Adequate supply of water 'even if population hits 6.5m'

DRINK and be merry, because Singapore's water needs are well provided for.

That was the message yesterday from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, which said the island has more than enough water resources to cope with an expanding population.

'Even if the population hits 6.5 million, we will have adequate supply to cater to the people and the needs of industries,' said Dr Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment and Water Resources.

Set by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the 6.5 million figure is used as a 'planning parameter' to guide development strategies.

Dr Khor said the healthy state of the Singapore water supply is down to 'careful planning and design', helped in no small part by Newater, the country's fourth so-called 'national tap'.

The other three 'taps' are the local catchment areas, imports from Malaysia and desalinated water.

Described as the 'Singapore success story' by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Newater will supply some 30 per cent of the island's water needs by 2011, double the original target of 15 per cent set for 2010.

The new target was announced last week at the opening of the fourth and largest Newater plant here at Ulu Pandan.

More than 300 companies use Newater, not just for industry but also for air-conditioners and toilets.

But Singapore's success is in stark contrast to water problems faced by countries worldwide. According to the United Nations, 20 per cent of the world's population face water shortages. This number is expected to rise to 30 per cent in 2025.

To raise awareness of this global plight, yesterday was designated World Water Day.

Speaking at the event yesterday, Dr Khor said: 'We are very fortunate...we have an adequate supply of water from our four national taps.'

The event, which took place next to Suntec City's Fountain of Wealth, the largest fountain in Asia, kicked off with the official launch of PUB's inaugural lifestyle magazine, titled Pure.

The glossy publication, which will be published quarterly, will focus on highlighting water issues to the young.

Readers can pick up a free copy at various MRT stations, bus stops, restaurants, cafes and tertiary institutions.

Taking another step to encourage greater water awareness, PUB, the national water agency, also announced the opening of nominations for the inaugural Watermark Award.

A follow-up to last year's Friends Of Water programme, the award recognises individuals and organisations actively involved in water conservation efforts, promoting awareness and keeping waterways clean.

Nominations close on May 15.

Singapore's water conservation efforts are not just local.

Non-profit group Lien Aid has been involved in projects to provide drinkable water and sanitation to rural communities in China, Indonesia and Cambodia. The one-year-old organisation is a spin-off from the local philanthropic group, the Lien Foundation.

taniat@sph.com.sg

News Today

Help the mentally ill and their caregivers
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Maybank introduces single board rate for all home loans
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NHK loses case over toning down of sex slavery show
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Window changes mar beauty of Punggol 21

I WOULD like to highlight a situation that is occurring at Punggol 21.

Each cluster of flats in Punggol has its unique look and identity. For instance, some flats have azure blue full-height windows.

However, many flats in the estate have crossed the five-year mark and have been put on the market. Then comes the renovation. Unfortunately, this often involves a change of windows which are invariably different from the original ones.

Aesthetically, these window changes just do not work and end up marring the facade of the blocks.

Punggol 21 was featured in The Straits Times last year as the HDB town that most resembled a condominium in terms of its facade.

Sadly, the windows that new owners put in result in

a hotchpotch design that is far from any condominium look.

I propose that HDB puts on the market window frames and panels that match the original ones so that new owners who wish to refurbish their windows can do so without marring the external aesthetics of the flat.

I have loved my estate since the very first day I set foot in it. I would hate to see the intrinsic beauty of Punggol 21 deteriorate over the years.



Veronique Andrea Dawson (Ms)

Makelele, Lampard consider Chelsea exit over contract stand-off

LONDON - CLAUDE Makelele is close to quitting Chelsea at the end of the season.

The 34-year-old midfielder's deal with the club expires in the summer of 2008, and he wants an extra two years.

But, to his surprise, Chelsea want to offer only 12 more months.

According to The Independent, the France international is willing to listen to other offers.

There will be plenty of suitors around Europe and England for the player.

He has so defined his position in the Chelsea team that it has become known as the 'Makelele role'.

