Residents back HDB’s en bloc scheme

SINGAPORE — Almost nine in 10 residents who swapped their old flats for new ones in Housing and Development Board (HDB) en bloc exercises have supported the scheme.

Under the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS), residents are compensated for their existing homes and given discounts on brand-new flats.

In the latest survey released by the HDB yesterday, 87 per cent of the 628 households polled supported the scheme, down from the record 95 per cent who supported it in 2011.

The level of support for SERS has ranged from 85 per cent to 95 per cent since the biennial survey started in 2001.

The latest poll also found that seven in 10 households have upgraded to bigger flats. Almost all households interviewed (97 per cent) had lived in three-room flats or smaller (50 per cent and 47 per cent respectively) before the SERS exercises, but many subsequently upgraded to bigger replacement flats, with seven in 10 now residing in four- and five-room units (61 per cent and 10 per cent respectively).

Commenting on the survey findings in a blog post yesterday, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said Clementi is a good example of a town that has benefited from the scheme. About 2,800 households have moved into new flats since the first SERS site was announced in the town in 1997.

Beyond creating new hardware, urban planners also make “a conscious effort” to develop the “heartware” by keeping community ties strong, said Mr Khaw.

“To help residents settle in, the HDB and People’s Association go the extra mile to organise welcome parties,” he added.

For instance, at the welcome party for residents of Casa Clementi, a SERS replacement site, families came together to create murals for their precinct.

“As we rejuvenate other towns, residents’ community bonding will remain our priority, so (they) will enjoy a better living environment in the modern kampung that belongs to them,” said Mr Khaw.