Aware’s Old Guard defends its activities Promoted lesbian-themed movie Spider Lilies Held a men’s workshop ‘Reaching out to transvestites’ Wanted to let men vote Schools Sexuality Programme Mother’s Day 2006 Invited gay activist Alex Au
Weekend • April 25, 2009
On Thursday, the new Exco of Aware cited instances of how the group’s events under its previous leadership had promoted gay causes. On Friday the Old Guard refuted this.
Old Guard’s explanation: CathayKeris Films and Encore Films, distributors of the movie, raised funds for Aware through a charity gala premiere screening. Various organisations hold charity events in aid of Aware and other movies have been screened.
To stop the abuse of women, Aware needs to engage the men. Men who feel the need to be macho are less likely to be caring fathers and supportive husbands and the Finnish expat Bert Bjarland invited to speak wanted to address this.
Aware’s past president Constance Singam never talked about reaching out to transvestites in any Aware newsletter.
To raise the status of women, Aware needs the support of like-minded men.
By bringing sexuality into the open — and talking about controversial topics like homosexuality in a neutral way — young people are more likely to make wise and informed decisions.
The bond between mother and child is precious and should not change despite trying circumstances, such as the revelation of a child’s homosexuality. Instead of a conventional Mother’s Day event, Aware decided on a roundtable discussion featuring lesbian-friendly mothers and lesbian daughters.
Mr Au was one of four members of a panel — including a doctor, an Aids activist and Aware’s then-president Braema Mathi — at a forum that highlighted the rising incidence of HIV Aids in Singapore.
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Saturday, April 25, 2009
Aware’s public education officer quits
Aware’s public education officer quits
Weekend • April 25, 2009
ESTHER NG
estherng@mediacorp.com.sg
SHE was barely two months into the job before Aware’s centre manager Schutz Lee was sacked.
The reasons, according to Aware vice-president Charlotte Wong: Insubordination, blocking the president’s email and poor performance — allegations rebutted by Ms Lee.
“It was mostly performance-based,” Ms Wong told Today. She said she was alerted to Ms Lee’s performance by volunteer Lilian Wong who had helped out during the transition.
“Let me give you an example: I’ve been receiving irate calls from people, who, when signing up as ordinary members online, got a ‘student membership’ message,” said Ms Wong. “They were not students, but this problem has been ongoing for some time. As vice-president, I am concerned about these things.”
The association has student, ordinary, associate and life memberships.
On Friday, Ms Lee refuted the charges. “Firstly, I’m not a techie person. If there’s a problem, I’ll call the vendor,” she said, adding that the problem had existed for almost a year and she had got the vendor to look into it.
As to the charge of locking Aware president Josie Lau out of the organisation’s email system, Ms Lee said: “Charlotte comes to the office every day unlike Josie. On April 17, Charlotte asked me for the password to the president’s email. I gave her the password, the same one which I had given to (former president) Constance Singam — this was around 4.30pm. She spent around half-an-hour trying to access the email, but couldn’t.”
So, Ms Lee contacted their webmaster, who “created a password immediately” and gave it to Ms Wong before the vice-president left the premises.
As for insubordination,Ms Wong said Ms Lee corrected the president when she was making a statement to the media on April 15. Ms Lau had told the press that she was “delighted to have been elected”, at which point, Ms Lee pointed out that Ms Lau had been “appointed”.
Ms Lee, 41, said she had worked with many chief executives as a public relations consultant and marketing director, and it was her job to correct them when they were wrong.
“Is this insubordination?” she asked.
Ms Lee’s contract was due to expire on May 31.
The acrimonious exit ofMs Lee saw Aware’s public education executive Joanna D’Cruz also throw in the towel on Friday.
Said Ms D’Cruz: “It was the way they fired Schutz so easily. I was scared — this is my first job. I’m quite outspoken and I don’t like confrontations ... I don’t want to be fired.”
Aware has appointed a new manager, Ms Magdalene Teo, a member of Church of OurSaviour.
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=27880.1
Weekend • April 25, 2009
ESTHER NG
estherng@mediacorp.com.sg
SHE was barely two months into the job before Aware’s centre manager Schutz Lee was sacked.
The reasons, according to Aware vice-president Charlotte Wong: Insubordination, blocking the president’s email and poor performance — allegations rebutted by Ms Lee.
“It was mostly performance-based,” Ms Wong told Today. She said she was alerted to Ms Lee’s performance by volunteer Lilian Wong who had helped out during the transition.
“Let me give you an example: I’ve been receiving irate calls from people, who, when signing up as ordinary members online, got a ‘student membership’ message,” said Ms Wong. “They were not students, but this problem has been ongoing for some time. As vice-president, I am concerned about these things.”
The association has student, ordinary, associate and life memberships.
On Friday, Ms Lee refuted the charges. “Firstly, I’m not a techie person. If there’s a problem, I’ll call the vendor,” she said, adding that the problem had existed for almost a year and she had got the vendor to look into it.
As to the charge of locking Aware president Josie Lau out of the organisation’s email system, Ms Lee said: “Charlotte comes to the office every day unlike Josie. On April 17, Charlotte asked me for the password to the president’s email. I gave her the password, the same one which I had given to (former president) Constance Singam — this was around 4.30pm. She spent around half-an-hour trying to access the email, but couldn’t.”
So, Ms Lee contacted their webmaster, who “created a password immediately” and gave it to Ms Wong before the vice-president left the premises.
As for insubordination,Ms Wong said Ms Lee corrected the president when she was making a statement to the media on April 15. Ms Lau had told the press that she was “delighted to have been elected”, at which point, Ms Lee pointed out that Ms Lau had been “appointed”.
Ms Lee, 41, said she had worked with many chief executives as a public relations consultant and marketing director, and it was her job to correct them when they were wrong.
“Is this insubordination?” she asked.
Ms Lee’s contract was due to expire on May 31.
The acrimonious exit ofMs Lee saw Aware’s public education executive Joanna D’Cruz also throw in the towel on Friday.
Said Ms D’Cruz: “It was the way they fired Schutz so easily. I was scared — this is my first job. I’m quite outspoken and I don’t like confrontations ... I don’t want to be fired.”
Aware has appointed a new manager, Ms Magdalene Teo, a member of Church of OurSaviour.
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Aware Catfight continues online
Catfight continues online
The online campaign between the old and new guard of AWARE continues, as a STOMPer sends in an article from an editor of web publication, with a call to action from readers to do something.
Earlier, SngHE had sent in a link to an online petition started by some Singaporeans based overseas, who said they were worried about the direction the new team was heading in.
Now, the STOMPer sent in an email with an article written by a London-based writer named Jolene, who is an editor of online publication Glass Castle, and the rally against the new guard continues, as she exhorts her readers to do something.
In her article, Jolene questions the new regime's values and , and expressed concern that they were not secular feminists but sectarian fundamentalists.
This, she argues, has serious repercussions for not just the female community, but male as well.
Hence, she calls out to netizens to do something:
"We have to build alliances, and in order to build them we have to earn mutual support. We have to care about a little bit more than ourselves and our personal pet causes. We are all in danger otherwise."
"We have to build alliances, and in order to build them we have to earn mutual support. We have to care about a little bit more than ourselves and our personal pet causes. We are all in danger otherwise."
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Aware: Emotions overflow as women exchange barbs
| SHOWDOWN CRACKDOWN LOCKDOWN | |||||
| Emotions overflow as women exchange barbs | |||||
| It was a press conference that had everything. Aware called it. The media attended it. And while accusations and clarifications were traded amid tears and raised voices, a lone figure sat, watching. | |||||
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IT was a most extraordinary press conference for a civic organisation, one that was hardly civil, one that began with a near-catfight and ended with an awkward silence.
