URA to review guidelines on floor space to give developers more design flexibility: Chee Hong Tat

National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat, speaking at the Singapore Corporate Awards on Sept 21, said policy and regulation must keep up with the changing business environment.

PHOTO: THE BUSINESS TIMES

Published Sep 22, 2026, 11:24 AM

Updated Sep 22, 2026, 11:24 AM

SINGAPORE – The Government is reviewing guidelines on building floor space to give developers greater flexibility in building design, a move which could improve development potential and project viability.

The review of guidelines on gross floor area (GFA), announced by Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat on Sep 21, will also look at encouraging building features that support heat resilience and thermal comfort.

A higher volume of allowable GFA, or greater flexibility in the mix of use of GFA, can significantly improve development potential and the economics of a project. Recent discussions have also floated the award of extra GFA to encourage the renewal of conservation properties.

The ongoing review by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) comes in response to industry feedback, Chee said. He was speaking at the opening of the Singapore Corporate Awards 2026 . Details will be shared when ready.

Policy and regulation must keep up with the changing business environment, the minister said. At the same time, being pro-enterprise “does not mean having fewer rules”. It calls for a risk-proportionate approach to balance different trade-offs and objectives, he added.

“It means having better rules: rules that achieve the desired regulatory outcomes, while minimising unnecessary costs, time delays and friction for businesses.”

The volume of covered floor area that developers can generate on any piece of land is generally capped by plot ratios assigned to the land being developed, which vary with planned use. However, bonus GFA can be dished out via various existing incentive schemes.

For one, the CBD Incentive Scheme offers higher development intensity to encourage the conversion of older office buildings in parts of the Central Business District into mixed-use developments, including more residences and hotels.

Eligible developments in Anson and Cecil Street can get up to 30 per cent more GFA, while those in Robinson Road, Shenton Way and Tanjong Pagar can get up to 25 per cent more.

Another scheme, the Strategic Development Incentive (SDI) scheme, similarly encourages the rejuvenation of older buildings in areas such as Orchard Road and Marina Centre. The SDI allows greater flexibility in planning parameters, including plot ratio, GFA and land use.

The use of GFA as a planning incentive was among issues raised at an industry conference on Sep 15; Pontiac Land CEO David Tsang pointed to Sydney’s approach to encouraging the upkeep of heritage buildings.

At the Urban Land Institute Singapore Annual Conference, Tsang said owners who maintain heritage buildings in Sydney can be awarded additional floor space that can be used on another site or sold.

His remarks were recounted in a LinkedIn post on Sep 16 by panel moderator Jaelle Ang, founder and managing partner of The Possible Capital.

In Sydney, building owners are rewarded for continued investment in their properties against agreed targets, Tsang said. He contrasted the approach with that of Singapore, saying: “Here, there seems to be more incentive for a building that’s run down and needs redevelopment than for one that’s been cared for.”

Pontiac Land took on a major heritage project in Sydney, after securing a long-term lease from the New South Wales government in 2015 for two heritage-listed former government buildings.

Seven years of planning, conservation and renovation followed before the Department of Education building reopened in 2023 as the 192-room Capella Sydney. Pontiac also restored the adjoining Department of Lands building as The Lands by Capella, which includes retail, dining, workspace and event spaces.

In a LinkedIn post on the conference, Tsang said: “A resilient urban core isn’t just about office density or square footage; it’s defined by how people experience space beyond 6 pm.

“To stay relevant on the global stage, our CBDs must seamlessly blend economic performance with livability, intentional design, and authentic cultural character.”

In his speech at the SCA dinner on Monday, Chee also announced a new framework to reduce the testing required for reinforcement steel bars, or rebars, used in construction projects.

Currently, rebars can be subjected to repeated testing on a project-by-project basis, even when they come from the same certified source.

Under the new framework, testing can instead be carried out by accredited laboratories before the rebars are shipped, a process that could cut testing and associated costs by up to 90 per cent, Chee said.

The minister also announced a new initiative to help built-environment firms redesign jobs and equip workers with sustainability-related skills, to draw more people into the decarbonisation sector.

It will support firms in areas including sustainable construction and carbon accounting. Fifteen firms have joined the initiative so far.

