SINGAPORE: Seventeen Housing Board (HDB) neighbourhoods will undergo upgrading works under the latest phase of the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP), Minister for National Development Desmond Lee announced on Sunday (Apr 6).
More than 25,000 households are expected to benefit from the upgrading, which will cost over S$165 million (US$123 million).
The 17 projects form the 16th batch of the NRP, and for the first time, include blocks built between 1996 and 1999. These projects are located across Singapore, including in Bukit Panjang, Sembawang and Sengkang.
Upgrading works under the programme are tailored to residents’ feedback and may include block-level features such as residents’ corners and seating areas, as well as precinct-level amenities like covered linkways, drop-off porches, playgrounds and landscaping, said HDB and the Ministry of National Development (MND) in a press release.
The works will be fully funded by the government and implemented by town councils, which will engage their own design consultants and building contractors, as well as monitor the progress of the projects.
More than S$1.5 billion has been committed to 229 projects since the NRP was introduced in 2007. As of the end of March 2025, 131 projects had been completed, with the remainder in various stages of implementation.
Speaking at a Community Build Day event in Toa Payoh, Mr Lee said future NRP works will incorporate more senior-friendly amenities in line with the Age Well SG initiative. This includes therapeutic gardens, fitness trials and wayfinding features.
To support these enhancements, the budget per flat under the NRP will increase from S$6,100 to around S$6,600, he added.