In the middle: Shouting matches, microphone-snatching, wrist-slapping and reporters interrupting one anothers' questions. There were accusations that bordered on religious slurs, clarifications, contradictions and utter confusion. And through it all, a mysterious elderly woman sat at one end of the panel. She introduced herself as 'Feminist Mentor' - a picture of calm alongside exco members who spoke with red eyes and quivering voices. But before the storm, the calm. The invitation for the press conference came late in the afternoon. The press was informed sternly: No free admission. Submit the names of your reporters first. It was a long overdue press conference of the new Exco of Aware. The team had been criticised for remaining largely silent on their agenda ever since they were said to have seized Aware in a planned coup on 28 Mar. So the reporters arrived at Raffles Town Club well before the 7pm appointment. But the exco members arrived 20 minutes late.
The chaos started almost immediately. The five Aware exco members had barely settled into their seats when the first salvo was fired. Ms Chew I-Jin, the assistant honorary treasurer and a member of the old guard, stood up and started berating the new exco, accusing them of not inviting the old guard. The new exco sat tight as they tried to defuse the situation. Sit down, they pleaded. The press conference was only arranged at the last minute, they explained. Ask the press... they can prove it. It didn't work. The shouting match continued, with Ms Chew waving a bag which contained a presentation she said she wanted to give alongside the new exco's presentation.
The new exco continued to plead: If you really care about Aware, sit down and let us explain ourselves. Ms Chew calmed down finally and took a seat on the third row, behind the media. Exco member Lois Ng took a deep breath, gathered herself and officially began the press conference amid forced smiles. The microphone was passed to the new president of Aware, Ms Josie Lau.
And all niceties ended. She looked like she was about to explode as she announced that members of the new exco have received death threats. 'What is Singapore coming to? Is this what we have become?' she shouted. Other members of the new exco took their turns, describing the harrowing days since they were elected, their voices thick with emotion. They claimed they had been locked out of their email accounts and slandered. 'All this could have been sorted out peacefully between the old and the new guard, but it didn't happen,' said Ms Lau. All this while, the elderly woman sat at one end of the table, a picture of calm and serenity. This 'Feminist Mentor' introduced herself as Dr Thio Su Mien, a former law dean. Insiders recognised her as the mother of Nominated Member of Parliament, Dr Thio Li-ann, who became a controversial figure in the gay and lesbian community after speaking out strongly against homosexuality in Parliament last year. She is also the auntie of Dr Alan Chin, Ms Lau's husband. 'All we want to do is to start working, but we have been unable to,' said Ms Lau. And with that, the exco members moved on to explain how they planned to lead Aware. Aware, they said, had previously been hijacked to further the gay agenda. They pointed out that to celebrate Mother's Day in 2006, Aware invited lesbian-friendly mothers and their lesbian daughters to share their experiences. In the Aware newsletter, former president Constance Singam also wrote about her outreach to SG Butterflies, a support group for transsexuals. Aware also supported the screening of Spider Lilies, a movie involving a lesbian couple. 'My plea is that we should re-focus on the excellent objectives of Aware... go back to the original purpose,' said Dr Thio. The floor was then open questions from reporters. Do you have more evidence of Aware's gay agenda, one asked. After all, Spider Lilies is just one of many movies Aware has sponsored in the past. To this, the new exco revealed that the old exco has proposed giving voting rights to men, foreign women and teenagers. Sudden outburst 'We thought that was a bit odd. Why the sudden shift to give them the vote?' asked Dr Thio. Back at the third row, Ms Chew buried her head in her hands, then burst out: 'Because we are inclusive!' 'Don't throw words at me!' countered Dr Thio. 'We are a woman's organisation... why don't you form your own group to chase this cause? 'What we want are more Lim Hwee Huas and Chan Heng Chees... women who can inspire us.' Throughout the question-and-answer session, the new exco members tussled for the lone microphone. Once, as Ms Ng was in the middle of making a point, Ms Lau, sitting two seats away, reached out her hand for the microphone. Honorary secretary Jenica Chua, seated between the two of them, lightly tapped her president's wrists, and hushed her. All this while, a dinner for a golf tournament at the next ballroom was in full swing, with tipsy golfers next door having a lusty go at the karaoke, their songs almost drowning out the exco members' voices at times. Later, Ms Lau was shot a question about her employer DBS, which had publicly criticised her for taking up the presidency. She declined to answer, explaining she did not have permission to do so. Honorary Treasurer Maureen Ong and Ms Chua leapt to her defence but, as they spoke, Ms Lau listened and shook her head several times. Soon, another reporter's hand would shoot up and another hand would reach out to grab the microphone. Up front, the exco members interrupted one another's long-winded explanations, clarifying one another's points, sometimes resulting in even more confusion. At one point, Ms Ong mumbled something about changing Syariah law, but when asked to clarify by a reporter, she took it back and said: 'What I want to say is that we are working for all women, whether you are Muslim, Buddhist, Christian...' 'You haven't answered any of our questions!' exclaimed one exasperated reporter. Said Ms Ng: 'We organised this press conference because we wanted to explain our position. 'Now, we have a question for the media.' What is the newspapers' role in all of this, she asked. Why the unusually keen interest in the gay agenda? Her question was met with silence. And with that, the press conference ended.
3 questions on everyone's lips
'If the old guard was that interested in Aware, why did not they turn up for the AGM?' Honorary Treasurer Mauren Ong
'Aware seems to be only interested in lesbianism and homosexuality, which is a man's problem.' Advisor to new exco, Dr Thio Su Mien
'Yes, we attend the same church. But not all of us knew one another before joining Aware.' Ms Maureen Ong |
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Aware: Their lives and jobs threatened
| LOCKDOWN | |||||
| Their lives and jobs threatened | |||||
| Ladies of the fight: At the Raffles Town Club, the plot thickened. There were death threats, a heckler and a 'Feminist Mentor' | |||||
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'MY hatred towards Dr Thio (Li-ann) and all Christians is so strong that... you are now on my hit list... wait for the day to come. I may not hurt you but someone you love most, that will cause you great pain.'
That is only the printable parts of the death threat that Honorary Secretary Jenica Chua claimed she received. The typed letter, delivered to the Aware office, contained religious slurs. It was written by a person claiming to be a homosexual who has joined a militant group. Ms Chua also said that someone wrote to her company recently saying that her involvement in the Aware saga has ruined the company's reputation. 'Why should this happen to me?' asked Ms Chua. President Josie Lau received death threats to herself and her family. Details of which school her children attend have been circulating on the Internet. 'Every day, I worry for my kids. If you are a parent, you will know what I mean,' said a visibly shaken Ms Lau. 'It is now a police case.' The exco members also revealed that they were logged out of their e-mail accounts by the Aware secretariat, whose manager, Ms Schultz Lee, has since been fired. Exco member Lois Ng also claimed she has been subject to an online campaign calling for a boycott of her business. 'The person said, 'This is your lesson for joining Aware',' said Ms Ng. 'Suddently, I feel that it is a crime to be a Christian and hold a position in a women's organisation. 'But Singapore is a multi-racial and mutli-religious country. My religion is a private matter.' She questioned the nature of the outburst against the new exco. 'What is happening to our society? Can someone explain...this thing that is so dangerous and irrational?' Outraged Said Dr Thio Su Mien, the mother of Nominated Member of Parliament Thio Li-ann, and advisor to the new exco: 'I am outraged, absolutely outraged, that when a group of women come together to contribute to society, they receive such ferocious attacks.' Said Ms Lau: 'I said in my past interview that Aware has lost its focus. But I was being very polite.' The gay agenda, she said, seemed to have been the 'single objective' of the old Aware. 'We want to bring Aware back to its original, noble objective and address issues like ageism and health care...things which ordinary women care about,' she said. 'All we want to do is to get going with the work. But the old guard has been badgering us.' |
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Aware: No reason given for termination
| No reason given for termination | |||||
| Aware Centre manager thought she was to help with EOGM when she was called last night | |||||
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IN JUST 48 hours, two Aware members have been suddenly told that their services were not needed.
