Commentary on the opening of the tender for land parcel at Woodlands Drive 17 (EC)

SINGAPORE, 16 October 2025 – The tender for the Government Land Sale (GLS) site at Woodlands Drive 17 (EC) opened today and is scheduled to close on 13 January 2026.

The site, situated in the Woodlands planning area, covers approximately 2.70 hectares with a potential of developing 560 private residential units.

Market Outlook

Strategically located just a short 5-minute walk from Woodlands South MRT Station, the site benefits from excellent connectivity – one of its main attractions. Interest in this site is likely to be strong, especially as the neighbouring Woodlands Drive 17 EC GLS site attracted five bidders, indicating high developer interest. It was awarded to CDL for $782 psf ppr on 26 August 2025. While the recent Sembawang EC site closed at a more subdued price of $692 psf ppr, this pricing reflects its specific site attributes and location context rather than market demand.

Furthermore, there is considerable optimism in Singapore’s residential market presently, with strong sales take-up across the 2025 launches so far. We expect some developers to look to replenish their land bank. Currently, five GLS sites are open for tender, along with another six sites on the 2H 2025 Confirmed List.

Woodland South MRT station is only two stops from the upcoming RTS and Johor-Singapore SEZ, making it ideal for business owners or professionals who regularly commute between the two countries. The improved border connectivity is likely to boost housing demand in the area.

Location Attributes

The Woodlands Drive 17 site might be the last GLS EC site within walking distance to Woodlands South MRT station. Although the Singapore Sports School is scheduled to move, and the site may eventually be rezoned for residential use, this change is only expected to happen in the medium to long term.

Furthermore, this EC development will attract families with children, given the numerous primary schools nearby. Innova Primary School and Woodlands Ring Primary School are within 1 km.

Woodlands South MRT station’s connectivity will be greatly improved as it becomes an interchange between the North-South Line (NSL) and Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) by the mid-2030s.

Buyer Demand

Between 3Q 2020 and 3Q 2025, the median price per square foot of ECs in Woodlands, District 25, and non-landed OCR has increased across the board. EC price growth in Woodlands outpaced that of the non-landed OCR overall, growing at a rate of 65.6% compared to 47.0% respectively. This could influence buyer demand for the upcoming project at Woodlands Drive 17 and potentially encourage developers to bid more competitively for the site.

The demand for this future EC development will mainly come from HDB upgraders in Woodlands, although we may also see interest from upgraders from nearby northern towns such as Sembawang and Yishun.

Between 2026 and 2029, we will see over 1,800 (4-room and larger) flats fulfil their Minimum Occupation Period in Woodlands, with nearly 3,500 such MOP flats in Yishun and Sembawang. This should create a healthy supply of potential upgraders for the launch of the future project.

There is a pent-up demand for new homes in Woodlands, as evidenced by Norwood Grand’s performance, located just 5 minutes from this GLS site. To date, the project has sold all its 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units, with 86% of its total stock sold at $2,078 psf. This indicates a strong demand in the north for affordably priced private properties, likely encouraging developers to bid for the site.

The last EC project launched in Woodlands was Northwave in 2016. With no new EC launches for nearly a decade, there is a pent-up demand in this segment. The Woodlands Drive 17 site offers a rare opportunity for developers to reintroduce EC supply to the area and capitalise on this demand.

The most recent EC development in the northern region, North Gaia, has recently sold out all its units earlier in 2025. Similarly, for the rest of the EC market, stock remains low with only a few units available at Otto Place. The introduction of a new EC development in the Woodlands area could fill a gap in the demand for ECs, especially in the northern region.

Competition for buyers is expected to grow with upcoming northern launches, including Miltonia Close EC in Yishun and Sembawang Road EC in Sembawang, as developers compete for a limited pool of EC buyers. Strategic pricing and marketing will be vital to secure sales in this increasingly competitive northern EC market.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Lisha Rodney

Public Relations Manager, ERA Singapore

Email: Lisha.Rodney@era.com.sg

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