One of the supposed untouchables in the side, he was substituted at half-time in Chelsea's last two big games.

In the League Cup final, he made way for the pace and influence of Arjen Robben.

Against Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday, he was removed for John Obi Mikel.

The youngster was far more effective as Chelsea went on to win 2-1.

Mikel is considered a long-term replacement for Makelele.

Chelsea will point out to Makelele that they are offering him a deal that will take him beyond his 36th birthday in February 2009.

However, the player is said to believe that he deserves a greater reward.

He has played a stellar role for the club since he joined them from Real Madrid for £16.6 million (S$49 million) in the summer of 2003, soon after Roman Abramovich's takeover.

Makelele is also a headstrong character.

He was in dispute with Real before his departure, as he believed that he was under-paid.

He also had a similar falling out with a previous club, Celta Vigo.

The future of Frank Lampard, for long linked with Barcelona, was also shrouded in uncertainty on Wednesday.

He claimed he had not been offered a new contract by Chelsea, reported The Guardian.

He signed a five-year deal with the club in May 2004. But Fifa's law enables players to terminate a contract with 15 days' notice, provided they have served three years of it and signed it when under 28.

He will be eligible to invoke that rule in less than two months' time.

And, with Chelsea seemingly preoccupied by the precarious nature of Jose Mourinho's tenure as manager, the 28-year-old may be forced to take matters into his own hands.

Microsoft slams Google over global copyright

NEW YORK - SOFTWARE giant Microsoft has prepared a blistering attack on rival Google, accusing the Web search leader of taking a cavalier approach to copyright protection.

The censure by top Microsoft lawyer Tom Rubin came as the two corporate titans step up their competition in both software and online content.

But Google won support from the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), which charged that Microsoft had given an 'unfortunate mischaracterisation' of copyright law that was outdated in the digital age.

Google 'appears to be trying wherever possible to skirt copyright law's boundaries', Mr Rubin, Microsoft's associate general counsel for intellectual property, wrote in a Financial Times opinion piece.

His remarks were a foretaste of a speech he was making in New York on Tuesday to the Association of American Publishers. Google has already said its practices generate more earnings for authors and publishers.

Mr Rubin wrote that Microsoft is working 'to collaborate with copyright holders in developing technologies' so as to uphold copyright, 'without which no artist or writer - and no society that aspires to a living culture - can thrive.' Google, in contrast, was accused of a 'unilateralist approach' by scanning books 'by the truckload' without the permission of writers or publishers. In 2005, Google launched a controversial project to digitise millions of books on the shelves of libraries around the world.

Mr Rubin called Google's goal of compiling a vast database of indexed literature, accessible from anywhere, 'a worthy goal'.

But he stressed: 'This project may well bring significant commercial advantage to Google. By contrast, those who own the copyrights in these works would gain little or nothing from Google's plan.'

The Microsoft lawyer noted that Google faces a copyright minefield following its acquisition of the fast-growing video-sharing website YouTube.

'Companies that create no content of their own, and make money solely on the back of other people's content, are raking in billions through advertising revenue and initial public offers,' said Mr Rubin. 'Google takes the position that everything may be freely copied unless the copyright owner notifies Google and tells it to stop.'

And he dismissed the Internet company's justification of its book scanning as 'fair use' under US copyright law, calling it a 'novel' interpretation that would stretch to countries where the fair use concept is not even recognised.

Agence France-Presse has sued Google in both France and the United States, alleging that the Internet search engine includes the agency's headlines, news summaries and photographs without permission on its 'Google News' portal.

Last month, a court in Belgium ruled against Google in a similar copyright case brought by Belgian newspapers.

CCIA president Ed Black, however, said Microsoft and others had to update their thinking in an era where content is fast shifting from print to the online world.

'Microsoft would do well to consider that its own business depends on fair use before brushing aside that important doctrine,' he also said, noting that Microsoft's software programmers were covered by this protection 'when reverse-engineering competitors' products'.