The first is Ms Schutz Lee, Aware Centre's manager, its highest-ranking paid staff. The other is Mr Michael Chick, 39, an Aware volunteer. Ms Lee told The New Paper last night: 'They (the new committee) can terminate me because I'm on a service contract. But on what grounds have they terminated me?' Her sacking appears to be a calculated move. On Tuesday night, Ms Charlotte Wong, the vice-president of Aware, reminded her to turn up at the Aware Centre along Dover Crescent, for an executive committee (exco) meeting at 7pm. Ms Lee thought she was needed to handle the logistics and administrative matters for the upcoming extraordinary meeting. This meeting is slated to take place on 2May at the First Choice Auditorium in Toa Payoh from 2pm to 5pm. But Ms Lee suspected something was up when she didn't get to sit in on the meeting and had to wait outside the meeting room instead. Her suspicions were confirmed when, at about 8pm, Ms Wong walked out of the meeting room and gave her a letter of termination in front of other committee members, Ms Sally Ang, Ms Irene Yee, Ms Peggy Leong and Ms Caris Lim. Explanation Ms Lee asked why she was terminated, and Ms Wong wanted to explain it to her in another room. But Ms Lee said that whatever Ms Wong wanted to say to her could be said in the open. According to her, Ms Wong declined to do so. Ms Lee refused to accept her termination and didn't sign the termination letter. Instead, she tore it up and threw it in the wastepaper basket. When The New Paper informed Ms Lee that contract employees could be released without a reason, she insisted: 'I have a right to ask for a reason as an individual. They (the new committee) said I have to accept my termination, but I don't think I've done anything wrong. 'I understand that I have a contract with Aware that can be terminated, but there was no reason given on my letter of termination.' She asked angrily and repeatedly: 'For what reason am I terminated?' Ms Lee has been an Aware member for more than 15 years and has volunteered for various programmes. She was an exco member in 1995, organised many charity fund-raisers and has sat on Aware's work-life balance and human resources sub-committees. She started work at Aware in February under a short-term contract which was slated to last until the end of next month. She was to work part-time, three days a week, supervising staff members and, ironically, hiring staff. Ms Lee said: 'I suspect they (the new exco) terminated me because they think I didn't give over information to them. But this is not true. Whatever I have, I gave to them.' Neither Ms Lim, a veteran member, nor Ms ChewI-Jin, another veteran who turned up at Dover Crescent after the press conference, were informed of Ms Lee's termination. Ms Lim was against terminating a staff member but was overruled, according to Ms Lee. The Aware old guard, comprising Ms Constance Singam, Ms Margaret Thomas, Ms Dana Lam, Ms Tan Joo Hymn, Ms Corrina Lau, Ms Ravqind Kaur and others, arrived at the Aware Centre at about 8.30pm last night. When The New Paper called at about 10pm, Ms Lee and the old guard could still be heard arguing heatedly with the new guard in the background. The other person who was suddenly told his services were not needed was Mr Chick, a film-maker. The veteran Aware volunteer was supposed to give a talk at a secondary school about parents and how to prevent sexual violence against children. He told The New Paper that he received a call from Aware on Tuesday afternoon saying that the talk was 'off' and he was not needed. According to him, Aware provided no reason why he was no longer needed. 'I suspect that it was more to do with the topic than anything else,' he said. 'I really don't know. But it's shocking, really.' |
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URA Release of 1st Quarter 2009 real estate statistics
24 April 2009
Release of 1st Quarter 2009 real estate statistics
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) released today the real estate statistics for the 1st Quarter 2009.
SUMMARY
Prices of private residential, office, shop and industrial properties decreased by 14.1%, 12.0%, 4.2% and 10.1% respectively in the 1st Quarter 2009.
Rentals of private residential, office, shop and industrial properties decreased by 8.5%, 10.7%, 3.3% and 5.6% respectively in the 1st Quarter 2009.
As at 1st Quarter 2009, there were 64,152 private residential units in the pipeline, comprising supply from projects that were already under construction and those that had been granted planning approval but were not under construction yet. For the office sector, there was a pipeline supply of about 1.29 million sq m Gross Floor Area (GFA) of office space from various Government and private land sources. Of these, about 27,423 private residential units and about 862,000 sq m GFA of office space were expected to be completed between 2nd Quarter 2009 and 2011. This is based on developers’ declaration and actual completion schedule may change from quarter to quarter as developers adjust their development plans or construction schedule according to market conditions.
PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES
Prices
Overall prices of private residential properties fell by 14.1% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the decline of 6.1% in the previous quarter (see Annexes A-1, A-6 & A-7).
Prices of non-landed properties fell by 15.1% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the decline of 6.3% in the previous quarter. Prices of apartments fell by 15.9%, while prices of condominiums fell by 14.7%.
Prices of non-landed properties in Core Central Region1 (CCR) fell by 16.2% in 1st Quarter 2009, and prices of non-landed properties in Rest of Central Region2 (RCR) and Outside Central Region (OCR) fell by 17.0% and 7.3% respectively (see Annex A-2).
Prices of landed properties fell by 9.2% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the decrease of 4.8% in the previous quarter. Prices of detached, semi-detached and terrace houses fell by 10.0%, 7.5% and 9.1% respectively in 1st Quarter 2009.
The prices of private residential properties are not uniform and vary from project to project. Home-buyers can view the data on individual uncompleted private residential projects at the following url: http://www.ura.gov.sg/realEstateWeb/price.jsp. The database also provides information on projects with units still available for sale.
Besides the data on the sale of uncompleted units direct from developers, home-buyers can also access information on all private residential property transactions on URA’s website at the following url: http://www.ura.gov.sg/realEstateWeb/transaction.jsp. This database, which is based on caveats lodged with the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), contains comprehensive information on the prices and floor areas of the units.
Rentals
Rentals of private residential properties3 fell by 8.5% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the decrease of 5.3% in the previous quarter (see Annex A-3).
Rentals of non-landed properties in CCR, RCR and OCR fell by 10.3%, 7.2% and 6.5% respectively in 1st Quarter 2009 (see Annexes A-3 & A-4).
In addition, URA also released data on the 25th percentile, median and 75th percentile rentals for individual private residential projects for 1st Quarter 20094 . The data on the rentals of individual private residential projects are available on URA’s website at the following url: http://www.ura.gov.sg/realEstateWeb/rental.jsp.
Supply in the Pipeline
As at the end of the 1st Quarter 2009, there was a total supply of 64,152 uncompleted units of private housing from projects in the pipeline5 (see Annex E-1). Of these, 42,045 units were still unsold. These comprised 3,333 units that had been launched for sale by developers and 14,268 units which had the pre-requisite conditions for sale and could be launched for sale immediately. The remaining 24,444 units with planning approvals did not have the pre-requisite conditions for sale (see Annex B-1). Details of the number of unsold private residential units with planning approvals in the 3 market segments are given in Annex B-2.
Of the 64,152 units, 27,423 units were expected to be completed between 2nd Quarter 2009 and 2011, of which 23,378 units were already under construction6. Developers had obtained planning approvals7 for projects making up the remaining 4,045 units, but had not yet commenced construction (see Annex E-2).
URA also released detailed data on supply in the pipeline by market segment, development status and expected year of completion at the following url: http://www.ura.gov.sg/real_estate/pipeline_supply. This is to enable the public to have a more comprehensive picture of supply coming on-stream over the next few years in the private housing market. Of the 64,152 uncompleted units of private housing from projects in the pipeline, 23,045 units, 18,035 units and 23,072 units were in CCR, RCR and OCR respectively.
