http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...ion-of-3-landed-homes-on-merpati-road-8791026
SLA takes legal possession of 3 landed homes on Merpati Road
The three properties are among 15 landed homes that were acquired in 2010 as part of redevelopment efforts around the future Mattar MRT station on Downtown Line 3 (DTL3) and surrounding developments.
By Chan Luo Er
@ChanLuoErCNA
25 Apr 2017 06:47PM
(Updated: 25 Apr 2017 11:02PM)
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SINGAPORE: Three freehold landed properties at Merpati Road were legally possessed by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) on Tuesday (Apr 25), as part of the land acquisition process for the future Mattar MRT station on Downtown Line 3 (DTL3) and surrounding developments.
The owners of 27, 29 and 33 Merpati Road were served notice on Tuesday morning by a team of SLA officers led by deputy chief executive Simon Ong, but none of them surrendered their keys to the authorities.
Their neighbours in 12 other landed houses along Merpati Road and Jalan Anggerak have already moved out by the Tuesday deadline.
Homeowners had been given close to seven years to move after the 15 properties were acquired by authorities in 2010 as part of redevelopment efforts around the Mattar MRT station.
The original deadline to hand over the acquired properties was the end of August 2015 but that was extended four times to Apr 25, 2017.
Channel NewsAsia understands that the three remaining homeowners were offered market compensation amounts ranging between S$1.7 and S$3 million, and that none of them contested the compensation offered. Compensation letters were given to the homeowners in July 2011.
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SLA said it also offered various assistance measures, including advance payment of 40 per cent of their compensation, priority balloting for HDB flats if eligible and a waiver of housing loan restrictions.
A resident of 29 Merpati Road, 60-year-old George Oh, declined to comment on the amount of compensation offered for the acquisition but said it was not enough. Mr Oh, who lives in the house with his two brothers, said his younger sibling works in the area as a mechanic and wanted a deadline extension due to the proximity to his workplace.
However, he said the family will move out once their new home is ready. "We already got our HDB flat through SLA help so we are still renovating and once it's done, we’ll move out gradually," said Mr Oh, adding that the house at Merpati Road was bought by his father in 1974.
Occupants of units 27 and 33 did not respond to SLA officers and the possession notices were placed in their mailbox.
An elderly resident of unit 27, who wanted to be known only as Mr Loh, later said he did not know that officers had come by. Speaking in Mandarin, he said his family - his son, daughter-in-law and daughter - would have no choice but to move as all his neighbours have done so.
An enforcement notice for the possession will be served on Wednesday and owners will have another 28 days to vacate. If they do not move out, authorities will apply for a court order to take over the properties, which could take three to six months.
Once all the properties have been handed over, road alignment and infrastructure works will start. These include the building of high-density residential developments which SLA said will allow more people to benefit from future rail infrastructure in the area.
Source: CNA/nc
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SLA takes legal possession of 3 landed homes on Merpati Road
The three properties are among 15 landed homes that were acquired in 2010 as part of redevelopment efforts around the future Mattar MRT station on Downtown Line 3 (DTL3) and surrounding developments.
By Chan Luo Er
@ChanLuoErCNA
25 Apr 2017 06:47PM
(Updated: 25 Apr 2017 11:02PM)
Share this content
SINGAPORE: Three freehold landed properties at Merpati Road were legally possessed by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) on Tuesday (Apr 25), as part of the land acquisition process for the future Mattar MRT station on Downtown Line 3 (DTL3) and surrounding developments.
The owners of 27, 29 and 33 Merpati Road were served notice on Tuesday morning by a team of SLA officers led by deputy chief executive Simon Ong, but none of them surrendered their keys to the authorities.
Their neighbours in 12 other landed houses along Merpati Road and Jalan Anggerak have already moved out by the Tuesday deadline.
Homeowners had been given close to seven years to move after the 15 properties were acquired by authorities in 2010 as part of redevelopment efforts around the Mattar MRT station.
The original deadline to hand over the acquired properties was the end of August 2015 but that was extended four times to Apr 25, 2017.
Channel NewsAsia understands that the three remaining homeowners were offered market compensation amounts ranging between S$1.7 and S$3 million, and that none of them contested the compensation offered. Compensation letters were given to the homeowners in July 2011.
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SLA said it also offered various assistance measures, including advance payment of 40 per cent of their compensation, priority balloting for HDB flats if eligible and a waiver of housing loan restrictions.
A resident of 29 Merpati Road, 60-year-old George Oh, declined to comment on the amount of compensation offered for the acquisition but said it was not enough. Mr Oh, who lives in the house with his two brothers, said his younger sibling works in the area as a mechanic and wanted a deadline extension due to the proximity to his workplace.
However, he said the family will move out once their new home is ready. "We already got our HDB flat through SLA help so we are still renovating and once it's done, we’ll move out gradually," said Mr Oh, adding that the house at Merpati Road was bought by his father in 1974.
Occupants of units 27 and 33 did not respond to SLA officers and the possession notices were placed in their mailbox.
An elderly resident of unit 27, who wanted to be known only as Mr Loh, later said he did not know that officers had come by. Speaking in Mandarin, he said his family - his son, daughter-in-law and daughter - would have no choice but to move as all his neighbours have done so.
An enforcement notice for the possession will be served on Wednesday and owners will have another 28 days to vacate. If they do not move out, authorities will apply for a court order to take over the properties, which could take three to six months.
Once all the properties have been handed over, road alignment and infrastructure works will start. These include the building of high-density residential developments which SLA said will allow more people to benefit from future rail infrastructure in the area.
Source: CNA/nc
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