Both Google and Microsoft are members of the CCIA.

Mr David Drummond, Google's senior vice-president for corporate development and its chief legal officer, said in response that Google worked with more than 10,000 publishing partners to make books searchable online and had recently added the BBC and the National Basketball Association as YouTube video partners.

'We do this by complying with international copyright laws,' he said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

Clariden Leu Singapore Masters

Dates: Tomorrow to Sunday

Venue: Laguna National Golf and Country Club

Tomorrow and Friday: Masters and Classic courses

Saturday and Sunday: Masters course only

Total prize money: US$1.1 million (S$1.7 million)

Golfers to watch: David Howell, Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood, Nick Dougherty, Ian Woosnam, Mardan Mamat, Shingo Katayama and Jeev Milkha Singh

Tee-off: 7.40am

Tickets (through Sistic): Tomorrow and Friday: $15 a day. Saturday and Sunday: $40 a day. Season pass: $80. Under-16s: free. U-21s and seniors (over 60s): tomorrow and Friday free. Women: Friday free.

Transport: From S'pore Expo MRT and car park J, 7.30am to 6.30pm

Tomorrow and Friday: Every 15 minutes

Saturday and Sunday: Every 10 minutes

Mirko faces fine for pushing table

MIRKO Grabovac could face disciplinary action by the Football Association of Singapore for alleged 'unruly behaviour' last Friday.

The Tampines Rovers striker was one of six footballers taking the mandatory Beep Test at the Toa Payoh Sports Hall when the alleged incident happened.

The 35-year-old, who had failed his previous three attempts, was the only one to pass that day.

After the test, he allegedly continued running beyond the test area and pushed a table before walking off.

The table flipped over, with Singapore Sports Council and FAS officials watching.

The FAS has written to both Grabovac and Tampines club manager Wilson Chong for an explanation.

Said FAS director of competitions Quah Kim Song, who was present during the incident: 'Mirko's behaviour was uncalled for. He was also aggressive to the officials there.'

The striker, who is with the Tampines team in India for today's AFC Cup tie against Mohun Bagan, could not be reached for comment.

The team return tomorrow, and Quah said Grabovac will have about three days from then to respond.

If there is no response, or it is unsatisfactory, the player would be fined. However, Quah did not specify the amount.

Chong said he would wait for Grabovac, a Singapore citizen since 2002, to return before getting a statement from him.

In the Beep Test, players go on continuous 20-metre shuttle runs at a starting speed of 8 km/h.

Each minute the speed is increased by decreasing the interval between the beeps (this is called the next stage).

Each level has a fixed number of shuttle runs. The player's score is the level and number of runs reached before he is unable to keep up with the beeps.

The higher the level he attains, the fitter he is. This year's standard has been set at 12.10.

Those close to Grabovac said the Croatia-born player had questioned the need for such a test.

A player who had taken the test with him said: 'Mirko is quite lonely here. Soccer is his rice bowl, and he always works hard for it.

'But he's been quite upset that he must first pass the Beep Test before he can play. He feels it isn't practical.'

Grabovac's team manager, Syed Faruk, said yesterday the outburst was 'part and parcel of his emotions'.

'Mirko was upset, and missed his family,' he said.

Grabovac had said as much on Friday, adding: 'I've not slept well for the past five days worrying about this test.

'My family is waiting in Croatia to hear if I passed before flying over to join me.

'If I cannot play, there's nothing else I can do in Singapore.

'It has been a huge strain on me.'

limze@sph.com.sg

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Sports World
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Encourage older people to downsize their homes in order to be financially viable in their old age

I refer to the letter, 'Estate-duty laws unfair to the middle income' (ST, March 1).

I have often wondered, and for a long time, why there is such a disparity of exemption in estate-duty laws, namely, $9 million for property assets and only $600,000 for all 'Other Assets'.

For a retiree to live financially independent of other people, a non-fixed asset of $600,000 is hardly sufficient, if he does not own a second property to generate rental income.