Launches and Take-up
A total of 2,108 uncompleted private residential units were launched for sale by developers in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with 706 units in 4th Quarter 2008. Of the 2,108 uncompleted units launched in the quarter, 100 units were in CCR, 672 units were in RCR, and 1,336 units were in OCR (see Annex C-1). Major residential projects launched in the quarter included Caspian at Boon Lay Way/Lakeside Drive (600 units out of a total 712 units), Double Bay Residences at Simei Street 4 (320 units out of a total 646 units) and Alexis at Alexandra Road (all 293 units).
In 1st Quarter 2009, 2,552 uncompleted private residential units were sold by developers, compared with 407 units in 4th Quarter 2008. Of the 2,552 uncompleted units sold in the quarter, 222 units were in CCR, 712 units were in RCR, and 1,618 units were in OCR (see Annex C-2). Developers also sold 44 completed private residential units in 1st Quarter 2009.
Sub-sales
The total number of sub-sales was 356 in 1st Quarter 2009, compared to 265 sub-sales in the previous quarter. In percentage terms, sub-sales accounted for 9.0% of all sale transactions in 1st Quarter 2009, compared to 16.1% in 4th Quarter 2008. The number of sub-sales in CCR in 1st Quarter 2009 accounted for 21.2% of the property sale transactions in this area in the quarter, compared to 22.1% in the previous quarter. The percentage of sub-sales in 1st Quarter 2009 for RCR, at 12.1%, was lower than the 24.9% in the previous quarter. The percentage of sub-sales in OCR in 1st Quarter 2009 of 5.0% was lower than the 8.8% in the previous quarter (see Annex D).
Stock and Vacancy
A total of 2,230 private residential units were completed (granted TOP) in 1st Quarter 2009. Major residential projects completed in the quarter were RiverGate at Robertson Quay (545 units) and City Square Residences at Kitchener Link (remaining 439 units of a total of 910 units).
The vacancy rate of completed private residential units was 5.9% as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, compared with 6.1% as at the end of the previous quarter (see Annex E-1).
Executive Condominiums
As at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, there were no Executive Condominium (EC) units in the pipeline. All available EC units have been sold (see Annexes F-1 & F-2).
The total stock of completed EC units was 10,430 units as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009. As at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, the vacancy rate was 0.8%, compared with the vacancy rate of 0.7% as at the end of the previous quarter (see Annex E-1).
OFFICE SPACE
Rentals
The rentals for office space in Singapore fell in 1st Quarter 2009. Overall rentals for office space, based on leases which had commenced, decreased by 10.7% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the decrease of 6.5% in 4th Quarter 2008 (see Annex A-3).
The median rental for “Category 1”8 office space, based on leases which had commenced, was S$11.56 per square foot per month (psf pm) in 1st Quarter 2009, lower than the median rental of S$13.00 psf pm in 4th Quarter 2008. In comparison, the median rental for “Category 2”9 office space was S$5.49 psf pm in 1st Quarter 2009, compared to the S$6.01 psf pm in 4th Quarter 2008 (see Annex A-5). As “Category 2” office space accounts for about 80% of all office space in Singapore, the rental for such space is more reflective of the typical rental paid by office tenants in Singapore. These statistics were compiled based on IRAS’ records of rental contracts in Singapore where the leases had commenced in 1st Quarter 2009.
The median rentals for “Category 1” and “Category 2” office space based on rental contracts signed in 1st Quarter 2009 were S$11.56 and S$5.53 psf pm respectively (see Annex A-5). These statistics were compiled based on IRAS’ records of rental contracts which were signed in the reference quarter, regardless of whether or not the leases commenced in the reference quarter10.
Prices
Prices of office space decreased by 12.0% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the 4.9% decrease in the previous quarter (see Annex A-1).
Supply in the Pipeline
As at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, there was a total supply of about 1.29 million sq m GFA of office space in the pipeline. Of the total pipeline supply of office space, about 862,000 sq m were expected to be completed between 2nd Quarter 2009 and 2011. More detailed data on pipeline supply of office space by development status and expected year of completion are at Annex E-1 and E-2.
Apart from office space, as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, there was a total supply of about 521,000 sq m of business park space from projects in the pipeline11 from Government and private land sources which were expected to be completed between 2nd Quarter 2009 and 2011. Business Park space primarily caters to non-pollutive industries and businesses that engage in high-technology, research and development (R&D), high value-added and knowledge-intensive activities. However, some of the Business Park space could be used for selected office uses such as backroom operations of companies.
Stock and Vacancy
The amount of occupied office space decreased by 30,000 sq m (nett) in 1st Quarter 2009, as compared with the 34,000 sq m decrease in the previous quarter. A total of 56,100 sq m of office space were completed (granted TOP) in 1st Quarter 2009. This included the newly completed transitional office developments, viz Mountbatten Square at Mountbatten Road (16,400 sq m) and Tampines Concourse at 11 Tampines Concourse (10,100 sq m), and vacant State properties which had been leased for office use, viz the former Haig Boys’ School at Mountbatten Road (9,700 sq m) and the People’s Association Headquarters at King George’s Avenue (8,100 sqm).
The island-wide vacancy rate of office space was 10.0% as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, higher than the 8.8% as at the end of 4th Quarter 2008. Similarly, the vacancy rate for “Category 1” office space increased to 5.3% as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, from 4.6% as at the end of 4th Quarter 2008. The vacancy rate for “Category 2” office space as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009 was 11.0%, compared to 9.8% as at the end of 4th Quarter 2008 (see Annex A-5).
SHOP SPACE
Rentals
The overall rentals for shop space in Singapore, based on leases which had commenced, decreased by 3.3% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the 0.6% decrease in the 4th Quarter 2008 (see Annex A-3). The median rental for shop space in the Orchard Planning Area (Orchard), Rest of City Area (RCA)12 and Outside City Area (OCA) also decreased slightly to S$10.67, S$6.55 and S$5.52 psf pm respectively in 1st Quarter 2009 (see Annex A-5). These statistics were compiled based on IRAS’ records of rental contracts in Singapore where the leases commenced in 1st Quarter 2009.
The median rentals for shop space in Orchard, RCA and OCA based on all rental contracts signed in 1st Quarter 2009, regardless of whether or not the leases commenced in the quarter, were S$10.55, S$6.77 and S$5.51 psf pm respectively (see Annex A-5).
Prices
Prices of shop space decreased by 4.2% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the 4.8% decrease in the previous quarter (see Annex A-1).
Supply in the Pipeline
As at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, there was a total supply of 679,000 sq m GFA of shop space from projects in the pipeline13 , from Government and private land sources. Of the total pipeline supply of shop space, about 559,000 sq m were expected to be completed between 2nd Quarter 2009 and 2011. More detailed data on pipeline supply of shop space by development status and expected year of completion are at Annex E-1 and E-2.
Stock and Vacancy
The amount of occupied shop space increased by 1,000 sq m (nett) in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the 38,000 sq m increase in 4th Quarter 2008. A total of 23,800 sq m of shop space were completed (granted TOP) in the 1st Quarter 2009. This included the newly completed Tampines 1 at Tampines Central 1 (15,900 sq m) and Iluma at Victoria Street (5,200 sq m).
The islandwide vacancy rate of shop space was 6.6% as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, compared to the 6.2% vacancy rate as at the end of 4th Quarter 2008. The vacancy rates for shop space in Orchard, RCA and OCA as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009 were 4.7%, 8.0% and 6.4% respectively. In comparison, the vacancy rates for shop space in Orchard, RCA and OCA as at the end of 4th Quarter 2008 were 3.3%, 7.5% and 6.2% respectively (see Annex A-5).
INDUSTRIAL SPACE
Prices and Rentals
Prices of multiple-user factory space fell by 9.9% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the 6.7% decrease in the previous quarter (see Annex A-1). Rentals of multiple-user factory space also fell by 6.1%, compared with the 3.2% decrease in the previous quarter (see Annex A-3).