Urbanisation and urban planning

国家发展部长徐芳达在9月21日举行的新加坡企业奖颁奖典礼上表示，政策和法规必须与时俱进，适应不断变化的商业环境。

图片来源：《商业时报》

发布于 2026 年 9 月 22 日上午 11:24

更新于2026年9月22日上午11:24

新加坡——政府正在审查有关建筑楼层面积的指导方针，以便让开发商在建筑设计方面拥有更大的灵活性，此举可能会提高开发潜力和项目可行性。

国家发展部长徐芳达于9月21日宣布，将对建筑总面积（GFA）指导方针进行审查，同时还将考虑鼓励采用有助于提高建筑耐热性和热舒适性的建筑特征。

增加建筑面积限额或提高建筑面积用途组合的灵活性，可以显著提升项目的开发潜力和经济效益。近期也有讨论提出，应授予额外建筑面积以鼓励对保护性建筑进行翻新。

市区重建局（URA）正在进行的审查是根据业界的反馈意见进行的，谢先生表示。他是在2026年新加坡企业奖开幕式上发表上述讲话的。详情将在准备就绪后公布。

部长表示，政策和法规必须与时俱进，适应不断变化的商业环境。同时，支持企业发展“并不意味着减少规则”。他补充说，这需要采取风险相称的方法，以平衡不同的利弊和目标。

“这意味着要制定更好的规则：既能实现预期的监管目标，又能最大限度地减少企业不必要的成本、时间延误和摩擦。”

开发商在任何地块上可建造的建筑面积通常受地块容积率的限制，而地块容积率会根据规划用途而变化。不过，开发商可以通过各种现有的激励计划获得额外的建筑面积奖励。

首先，中央商务区激励计划提供更高的开发强度，以鼓励将中央商务区部分地区的旧办公楼改建为混合用途开发项目，包括更多的住宅和酒店。

安顺街和塞西尔街符合条件的开发项目可获得高达 30% 的额外建筑面积 (GFA)，而罗宾逊路、珊顿道和丹戎巴葛符合条件的开发项目可获得高达 25% 的额外建筑面积 (GFA)。

另一项名为“战略发展奖励计划”（SDI）的方案，同样旨在鼓励对乌节路和滨海中心等地区的旧建筑进行翻新。SDI 方案在规划参数方面提供了更大的灵活性，包括容积率、总建筑面积和土地用途。

9 月 15 日的行业会议上，建筑总面积 (GFA) 作为规划激励措施的使用是提出的问题之一；庞蒂亚克地产首席执行官大卫·曾指出，悉尼采取了鼓励维护历史建筑的做法。

曾先生在新加坡城市土地学会年会上表示，悉尼维护历史建筑的业主可以获得额外的建筑面积，这些面积可以用于其他地点或出售。

他的讲话于 9 月 16 日在 LinkedIn 上由小组主持人、The Possible Capital 的创始人兼管理合伙人 Jaelle Ang 转述。

曾先生表示，在悉尼，业主如果持续投资其房产并达到既定目标，就能获得奖励。他将这种做法与新加坡的做法进行了对比，说道：“在新加坡，似乎破旧需要重建的建筑比维护良好的建筑更有吸引力。”

庞蒂亚克地产公司在 2015 年从新南威尔士州政府获得两座列入遗产名录的前政府大楼的长期租赁权后，在悉尼开展了一项重要的遗产项目。

经过七年的规划、保护和翻新，教育部大楼于2023年重新开放，成为拥有192间客房的悉尼嘉佩乐酒店。庞蒂亚克集团还修复了毗邻的土地部大楼，并将其命名为“嘉佩乐土地中心”（The Lands by Capella），其中包括零售、餐饮、办公和活动空间。

曾志伟在LinkedIn上发表的一篇关于此次会议的文章中写道：“一个有韧性的城市核心不仅仅关乎办公密度或面积；它是由人们在下午6点之后如何体验空间来定义的。

“为了在全球舞台上保持竞争力，我们的中央商务区必须将经济效益与宜居性、精心设计和真正的文化特色完美融合。”

Chee在周一的SCA晚宴上发表讲话时还宣布了一项新的框架，以减少建筑项目中使用的钢筋（或钢筋条）所需的测试。

目前，即使钢筋来自同一认证来源，也可以逐个项目地进行重复测试。

Chee表示，在新框架下，钢筋可以在发货前由认可的实验室进行测试，这一过程可以将测试和相关成本降低高达90%。

部长还宣布了一项新举措，旨在帮助建筑环境公司重新设计工作岗位，并为工人提供与可持续发展相关的技能，以吸引更多人进入脱碳领域。

该计划将为企业在可持续建筑和碳核算等领域提供支持。目前已有15家企业加入该计划。

城市化和城市规划