This law is favourably skewed excessively to owners of multiple properties (or of one luxurious piece), versus those who can afford to own only their modest homes. A case of the rich getting richer?

It is time to change this. We should, in fact, encourage older people to downsize their homes in order to be financially viable in their old age, and estate-duty laws should reflect this.

Ng Piak Hah (Ms)

Three join hands to hone age-group squads

SINGAPORE'S bid to host the 2011 World Netball Championship and post a top-10 showing has received a boost.

Netball Singapore (NS) has agreed with the Co-Curricular Activities Branch (CCAB) and the Singapore Sports School to jointly develop the national Under-14 and Under-17 squads.

The two age-group squads will replace the Combined Schools sides.

Said NS president Tan Wee Khim: 'The key to achieving a sports culture lies in the school sports scene.

'This collaboration combines the resources of all three organisations, from coaches and facilities, to funding.'

Added the CCAB's deputy director, Andrew Chew: 'We hope that more national sporting associations will follow suit in order to aid youth development in sports.'

Singapore, the 2005 Asian Championship winners, are keen on a strong youth programme to upgrade the sport and avoid the 19-107 thrashing by Australia in last year's Commonwealth Games.

To achieve this, the youth squads will now have access to top-quality coaches.

For a start, national coach Kate Carpenter will oversee the technical matters, as well as coaching and training.

The sports school's B Division coach, Rawinia Robin Manihera, will handle the U-17 team, while C Division coach Noraida Abdul Malik will manage the U-14 team.

Both are full-time professional coaches who will remain on the sports school's payroll.

This is a break from past practice where coaches of previous Combined Schools squads were mostly teachers who coached part-time.

Said the sports school's principal, Moo Soon Chong: 'It took three years to build an understanding.

'But there is no rivalry among the various organisations over players.

'We want the best players housed together. This collaboration helps us achieve that.'

NS will hold selection trials on March 10.

Those chosen for the U-14 and U-17 squads will train at the sports school, which is offering free use of its facilities.

Wenger says sorry for brawl

LONDON - ARSENE Wenger's 10-year stint at Arsenal has been accompanied by 68 red cards, for which he has seldom apologised.

That changed on Tuesday.

Reflecting on the League Cup final that ended in a brawl, the Gunners' manager said: 'Overall, we are sorry for what happened.

'I feel Kolo Toure should not have reacted at all to the shirt-tugging by Jon Obi Mikel. When you do not behave like you want to, then you have to apologise.

'We want to focus on playing football well. We want to deal well with the frustrations of the game, and we want to be exemplary.

'But we also want to remind people that we have been top of the Fair Play League twice in the last few years.

'This year, we are the team that has committed the least fouls in the league, and been the most fouled against.

'What happened was a one-off for us in the last three years. We are sorry for that. It was a good game and this was an incident of one minute. But we do not want to behave like we behaved.'

The reference to 'the last three years' is significant, reported The Telegraph.

In October 2004, after Arsenal's 49-match unbeaten run in the Premiership came to an end at Old Trafford, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson received a pizza in the face from the away dressing room.

A year earlier, at the same venue, United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, whom Wenger labelled 'a cheat', was taunted by Arsenal's players after missing a penalty.

The actions were condemned unreservedly by the board at Arsenal, but not their manager.

In the League Cup final on Sunday, which Chelsea won 2-1, Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor were red-carded and face three-match bans.

Adebayor faces more punishment for failing to leave the pitch when dismissed by referee Howard Webb.

Emmanuel Eboue was also charged with violent conduct for hitting Chelsea's Wayne Bridge.

But Wenger believes the Football Association was not playing fair.

'I have to say the whole system is not honest,' he said. 'I'd rather not say more - but that's my opinion.'

Chelsea's Didier Drogba and Michael Essien escaped censure, despite broadcast material indicating that Essien cuffed Denilson on the face, and Drogba slapped the back of Francesc Fabregas' head.