Supply in the Pipeline
As at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, there was a total supply of 3.63 million sq m GFA of factory space from projects in the pipeline14, from Government and private land sources. Of the total pipeline supply of factory space, about 3.46 million sq m were expected to be completed between 2nd Quarter 2009 and 2011. More detailed data on pipeline supply of factory space by development status and expected year of completion are at Annex E-1 and E-2.
Stock and Vacancy
The amount of occupied factory space increased by 40,000 sq m (nett) in 1st Quarter 2009, lower than the increase of 175,000 sq m (nett) in 4th Quarter 2008. A total of 225,700 sq m of factory space were completed (granted TOP) in 1st Quarter 2009.
The vacancy rate of factory space was 7.0% as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, higher than the vacancy rate of 6.6% as at the end of 4th Quarter 2008.
URA’s REAL ESTATE INFORMATION SERVICE
More detailed information on the price and rental indices, supply in the pipeline, stock and vacancy position of the various properties can be found in the Real Estate Information System (REALIS), an online database of URA.
Subscribers of REALIS can obtain the information from the system after 12.30 pm today. More information on REALIS can be found at http://spring.ura.gov.sg/lad/ore/login/index.cfm. You can also contact the REALIS hotline at 6329 3456.
| 1 | Core Central Region comprises postal districts 9, 10, 11, Downtown Core Planning Area and Sentosa. A map of Central Region showing the Core Central Region (CCR) and the Rest of Central Region (RCR) is available at: http://spring.ura.gov.sg/lad/ore/login/map_ccr.pdf |
| 2 | Rest of Central Region comprises of the area within Central Region that is outside postal districts 9, 10, 11, Downtown Core Planning Area and Sentosa. A map of Central Region showing the Core Central Region (CCR) and the Rest of Central Region (RCR) is available at: http://spring.ura.gov.sg/lad/ore/login/map_ccr.pdf |
| 3 | URA’s rental data for private residential properties are compiled based on IRAS’ records of rental contracts for such properties where leases commenced in the reference quarter. |
| 4 | The rental data released are for private residential projects where there were at least 10 rental transactions in the reference quarter. |
| 5 | Refers to new development and redevelopment projects with planning approvals (i.e. Provisional Permission, Written Permission). A Written Permission (WP) is a final approval, as compared with a Provisional Permission (PP), granted under the Planning Act for a proposed development. |
| 6 | The expected completion dates of private residential projects in the pipeline are provided by the developers of these projects, and not estimated by URA. |
| 7 | Planning approvals refer to either Provisional Permission (PP) or Written Permission (WP). A Written Permission (WP) is a final approval, as compared with a Provisional Permission (PP), granted under the Planning Act for a proposed development. |
| 8 | Refers to office space in buildings located in core business areas in Downtown Core and Orchard Planning Area which are relatively modern or recently refurbished, command relatively high rentals and have large floor plate size and gross floor area. A map of Central Region showing the locations of Downtown Core and Orchard Planning Areas is available in URA’s website at: http://spring.ura.gov.sg/lad/ore/login/map_central_region.pdf. |
| 9 | Refers to the remaining office space in Singapore which are not included in “Category 1”. |
| 10 | Tenancy agreements for office space are usually signed up to 3 months before lease commencement. The methodology and sample size may differ from those used by some property consultants. For example, URA only uses actual contracted rentals in the computation of the statistics, whereas some property consultants use estimates of achievable rents in addition to actual contracted rentals in the computation of their statistics. |
| 11 | Refers to new development and redevelopment projects with planning approvals (i.e. Provisional Permission, Written Permission). A Written Permission (WP) is a final approval, as compared with a Provisional Permission (PP), granted under the Planning Act for a proposed development. |
| 12 | A map of Central Region showing Orchard and RCA is available at http://spring.ura.gov.sg/lad/ore/login/map_city_area.pdf. |
| 13 | Refers to new development and redevelopment projects with planning approvals (i.e. Provisional Permission, Written Permission). A Written Permission (WP) is a final approval, as compared with a Provisional Permission (PP), granted under the Planning Act for a proposed development. |
| 14 | Refers to new development and redevelopment projects with planning approvals (i.e. Provisional Permission, Written Permission). A Written Permission (WP) is a final approval, as compared with a Provisional Permission (PP), granted under the Planning Act for a proposed development. |
Summary of Key Information for 1st Quarter 2009
| Annex | Title |
| Annex A-1 | Comparison of Property Price Index for 4th Quarter 2008 and 1st Quarter 2009 |
| Annex A-2 | Price Indices of Non-Landed Properties by Locality and Completion Status. |
| Annex A-3 | Comparison of Rental Index for 4th Quarter 2008 and 1st Quarter 2009 |
| Annex A-4 | Rental Indices of Non-Landed Properties by Locality |
| Annex A-5 | Median Rentals and Vacancy of Office and Shop Space |
| Annex A-6 | Chart of Property Price Index by Type of Property |
| Annex A-7 | Chart of Residential Property Price Index by Type |
| Annex B-1 | Number of Unsold Private Residential Units from Projects with Planning Approvals |
| Annex B-2 | Number of Unsold Private Residential Units from Projects with Planning Approvals by Market Segment |
| Annex C-1 | Number of Uncompleted Private Residential Units Launched in the Quarter by Market Segment |
| Annex C-2 | Number of Private Residential Units Sold in the Quarter by Market Segment |
| Annex D | Number of New Sale, Sub-Sale and Resale Transactions for Private Residential Units by Market Segment |
| Annex E-1 | Stock & Vacancy and Supply in the Pipeline as at End of 1st Quarter 2009 |
| Annex E-2 | Supply in the Pipeline by Development Status and Expected Year of Completion as at End of 1st Quarter 2009 |
| Annex F-1 | Number of Executive Condominium Units Launched and Sold in the Quarter |
| Annex F-2 | Sale Position of Executive Condominium Units with Pre-Requisites for Sale as at End of Quarter |
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=27844.2
URA Release of 1st Quarter 2009 real estate statistics
24 April 2009
Release of 1st Quarter 2009 real estate statistics
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) released today the real estate statistics for the 1st Quarter 2009.
SUMMARY
Prices of private residential, office, shop and industrial properties decreased by 14.1%, 12.0%, 4.2% and 10.1% respectively in the 1st Quarter 2009.
Rentals of private residential, office, shop and industrial properties decreased by 8.5%, 10.7%, 3.3% and 5.6% respectively in the 1st Quarter 2009.
As at 1st Quarter 2009, there were 64,152 private residential units in the pipeline, comprising supply from projects that were already under construction and those that had been granted planning approval but were not under construction yet. For the office sector, there was a pipeline supply of about 1.29 million sq m Gross Floor Area (GFA) of office space from various Government and private land sources. Of these, about 27,423 private residential units and about 862,000 sq m GFA of office space were expected to be completed between 2nd Quarter 2009 and 2011. This is based on developers’ declaration and actual completion schedule may change from quarter to quarter as developers adjust their development plans or construction schedule according to market conditions.
PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES
Prices
Overall prices of private residential properties fell by 14.1% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the decline of 6.1% in the previous quarter (see Annexes A-1, A-6 & A-7).
Prices of non-landed properties fell by 15.1% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the decline of 6.3% in the previous quarter. Prices of apartments fell by 15.9%, while prices of condominiums fell by 14.7%.
Prices of non-landed properties in Core Central Region1 (CCR) fell by 16.2% in 1st Quarter 2009, and prices of non-landed properties in Rest of Central Region2 (RCR) and Outside Central Region (OCR) fell by 17.0% and 7.3% respectively (see Annex A-2).
Prices of landed properties fell by 9.2% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the decrease of 4.8% in the previous quarter. Prices of detached, semi-detached and terrace houses fell by 10.0%, 7.5% and 9.1% respectively in 1st Quarter 2009.
