Within a span of two months, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has put up six State properties for dedicated office use. The latest three were a former Government building, a former tertiary institution and a community centre. Last Thursday, the former office occupied by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) at 150 Cantonment Road was among the latest to be put up for tender to contribute to space for office use. The former ITE (Pasir Panjang) at 991 Alexandra Road was also launched on Monday. Another State property, former Moulmein Community Centre at 3 Shan Road, will be launched for tender this week. Please see Annex A for a summary of the three tenders.

150 Cantonment Road, former CPIB building

2 The former CPIB building sits on an estimated land area of about 7,100 sqm, slightly smaller than a football field, and Gross Floor Area (GFA) of about 4,500 square metres (sqm). The property comprises two blocks of three-storey building, with covered link ways and one guardhouse. There has been interest expressed from businesses ranging from financial institutions, real estate to software development companies. The tenancy is for an initial term of three years and is renewable on terms up to 2016. Please see Annex B1 and B2 for the photograph and map. Tender closes on Friday, 18 May.

991 Alexandra Road, former ITE Pasir Panjang

3 This property has an estimated land area of about 41,200 sqm, equivalent to the size of five football fields. Its GFA is about 20,300 sqm and the awarded bidder is allowed to build up an additional 5,000 sqm of GFA at the site, a result of SLA’s efforts to support in-field development due to the availability of space at the site. This property was previously used by Mercy Relief Limited for storage of contributory items for Indonesia’s tsunami victims. SLA had helped in making available this space for storage and despatch uses during the calamity. The tenancy is an initial term of 3 years and is renewable on terms up to 2016. Please see Annex C1 and C2 for the photograph and map.

3 Shan Road, former Moulmein CC

4 This property, the first community centre allocated for office use, has an estimated land area of about 1,900 sqm, roughly equivalent to the size of six and a half tennis courts. The GFA is about 2,100 sqm. It is at the fringe of the city, minutes away from the CTE and town, and near to Ren Ci and Tan Tock Seng hospitals. There are also student hostels and shops selling lighting equipment nearby, and amenities such as good eateries lined up along Balestier road. Such a location would be suitable for offices related to healthcare industries, interior designer firms and student consultation services. So far, SLA has received enquiries by interested bidders in the property industry for use as office cum showroom. The tenancy is for an initial term of 3 years and is renewable on terms up to 2016. Please see Annex D1 and D2 for the photograph and map.

Stock-take

5 In February, as part of the Government’s recent initiative to make available more office space to meet the needs of financial institutions and other business services, SLA had, for the first time, announced that a list of State properties had been identified for office use. Most of these State properties are former institutional buildings that were last used as Government offices or former schools. They are chosen for their good locations and ease for adaptive reuse. They come with a range of allowable tenures from three to nine years.

6 The former River Valley Primary School, which saw four bids submitted by businesses such as property management and hostel operation, is currently under evaluation (please see Annex E), while 195 Pearl’s Hill Terrace and the former CAAS office at Changi are currently on SLA’s RentDirect¹ scheme. Including the three new tenders, SLA has let out a total estimated GFA of 46,000 sqm in dedicated office use so far in the first half of 2007.

7 For more information on the tenders, please visit SLA’s State Property and Information Online (SPIO) web portal, or call the SPIO hotline at 6323 9154. The tender documents are available on http://www.gebiz.gov.sg/ from the tender opening date. Tender applications may be deposited at Singapore Land Authority, 8 Shenton Way, #26-01 Temasek Tower, Singapore 068811.

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¹ The RentDirect scheme allows businesses to make direct rental offers to SLA for vacant State buildings placed on the scheme. The properties will be first put up for offer for 2 weeks. This is a faster and shorter tender period than usual. After the 2-week period, if SLA does not receive any acceptable offer, SLA will evaluate subsequent acceptable offers received on a first-come-first-served basis. RentDirect retains elements of competitive bidding and at the same time gives businesses seeking to launch their new businesses quickly and with more certainty.

Attachment

Annex A : Summary of the three tenders
Annex B1: Photograph of 150 Cantonment Road, former CPIB building
Annex B2: Map of 150 Cantonment Road, former CPIB building
Annex C1: Photograph of 991 Alexandra Road, former ITE Pasir Panjang
Annex C2: Map of 991 Alexandra Road, former ITE Pasir Panjang
Annex D1: Photograph of 3 Shan Road, former Moulmein CC
Annex D2: Map of 3 Shan Road, former Moulmein CC
Annex E : Tender schedule of 341 River Valley Road, former River Valley Primary School

Please refer to our previous press releases for more information.

Additional Information

About SLA

The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is a statutory board with the Ministry of Law. Its mission is to optimise land resources for the economic and social development of Singapore. SLA is responsible for the direct management of some 14,000 hectares of State land and about 5,000 buildings. It is also in charge of land sales, leases, acquisitions and allocation, developing and marketing land-related information, and maintaining the national land information database through digitised land information services. SLA is also the national land registration authority for property transactions, and the issuance and guarantee of land titles in Singapore. It also manages and maintains the national land survey system, including the defining of boundaries or legal limits of properties based on a coordinated cadastre survey system. Please visit www.sla.gov.sg for more information.