Two residential sites in the first half of the 2026 Government Land Sales (GLS) programme were released for sale today, one each under the Confirmed List and Reserve List. Both sites are located in the Core Central Region (CCR).
The site on the Confirmed List is along Holland Plain in prime District 10, and it could yield up to 280 new private homes. It is also the first development plot released for sale by the government in the 2026 GLS programme.
The second site is on Morrison Lane off Mohamed Sultan Road in prime District 9. The site is zoned ‘Residential with Commercial at the 1st storey’ and could yield 205 private residential units if it is sold.
Sites on the Reserve List are not immediately released for tender but are available for application. It is triggered for public tender when a developer submits an acceptable minimum bid to the government.
We think it is interesting to see two development sites in prime areas up for sale. It signals different development focuses opening up in the CCR. One is a long-term bet on a new private residential precinct in Bukit Timah, while the other rides on the proven momentum of River Valley.
Holland Plain: a new private residential precinct in Bukit Timah
The 169,175 sq ft site on Holland Plain has a plot ratio of 1.8 and the new development will face a maximum building height of eight-stories.
This is the second GLS site that the government has released in the Holland Plain/Holland Link enclave. The first site was hotly contested when the public tender launched last year.
That 185,141 sq ft site at Holland Link attracted five bids when the tender closed in July 2025. The site was awarded to Sim Lian Group after it put in the winning bid of $368.37 million, which translates to $1,423 psf per plot ratio (ppr).
The Holland Plain area in Bukit Timah has been earmarked as a future private residential precinct in the latest Master Plan. The development of this 22.5ha residential area capitalises on its proximity to King Albert Park MRT station on the Downtown Line, and the 24km Rail Corridor.
This prime residential enclave already features a mix of Good Class Bungalow (GCB) areas as well as two- and three-storey landed homes. Thus, the new private residential projects will comprise low- to mid-rise developments with integrated park spaces and green corridors.
“The Holland Plain (GLS) site represents a pivotal next phase in the transformation of this emerging Bukit Timah enclave,” says Marcus Chu, CEO of ERA Singapore. “As only the second GLS parcel released here… it offers developers an early-mover advantage in shaping what could become one of the more distinctive residential estates in the central region”.
The upcoming residential precinct has already been divided into several land parcels with plot ratios of 1.4 to 1.8 times.
Buying demand for new developments in this area is expected to be strong given the area’s concentration of popular primary and secondary schools in Singapore. “The future condominium on the subject site could draw on the demand from parents who plan to send their children to these schools,” says Nicholas Mak, chief research officer at Mogul.sg.
Methodist Girls’ School is less than 1km from the site, while Henry Park Primary School, Pei Hwa Presbyterian School, and Raffles Girls’ Primary School are in the vicinity. Chu highlights the proximity of these schools as a demand catalyst.
An untested non-landed housing market
While the latest GLS site has several positive locational attributes, Mak cautions that this is also a relatively untested residential area for new non-landed developments, especially if they are going to be new 99-year leasehold condos.
There have been no other non-landed 99-year leasehold condos developed in the Holland Plain area before. The newest 99-year leasehold project in the vicinity is Fourth Avenue Residences, a 476-unit development on Fourth Avenue. The luxury project launched in 2019.
In addition, although the site is in prime District 10 and in the CCR, it does not enjoy the same degree of accessibility to nearby MRT stations or retail amenities, compared to other GLS sites in the CCR that have been awarded in recent years, says Mak.
“In an increasingly well-connected public transportation system where approximately 7 in 10 households in Singapore are already within a 10-minute walk of an MRT or LRT station as of 2024, the subject site would not be considered to be conveniently located near a MRT station,” he says.
But the upcoming development of the Cross Island Line (CRL) will turn King Albert Park station into an interchange for both MRT lines. This will be part of the second phase of the development of the CRL comprising six stations, and is set to be completed by 2032. Chu says that access to the CRL could meaningfully shorten travel times to key employment nodes such as Jurong Lake District, strengthening the site’s long-term appeal.
The long-term development plans may encourage developers to look past the current lack of amenities and limited transport access when bidding for the Holland Plain site, and instead focus on its longer-term potential, says Wong Siew Ying, head of research and content at PropNex.
“Entering at an earlier stage of the precinct’s development can potentially offer a first-mover advantage to the successful tenderer,” she says.
Rational bids from developers expected
Chu notes that for developers, the launch of the Holland Plain GLS site is more than a standalone opportunity, and some might see it as a strategic entry point into a precinct with a multi-plot development pipeline.
“The availability of up to six additional sites under the URA Master Plan could encourage developers with longer-term ambitions to establish an early foothold and leverage potential economies of scale across future launches,” he says.
The relatively small development size of the site, which can yield up to 280 units, lowers capital exposure and may attract small- to mid-sized developers who may be on the prowl for a site in the central region with relatively more controlled financial risk.
“Based on recent precedents such as Holland Link, which drew five bidders at $1,432 psf ppr, we anticipate a similar level of participation, approximately four to six bidders, with land rates potentially hovering around the $1,400 psf ppr range.”
However, Mak opines that the availability of the other residential sites could steal the thunder from the Holland Plain land sale tender, resulting in a poorer showing in the Holland Plain GLS site.
Developers are also not short of choice GLS sites in the prime districts this year. There are three other sites in the CCR that the government will launch in the coming months. They include a site at Dunearn Road that will close on April 28, a site at River Valley Green (Parcel C) and a site on Peck Hay Road.
The estimated land value for the Holland Plain site could range from $1,250 to $1,350 psf ppr, which is $380 million to $411 million, says Mak.
Morrison Lane
On the other hand, the release of the GLS site at Morrison Lane leans into the development activity we have seen along the River Valley area in recent months.
The latest GLS site spans 71,793 sq ft and can yield about 205 residential units, along with just over 5,000 sq ft of commercial space at the ground floor. Chu says that the site’s smaller scale may work in its favour, presenting a more manageable quantum compared to the other CCR plots.
He adds that the site could attract interest from developers seeking to replenish land banks in the CCR, especially following the strong take-up rates observed in the recent River Valley cluster launches.
There have been four new projects in the River Valley area since 2025. Last August saw the launch of Promenade Peak and River Green, as well as Zyon Grand in October 2025. Next month, River Modern will also launch for sale.
Despite the strong take up for new projects, it is unlikely that the Reserve List site will be triggered for sale in the near-term, says Wong of PropNex. “We expect developers who are keen on CCR plots may prioritise upcoming Confirmed List sites in River Valley Green (Parcel C), and Peck Hay Road in the Newton area which in our view have more attractive location attributes than the Morrison Lane site,” she says.
However, Mak thinks that the combination of a medium-sized development site, street-fronting commercial space, and strong demand for new private homes in this area gives this site a higher chance for being triggered for sale.
If the site is launched for sale it could see a potential land rate of $1,400 to $1,500 psf ppr, translating to about $280 million to $303 million. If River Valley’s momentum holds, the odds of the site being triggered increase, he says.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the details of the new GLS sites in Holland Plain and Morrison Lane?
Why is the Holland Plain GLS site considered a long-term investment?
How does the Morrison Lane GLS site compare to other CCR sites in terms of development focus?
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Is the Morrison Lane GLS site likely to be sold soon?
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