which were in projects that were delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the completion of these flats, HDB said it has now finished about 94 per cent of the housing projects – totalling 87 – that were delayed by the pandemic, from October 2020 to the end of the previous month.
HDB said in a statement on Sept 2 that the waiting time of flats completed this year ranged from about three to five years, after accounting for hold-ups caused by the pandemic.
It added that it is on track to complete about 18,000 flats across 24 projects this year.
The agency had said previously that the majority of Build-To-Order (BTO) projects affected by Covid-19 had faced delays of between six and 12 months.
The remaining delayed projects are on track to be completed within the coming six months, said Minister for National Development Desmond Lee.
Acknowledging that delays caused by the pandemic have severely disrupted the HDB’s building programme and caused inconvenience to home buyers, Mr Lee added: “Our HDB colleagues, consultants and contractors worked closely over the past few years to catch up on lost time to complete these delayed projects.
“We thank flat buyers for their understanding and patience through this period.”
HDB had ramped up flat supply to deal with construction related delays, but compressed timelines had also led to issues for some residents, such as in the estate of Tengah where homeowners faced condensation and leaks from their cooling systems.
In its statement, HDB cited two BTO projects completed this year.
One of them was Alkaff Breeze in Bidadari, which was the first to be completed in 2024. It comprises 353 units of four-room and five-room flats across three residential blocks.
Since construction ended in June, 290 households - about 85 per cent of 340 booked units - have collected their keys as of Aug 15, said HDB.
With Alkaff Breeze completed, all flats in Bidadari’s Alkaff District have been built, making it the second district in Bidadri to be completed after Woodleigh District in May 2023.
HDB also pointed to the Tampines GreenGem project, which was completed in March 2024.
It is the first housing project to be completed in Tampines South. Of the 1,036 booked units, about 98 per cent or 1,014 households have collected their keys to these flats as of Aug 15.
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