Adebayor, widely believed to be a victim of mistaken identity, said: 'When the referee showed me a red card, I could not believe it.

'I remember that our physiotherapist Gary Lewin came to me to say, 'Come on, Manu, let's go'. I said, 'Just let me ask one question - why did he give me a red card?'

'A lot of people thought I was going to hit him, but I was not.'

Mikel blames Arsenal for the brawl. He said: 'My red card was very harsh.

'I didn't touch Toure at all. I kept my hands down completely. He attacked me. I had to defend myself.

'It's too bad such an ugly thing happened, but it has been blown out of all proportion by the Arsenal players.'

His ban is unlikely to hinder Chelsea too seriously. The teenager is only a squad player, and there are plenty of options in midfield.

Toure, Eboue and Adebayor, however, are first-team players for Arsenal.

They made the S-Leap

A JAPANESE and a Canadian were chatting during a Danish SuperLiga club's training trip to Turkey a week ago.

Guess what the conversation was about?

Singapore football.

Over a cup of tea, Issey Nakajima Farran and Suguru Hashimoto, both players at Vejle Boldklub, were reminiscing about a country thousands of miles away.

The duo played two seasons in the S-League with Japanese club Albirex Niigata.

The Canada-born Farran, whose family moved to Japan when he was three years old, was Albirex's star striker in 2004 and 2005, before he moved to Vejle.

Hashimoto donned the Japanese club's colours in 2005 and 2006, and at the end of last year signed for Vejle, who play in Denmark's top league.

The pair are grateful to the S-League and Albirex for providing them with their first taste of professional football.

So grateful that they intend to retire here when their playing days are over, according to 25-year-old Hashimoto.

Before arriving in Singapore, both played for youth sides in Japan.

If not for the S-League, they could still be languishing in Japan's semi-professional football.

They are, however, just two of the S-League's more successful exports.

Striker Grant Holt, who spent four months with Sengkang Marine in 2002, is now at English League One side Nottingham Forest.

He played against Chelsea in the FA Cup fourth round on Jan 28 - a match Forest lost 0-3.

'It was a shame I had to leave Singapore, as I got an offer from an English club,' the 26-year-old said on Monday.

Another Albirex alumnus, 24-year-old midfielder Hidetoshi Wakui, is currently at Slovenian Division One side Interblock Ljubljana.

The S-League's most famous products, however, are three Iranians who represented their country in the 1998 World Cup Finals.

The coach Jalal Talebi, the defence linchpin Mohammad Khakpour and the playmaker Hamid Reza Estili were with Geylang United in 1996, the S-League's inaugural year.

The club predictably won the league and the FA Cup double that year.

They had come to Singapore towards the tail end of their careers.

But Farran, Hashimoto and Holt played here at the prime of their youth.

'It was a good chance for me to experience a different culture and style of football,' said Holt, who was 22 when he played here.

Before flying to Singapore, the Englishman had played for only English non-league sides.

It was only after his stint here that he began playing for league sides Rochdale, Sheffield Wednesday and Forest.

Said Farran, 22: 'The S-League gave us a chance to hone our skills when we were still very young.

'And, who knows, Hashimoto and I might even return to play in Singapore later in our lives.

'That was where we began our professional careers, so it is a very special place for us.'

The S-League's 2005 Young Player of the Year still follows Albirex's fortunes through the club's website.

He made some eye-catching performances here, scoring 12 and 14 goals in the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

He caught the eye of former Singapore Armed Forces FC coach Kim Poulsen, now head coach at Vejle.

Poulsen convinced him to continue his career in Denmark, and Farran signed a contract with them last February.

Hashimoto followed in Farran's footsteps at the end of last year.

Farran has scored 12 goals in 29 appearances at the club where former Everton and Real Madrid midfielder Thomas Gravesen started his career.

The player, who has a Canadian father and Japanese mother, also played for Canada in a friendly against Hungary last November.

But his ultimate dream is to play in the Champions League and the World Cup.