The prices of private residential properties are not uniform and vary from project to project. Home-buyers can view the data on individual uncompleted private residential projects at the following url: http://www.ura.gov.sg/realEstateWeb/price.jsp. The database also provides information on projects with units still available for sale.
Besides the data on the sale of uncompleted units direct from developers, home-buyers can also access information on all private residential property transactions on URA’s website at the following url: http://www.ura.gov.sg/realEstateWeb/transaction.jsp. This database, which is based on caveats lodged with the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), contains comprehensive information on the prices and floor areas of the units.
Rentals
Rentals of private residential properties3 fell by 8.5% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the decrease of 5.3% in the previous quarter (see Annex A-3).
Rentals of non-landed properties in CCR, RCR and OCR fell by 10.3%, 7.2% and 6.5% respectively in 1st Quarter 2009 (see Annexes A-3 & A-4).
In addition, URA also released data on the 25th percentile, median and 75th percentile rentals for individual private residential projects for 1st Quarter 20094 . The data on the rentals of individual private residential projects are available on URA’s website at the following url: http://www.ura.gov.sg/realEstateWeb/rental.jsp.
Supply in the Pipeline
As at the end of the 1st Quarter 2009, there was a total supply of 64,152 uncompleted units of private housing from projects in the pipeline5 (see Annex E-1). Of these, 42,045 units were still unsold. These comprised 3,333 units that had been launched for sale by developers and 14,268 units which had the pre-requisite conditions for sale and could be launched for sale immediately. The remaining 24,444 units with planning approvals did not have the pre-requisite conditions for sale (see Annex B-1). Details of the number of unsold private residential units with planning approvals in the 3 market segments are given in Annex B-2.
Of the 64,152 units, 27,423 units were expected to be completed between 2nd Quarter 2009 and 2011, of which 23,378 units were already under construction6. Developers had obtained planning approvals7 for projects making up the remaining 4,045 units, but had not yet commenced construction (see Annex E-2).
URA also released detailed data on supply in the pipeline by market segment, development status and expected year of completion at the following url: http://www.ura.gov.sg/real_estate/pipeline_supply. This is to enable the public to have a more comprehensive picture of supply coming on-stream over the next few years in the private housing market. Of the 64,152 uncompleted units of private housing from projects in the pipeline, 23,045 units, 18,035 units and 23,072 units were in CCR, RCR and OCR respectively.
Launches and Take-up
A total of 2,108 uncompleted private residential units were launched for sale by developers in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with 706 units in 4th Quarter 2008. Of the 2,108 uncompleted units launched in the quarter, 100 units were in CCR, 672 units were in RCR, and 1,336 units were in OCR (see Annex C-1). Major residential projects launched in the quarter included Caspian at Boon Lay Way/Lakeside Drive (600 units out of a total 712 units), Double Bay Residences at Simei Street 4 (320 units out of a total 646 units) and Alexis at Alexandra Road (all 293 units).
In 1st Quarter 2009, 2,552 uncompleted private residential units were sold by developers, compared with 407 units in 4th Quarter 2008. Of the 2,552 uncompleted units sold in the quarter, 222 units were in CCR, 712 units were in RCR, and 1,618 units were in OCR (see Annex C-2). Developers also sold 44 completed private residential units in 1st Quarter 2009.
Sub-sales
The total number of sub-sales was 356 in 1st Quarter 2009, compared to 265 sub-sales in the previous quarter. In percentage terms, sub-sales accounted for 9.0% of all sale transactions in 1st Quarter 2009, compared to 16.1% in 4th Quarter 2008. The number of sub-sales in CCR in 1st Quarter 2009 accounted for 21.2% of the property sale transactions in this area in the quarter, compared to 22.1% in the previous quarter. The percentage of sub-sales in 1st Quarter 2009 for RCR, at 12.1%, was lower than the 24.9% in the previous quarter. The percentage of sub-sales in OCR in 1st Quarter 2009 of 5.0% was lower than the 8.8% in the previous quarter (see Annex D).
Stock and Vacancy
A total of 2,230 private residential units were completed (granted TOP) in 1st Quarter 2009. Major residential projects completed in the quarter were RiverGate at Robertson Quay (545 units) and City Square Residences at Kitchener Link (remaining 439 units of a total of 910 units).
The vacancy rate of completed private residential units was 5.9% as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, compared with 6.1% as at the end of the previous quarter (see Annex E-1).
Executive Condominiums
As at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, there were no Executive Condominium (EC) units in the pipeline. All available EC units have been sold (see Annexes F-1 & F-2).
The total stock of completed EC units was 10,430 units as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009. As at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, the vacancy rate was 0.8%, compared with the vacancy rate of 0.7% as at the end of the previous quarter (see Annex E-1).
OFFICE SPACE
Rentals
The rentals for office space in Singapore fell in 1st Quarter 2009. Overall rentals for office space, based on leases which had commenced, decreased by 10.7% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the decrease of 6.5% in 4th Quarter 2008 (see Annex A-3).
The median rental for “Category 1”8 office space, based on leases which had commenced, was S$11.56 per square foot per month (psf pm) in 1st Quarter 2009, lower than the median rental of S$13.00 psf pm in 4th Quarter 2008. In comparison, the median rental for “Category 2”9 office space was S$5.49 psf pm in 1st Quarter 2009, compared to the S$6.01 psf pm in 4th Quarter 2008 (see Annex A-5). As “Category 2” office space accounts for about 80% of all office space in Singapore, the rental for such space is more reflective of the typical rental paid by office tenants in Singapore. These statistics were compiled based on IRAS’ records of rental contracts in Singapore where the leases had commenced in 1st Quarter 2009.
The median rentals for “Category 1” and “Category 2” office space based on rental contracts signed in 1st Quarter 2009 were S$11.56 and S$5.53 psf pm respectively (see Annex A-5). These statistics were compiled based on IRAS’ records of rental contracts which were signed in the reference quarter, regardless of whether or not the leases commenced in the reference quarter10.
Prices
Prices of office space decreased by 12.0% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the 4.9% decrease in the previous quarter (see Annex A-1).
Supply in the Pipeline
As at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, there was a total supply of about 1.29 million sq m GFA of office space in the pipeline. Of the total pipeline supply of office space, about 862,000 sq m were expected to be completed between 2nd Quarter 2009 and 2011. More detailed data on pipeline supply of office space by development status and expected year of completion are at Annex E-1 and E-2.
Apart from office space, as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, there was a total supply of about 521,000 sq m of business park space from projects in the pipeline11 from Government and private land sources which were expected to be completed between 2nd Quarter 2009 and 2011. Business Park space primarily caters to non-pollutive industries and businesses that engage in high-technology, research and development (R&D), high value-added and knowledge-intensive activities. However, some of the Business Park space could be used for selected office uses such as backroom operations of companies.
Stock and Vacancy
The amount of occupied office space decreased by 30,000 sq m (nett) in 1st Quarter 2009, as compared with the 34,000 sq m decrease in the previous quarter. A total of 56,100 sq m of office space were completed (granted TOP) in 1st Quarter 2009. This included the newly completed transitional office developments, viz Mountbatten Square at Mountbatten Road (16,400 sq m) and Tampines Concourse at 11 Tampines Concourse (10,100 sq m), and vacant State properties which had been leased for office use, viz the former Haig Boys’ School at Mountbatten Road (9,700 sq m) and the People’s Association Headquarters at King George’s Avenue (8,100 sqm).
The island-wide vacancy rate of office space was 10.0% as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, higher than the 8.8% as at the end of 4th Quarter 2008. Similarly, the vacancy rate for “Category 1” office space increased to 5.3% as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, from 4.6% as at the end of 4th Quarter 2008. The vacancy rate for “Category 2” office space as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009 was 11.0%, compared to 9.8% as at the end of 4th Quarter 2008 (see Annex A-5).
SHOP SPACE
Rentals
The overall rentals for shop space in Singapore, based on leases which had commenced, decreased by 3.3% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the 0.6% decrease in the 4th Quarter 2008 (see Annex A-3). The median rental for shop space in the Orchard Planning Area (Orchard), Rest of City Area (RCA)12 and Outside City Area (OCA) also decreased slightly to S$10.67, S$6.55 and S$5.52 psf pm respectively in 1st Quarter 2009 (see Annex A-5). These statistics were compiled based on IRAS’ records of rental contracts in Singapore where the leases commenced in 1st Quarter 2009.
The median rentals for shop space in Orchard, RCA and OCA based on all rental contracts signed in 1st Quarter 2009, regardless of whether or not the leases commenced in the quarter, were S$10.55, S$6.77 and S$5.51 psf pm respectively (see Annex A-5).
Prices
Prices of shop space decreased by 4.2% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the 4.8% decrease in the previous quarter (see Annex A-1).
Supply in the Pipeline
As at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, there was a total supply of 679,000 sq m GFA of shop space from projects in the pipeline13 , from Government and private land sources. Of the total pipeline supply of shop space, about 559,000 sq m were expected to be completed between 2nd Quarter 2009 and 2011. More detailed data on pipeline supply of shop space by development status and expected year of completion are at Annex E-1 and E-2.
Stock and Vacancy
The amount of occupied shop space increased by 1,000 sq m (nett) in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the 38,000 sq m increase in 4th Quarter 2008. A total of 23,800 sq m of shop space were completed (granted TOP) in the 1st Quarter 2009. This included the newly completed Tampines 1 at Tampines Central 1 (15,900 sq m) and Iluma at Victoria Street (5,200 sq m).
The islandwide vacancy rate of shop space was 6.6% as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, compared to the 6.2% vacancy rate as at the end of 4th Quarter 2008. The vacancy rates for shop space in Orchard, RCA and OCA as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009 were 4.7%, 8.0% and 6.4% respectively. In comparison, the vacancy rates for shop space in Orchard, RCA and OCA as at the end of 4th Quarter 2008 were 3.3%, 7.5% and 6.2% respectively (see Annex A-5).
INDUSTRIAL SPACE
Prices and Rentals
Prices of multiple-user factory space fell by 9.9% in 1st Quarter 2009, compared with the 6.7% decrease in the previous quarter (see Annex A-1). Rentals of multiple-user factory space also fell by 6.1%, compared with the 3.2% decrease in the previous quarter (see Annex A-3).
Supply in the Pipeline
As at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, there was a total supply of 3.63 million sq m GFA of factory space from projects in the pipeline14, from Government and private land sources. Of the total pipeline supply of factory space, about 3.46 million sq m were expected to be completed between 2nd Quarter 2009 and 2011. More detailed data on pipeline supply of factory space by development status and expected year of completion are at Annex E-1 and E-2.
Stock and Vacancy
The amount of occupied factory space increased by 40,000 sq m (nett) in 1st Quarter 2009, lower than the increase of 175,000 sq m (nett) in 4th Quarter 2008. A total of 225,700 sq m of factory space were completed (granted TOP) in 1st Quarter 2009.
The vacancy rate of factory space was 7.0% as at the end of 1st Quarter 2009, higher than the vacancy rate of 6.6% as at the end of 4th Quarter 2008.
URA’s REAL ESTATE INFORMATION SERVICE
More detailed information on the price and rental indices, supply in the pipeline, stock and vacancy position of the various properties can be found in the Real Estate Information System (REALIS), an online database of URA.
Subscribers of REALIS can obtain the information from the system after 12.30 pm today. More information on REALIS can be found at http://spring.ura.gov.sg/lad/ore/login/index.cfm. You can also contact the REALIS hotline at 6329 3456.
| 1 | Core Central Region comprises postal districts 9, 10, 11, Downtown Core Planning Area and Sentosa. A map of Central Region showing the Core Central Region (CCR) and the Rest of Central Region (RCR) is available at: http://spring.ura.gov.sg/lad/ore/login/map_ccr.pdf |
| 2 | Rest of Central Region comprises of the area within Central Region that is outside postal districts 9, 10, 11, Downtown Core Planning Area and Sentosa. A map of Central Region showing the Core Central Region (CCR) and the Rest of Central Region (RCR) is available at: http://spring.ura.gov.sg/lad/ore/login/map_ccr.pdf |
| 3 | URA’s rental data for private residential properties are compiled based on IRAS’ records of rental contracts for such properties where leases commenced in the reference quarter. |
| 4 | The rental data released are for private residential projects where there were at least 10 rental transactions in the reference quarter. |
| 5 | Refers to new development and redevelopment projects with planning approvals (i.e. Provisional Permission, Written Permission). A Written Permission (WP) is a final approval, as compared with a Provisional Permission (PP), granted under the Planning Act for a proposed development. |
| 6 | The expected completion dates of private residential projects in the pipeline are provided by the developers of these projects, and not estimated by URA. |
| 7 | Planning approvals refer to either Provisional Permission (PP) or Written Permission (WP). A Written Permission (WP) is a final approval, as compared with a Provisional Permission (PP), granted under the Planning Act for a proposed development. |
| 8 | Refers to office space in buildings located in core business areas in Downtown Core and Orchard Planning Area which are relatively modern or recently refurbished, command relatively high rentals and have large floor plate size and gross floor area. A map of Central Region showing the locations of Downtown Core and Orchard Planning Areas is available in URA’s website at: http://spring.ura.gov.sg/lad/ore/login/map_central_region.pdf. |
| 9 | Refers to the remaining office space in Singapore which are not included in “Category 1”. |
| 10 | Tenancy agreements for office space are usually signed up to 3 months before lease commencement. The methodology and sample size may differ from those used by some property consultants. For example, URA only uses actual contracted rentals in the computation of the statistics, whereas some property consultants use estimates of achievable rents in addition to actual contracted rentals in the computation of their statistics. |
| 11 | Refers to new development and redevelopment projects with planning approvals (i.e. Provisional Permission, Written Permission). A Written Permission (WP) is a final approval, as compared with a Provisional Permission (PP), granted under the Planning Act for a proposed development. |
| 12 | A map of Central Region showing Orchard and RCA is available at http://spring.ura.gov.sg/lad/ore/login/map_city_area.pdf. |
| 13 | Refers to new development and redevelopment projects with planning approvals (i.e. Provisional Permission, Written Permission). A Written Permission (WP) is a final approval, as compared with a Provisional Permission (PP), granted under the Planning Act for a proposed development. |
| 14 | Refers to new development and redevelopment projects with planning approvals (i.e. Provisional Permission, Written Permission). A Written Permission (WP) is a final approval, as compared with a Provisional Permission (PP), granted under the Planning Act for a proposed development. |
Summary of Key Information for 1st Quarter 2009
| Annex | Title |
| Annex A-1 | Comparison of Property Price Index for 4th Quarter 2008 and 1st Quarter 2009 |
| Annex A-2 | Price Indices of Non-Landed Properties by Locality and Completion Status. |
| Annex A-3 | Comparison of Rental Index for 4th Quarter 2008 and 1st Quarter 2009 |
| Annex A-4 | Rental Indices of Non-Landed Properties by Locality |
| Annex A-5 | Median Rentals and Vacancy of Office and Shop Space |
| Annex A-6 | Chart of Property Price Index by Type of Property |
| Annex A-7 | Chart of Residential Property Price Index by Type |
| Annex B-1 | Number of Unsold Private Residential Units from Projects with Planning Approvals |
| Annex B-2 | Number of Unsold Private Residential Units from Projects with Planning Approvals by Market Segment |
| Annex C-1 | Number of Uncompleted Private Residential Units Launched in the Quarter by Market Segment |
| Annex C-2 | Number of Private Residential Units Sold in the Quarter by Market Segment |
| Annex D | Number of New Sale, Sub-Sale and Resale Transactions for Private Residential Units by Market Segment |
| Annex E-1 | Stock & Vacancy and Supply in the Pipeline as at End of 1st Quarter 2009 |
| Annex E-2 | Supply in the Pipeline by Development Status and Expected Year of Completion as at End of 1st Quarter 2009 |
| Annex F-1 | Number of Executive Condominium Units Launched and Sold in the Quarter |
| Annex F-2 | Sale Position of Executive Condominium Units with Pre-Requisites for Sale as at End of Quarter |
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=27844.2
Property Prices Have Crashed
Property Prices Have Crashed (see graph)
In its steepest decline since its inception in 1975, the URA property price index plunged a hefty 14.1% in Q1 this year.