'For now, I hope to play in the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer, if Canada makes it through the qualifying rounds,' he said, referring to the soccer championship for North and Central American countries.

If he realises his dream, the S-League would truly celebrate with one of its biggest exports.

And, hopefully, get another advertisement on the world stage.

limze@sph.com.sg

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Petulant, pathetic, pointless

WALKING off the pitch when you disagree with a referee's decision is no way to behave.

Lille players were wrong to protest against Ryan Giggs' winner in Manchester United's 1-0 Champions League first-leg win, which was played in Lens.

It was petulant, pathetic and pretty pointless.

Giggs' goal - from a quickly taken free kick - had already been permitted by Dutch referee Eric Braamhaar.

After the game resumed, he could not subsequently disallow the goal. Though Lille swiftly returned to the pitch, the damage had been done.

And, emulating their errant players, the French crowd behaved badly. United captain Gary Neville was struck by missiles thrown from the stands.

Little wonder, then, that Alex Ferguson said: 'Uefa have got to do something about that.

'The Lille staff encouraged their players to come off the ground. It's intimidation of the referee. It was a disgrace. It created a hostile atmosphere.

'Gary was struck by an object thrown from the side of the pitch, and all sorts of objects were thrown at our bench. It should not be allowed.

'I have seen a lot of bad behaviour in football. It is an emotional game. But, usually, everything settles down the next day.

'I have never seen anything like this. It creates an intimidating environment and it was wrong.'

The Lille coach Claude Puel insisted: 'I have heard this before from Sir Alex Ferguson because he likes to influence the referee.'

Perhaps so, but Ferguson is an innocent man on this occasion.

Puel had two grievances during the match: 'There were two dubious decisions during the game, which we could've well done without.

'We had one goal disallowed, and then a free kick like that. It was a real shame. We didn't deserve that.'

Perhaps not, but their reaction deprived them of sympathy.

Their striker Peter Odemwingie had a goal disallowed for a shove on Nemanja Vidic, even if it was hardly the most powerful push ever seen on a football field.

Combined with Braamhaar's later decision, it makes Lille rank outsiders to progress to the last eight of the Champions League for the first time.

That is assuming that Uefa do not, as some suggested in the immediate aftermath, expel them.

There is a maxim that decisions even themselves out over the course of a season. In knock-out competitions, that is rarely true.

Yet, greater miscarriages of justice have been perpetrated without drawing a similar reaction, and certainly without it being prompted by members of the coaching staff.

A quarter of a century ago, the France side were the victims of a gruesome assault by German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher on their defender Patrick Battiston.

It was during a World Cup semi-final that was also refereed by a Dutch official.

Their spirited reaction endeared them to many.

While the taking of set-pieces before the referee has blown his whistle remains a grey area, there are precedents.

Another Frenchman, Thierry Henry, is an expert at quick thinking when it comes to free kicks. He has scored from them against Aston Villa and Chelsea.

Both teams, if disgruntled, proceeded with the game nevertheless.

Giggs' imitation of Henry was evidence of a sharp footballing brain. It also earned United arguably their finest result away in Europe, since the Welshman himself struck twice in the 3-0 win over Juventus in February 2003.

Under different circumstances, Tuesday's game would prompt discussions about different topics.

Whether Ferguson's Indian summer could yet bring a second Champions League. Whether he is right to persevere with a five-man midfield in Europe. When Wayne Rooney's long wait for a goal on the continent will end. Or the impact of Henrik Larsson's decision to return to Helsingborgs next month.

Instead, the focus will be on Giggs' 83rd-minute winner, Lille's response, and the subsequent crowd trouble.

Inevitably, attention will switch to the footballing authorities after a moment that Uefa should prove unable to ignore.

Remarkably, the only disciplinary sanction against Lille was the caution goalkeeper Tony Sylva received for his protests about the goal.

There are likely to be more repercussions for the French side for their display of petulance.

stsports@sph.com.sg

Smaller property projects sell fast even with little marketing

SMALL residential developments in suburban areas are selling strongly despite putting out almost no publicity - in some cases, not even a show-flat.

Property consultants say this is a sign that upbeat home buying sentiment is trickling down from the luxury segment to the mid- and lower market tiers, supported by strong economic growth and rising wages.

One such quick-selling project is Axis @ Siglap, a 40-unit boutique condominium that sold out in a matter of weeks.

About 35 units were snapped up even before the project's show-flat was completed two weeks ago, said Savills Singapore, which marketed the development.

'People just drove by the project site, saw the contact number on the hoarding, and called our office to make inquiries,' said Mr Ku Swee Yong, director of marketing and business development at Savills Singapore.

He added that 'by the time the marketing brochures for Axis @ Siglap were printed, almost all the units had already been sold'.

Demand was strong despite the relatively high price of the freehold project, located in East Coast Terrace. Its average price was close to $800 per sq ft (psf), compared to between $600 and $700 psf for most other properties in the vicinity, said Savills.

Another fast-seller is The Mint Residences in Joo Chiat Terrace. Since last month, Savills has sold about 75 per cent of the 26 units.

The freehold development has no show-flat and there are no plans to construct one as sales are strong, said Mr Ku.

The Mint is fetching about $700 psf on average, at a premium over the average $630 to $650 psf for neighbouring projects, he added.

Closer to the city, Robertson Edge off Mohamed Sultan Road was recently sold out within three weeks at its preview, also without a show-flat.

Prices averaged $1,000 to $1,100 psf for the 70 units.

A side benefit of not building show-flats is that developers get to spend less on marketing, said marketing agents.

Putting together a show-flat for The Mint, for instance, would have cost developer Oaktree Properties between $500,000 and $1 million, Mr Ku noted.

In some cases, these cost savings are passed on to the home buyers.

One example of this is Tessa Lodge in Mountbatten Road, where 11 of the 13 units have been sold in the last three weeks.

The remaining two units have also already attracted interest from buyers, said property agency PropNex, which is marketing the project.

Tessa Lodge has no show-flat. Saving on the few hundred thousand dollars that would have gone into building one has resulted in lower prices for the project, said Mr Eric Cheng, senior division director at PropNex.

'We have only a sales gallery for the development, where we show buyers things like the floor plans, site plans, and tile samples,' he said.

This has allowed developer Ohayo International to price Tessa Lodge at about $620 psf, down from the original plan of $640 psf, added Mr Cheng.

Marketing agents say the strong buying for these low-key, boutique projects comes mainly from locals intending to live in these homes themselves.

Many are first-time buyers or Housing Board upgraders. Some are long-term tenants looking to buy their own home, while others are young couples or families moving out of their parents' homes.

But most of the buyers have this in common: They are making faster purchase decisions now where previously they would have been more cautious.

'The buying sentiment is much stronger now compared to just 12 months ago,' said Mr Ku.

'Last time they would just come in to have a look-see. Now if they see and they like it, they make a commitment to buy immediately.'

Because of this keen demand for suburban properties, Mr Ku believes mass-market homes will rise in prices, with some hitting $800 psf.

'There are still many undervalued areas outside the city centre, such as Marine Parade, Joo Chiat, Siglap, Thomson, Holland Road, Bukit Timah and West Coast up to Clementi Stadium,' he said.

Prices of new launches in these areas are therefore likely to outstrip those of existing homes, Mr Ku added.

fiochan@sph.com.sg



Strong demand

Interest in many fast-selling, low-key, boutique projects comes mainly from locals intending to live in these homes themselves, say property executives.

Many of these buyers are making faster purchase decisions now where previously they would have been more cautious.

The buying sentiment is much stronger now compared to just 12 months ago, according to Mr Ku Swee Yong, director of marketing and business development at Savills Singapore.

Many recent smaller launches have even done away with show-flats altogether, with the effect of lowering the project's development costs. In some cases, these savings are passed on to the home buyers.

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