The URA property index tracks private home prices in Singapore.
The apparent recovery triggered by the strong sales of Alexis and Caspian condominiums in February was just a mirage.
As predicted in October last year, the URA index has dropped more than 20% since it began easing 3 quarters back.
With the same technique used last year, I overlay the URA price index chart over the Straits Times Index graph (dark blue), adjust the scales of both graphs, and voila, this is what I get:
The peaks and bottoms of both graphs meet at the same levels, but property lags stocks by a few months.
It’s not hard to see that property will drop further in the coming quarters.
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=27844.1
AWARE: Milestones and brickbats
AWARE: Milestones and brickbats
1985
AWARE is founded by a group of dedicated women whose “mission is to identify areas for improvement in gender equality, encourage positive change, and support women in realising their highest potential.”
1989
AWARE managed to convince the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS) to develop new guidelines to curb discrimination and degrading messages or implications in advertisements.
1994
AWARE set up a Rape Study Committee, which submitted a proposal for standardising and enhancing police procedures in rape management to the Singapore Police Force. Successfully aided to revoke a change in the handling of rape cases by the Singapore Police Force thereafter. They also opened doors in school for girls to learn life skills, such as technical studies instead of just home economics.
1996
AWARE caused a revision to the Women’s Charter to provide more protection for victims of domestic violence. They managed to include abuse cases to include ex-spouses, when the previous charter only provided protection for spouses. In addition to that, the revision also allowed women to have equal rights as their husbands in managing children.
2003
The Medical Faculty in National University of Singapore (NUS) eradicated its quota for women for its medical school intake, which was previously set at one third.
2005
Equalised medical benefits for both male and female officers in the Civil Service. Women can now claim medical benefits for their spouses and their unmarried children. Previously, only men could do that.
2006
Together with NUS Pro Bono Law Society, AWARE developed legal changes to address gaps in Singapore’s laws on trafficking.
2007
AWARE is recognised by the United Nations for its efforts to fight against gender discrimination with its Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) subcommittee. Separately, they also managed to cause a revision in the penal code, including issues of marital rape.
Mar 28, 2009
The day of the annual general meeting (AGM). Nine out of twelve ex-co positions went to new faces while the presidency role went to a veteran, Claire Nazar. It was subsequently revealed that 80 of the 102 AGM attendees turned out to be newbies who had joined in recent months. In a shocking turn of events, Braema Mathi, the ex-president and current chairperson for sub-committee CEDAW had her services terminated in an abrupt, dismissive email sent by Sally Ang, the new assistant honorary secretary.
Apr 8, 2009
Claire Nazar stepped down from her AWARE presidency position without giving a reason.
Apr 10, 2009
Local newspapers reported further unhappiness and tension from the older members with the newer members. Their main concern: the intention and agenda of the newer members.
Apr 14, 2009
The old guard made a comeback with 160 established AWARE members to call for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EOGM) with a vote of no confidence in the new committee. In the meantime, the new committee continued to keep mum. The promised press release was not released.
Apr 15, 2009
The new ex-co committee was announced, with DBS bank exec Josie Lau announced as the new president. However not all is smooth sailing as the old guards are unhappy that Constance Singam, the immediate past-president of AWARE, was asked to leave at the EXCO meeting before they relented and allowed her in. Caris Lim, an old guard stomped out of the meeting saying she was upset. Josie Lau and the new AWARE team issued a press release stating that they are aiming to build “existing advocacy” and “empower women who have been retrenched and equip them with new skills “.
Apr 16, 2009
Josie Lau was taken to task for ignoring DBS’ warnings and “conflict-of-interest concerns“. In the meantime, the old faces continued to ask for yet another EOGM on May 2. In addition to that, they also set up an external website. They also set up a Facebook group and an online petition to garner support.
Apr 17, 2009
Josie Lau released a letter to the media indicating that she was very displeased with the old guards for calling for yet another EOGM and hopes that they “should disclose their motives and objectives fully and honestly.” She also firmly stated that the members in the team were properly elected according to the association’s policies.
Apr 18, 2009
The Straits Times reported that Josie Lau and her husband are frequent worshippers at the Anglican Church of Our Saviour at Margaret Drive. Together with them, new committee members such as Charlotte Wong, Irene Yee, Jenica Chua, Maureen Ong and Sally Ang are also believed to attend the same church.
According to the church’s official website, the church takes a very strong opposing stand towards homosexuality. Meanwhile, then-AWARE president Constance Singam resigned from her post and hinted that she was upset with the way she was treated . The old guard also retaliated to Josie Lau’s statement with a letter to the media stating that this saga is far from over with several questions yet unanswered.
Apr 19, 2009
An interview with Josie Lau was aired on Channel News Asia programme Talking Point, raising more eyebrows than it ever did before. She evaded direct questions fired at her and said that she wished to heal bonds within “a team (that) has clearly fissured.”
In The Sunday Times, Claire Nazar and Constance Singam came forward with their take. Claire Nazar said she was “troubled” that the ex-co committee rapidly replaced the heads in the sub-committees “based only on a majority vote” which “broke AWARE’s tradition of allowing chairpersons who were doing a good job to continue their work.”
Apr 21,2009
Someone wrote to DBS, insisting that the bank take action against Josie Lau for her involvement in AWARE.
Apr 22, 2009
AWARE’s membership rose to an astonishing number of 880 from the previous week’s number of 400. Dodgy emails surface online, hinting at a possible recruitment drive.
Apr 23, 2009
A news conference was held at the Raffles Town Club by the new ex-co. Before the conference commenced, a veteran member in the new committee, honorary treasurer Chew I-Jin, had a near showdown with the new guard, Lois Ng, and accused her for knowingly excluding her from the conference. Bullets were fired in the conference as the old guard was accused of supporting lesbianism. Josie Lau also confirmed her husband and honorary secretary Jenica Chua received death threats. In addition to that, Josie Lau was also concerned that public blog posts have surfaced containing information on her and her family.
More drama ensued as Dr Thio Su Mien appeared at the news conference and revealed that, moved by what she saw as a pro-lesbian and pro-homosexual stance at AWARE, had encouraged women around her to join AWARE. Like a number of the new ex-co members, she also attends the Anglican Church of Our Saviour in Margeret Drive. Her nephew is the husband of Josie Lau.
In a separate incident today at the AWARE premises in Dover Crescent, the old guard tried to prevent the new ex-co team from changing the locks without informing them. Dana Lam, a former AWARE president, worried for her 25 years’ worth of research materials, while the centre’s manager, Schutz Lee, was fired without a reason. Josie Lau also confirmed she fired the secretariat who was responsible for keeping her locked out of the organisation’s email system.
Later, AWARE member Corrina Lim told the press that the changing of locks were discussed in the meeting and that Schutz Lee did not follow instructions which resulted in her dismissal.
Apr 24, 2009
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean asked for tolerance within AWARE.
Constance Singam responded to allegations from the new ex-co that AWARE had become pro-homosexual and pro-sexual, clarifying that, in fact, when she gave a talk to a lesbian audience last year, they wanted to know why AWARE were not doing enough to fight for their rights.
AWARE also got the dubious honour of being featured on popular net culture blog Boing Boing today.
The saga continues.
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