Normanton Park developer gets green light to sell units, but with conditions Normanton Park compris

Normanton Park developer gets green light to sell units, but with conditions

Normanton Park comprises 1,840 condo units, 22 strata terraces and 8 shop units.PHOTO: KINGSFORD GROUP

Grace Leong

Business Correspondent

Dec 30, 2020, 11:15 pm SGT

SINGAPORE - The developer of Normanton Park, a 1,862-unit leasehold condo project that was hit with a no-sale licence nearly two years ago, has got the green light to sell its units, but with conditions.

The largest and first new launch for 2021 will open for public preview on Jan 2. Normanton Park, whose name was retained for the new project, comprises 1,840 condo units, 22 strata terraces and eight shop units.

To ensure that the interests of home buyers are protected, the Controller of Housing (COH) has required that the sale of the units be subject to sale licence conditions.

One of the conditions requires developer Kingsford Huray Development to complete a Quality Mark assessment for all units before applying for a temporary occupation permit (TOP), a spokesman for the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) told The Straits Times.

Essentially a voluntary scheme, the Quality Mark measures the quality of workmanship in each unit of a newly completed private project. But the COH can stipulate the Quality Mark assessment as a condition in a sale licence, where necessary.

The ban on sales of Normanton Park condos had been applied in January 2019 after a raft of complaints from owners about shoddy workmanship and poor amenities at the developer's other projects, including the Kingsford Waterbay.

Developers with a no-sale licence can begin construction, but cannot sell units off-plan without approval from the COH.

The URA said the order was imposed because the developer had failed to meet requirements for certain building works at Kingsford Waterbay, such as its windows, barriers and common storey shelter.

The Building and Construction Authority (BC) had found that some building works at the Waterbay "deviated from requirements under the Building Control Act and regulations", the URA said.

Feedback about shoddy workmanship from owners of another development, Kingsford Hillview Peak in Bukit Panjang, was also taken into consideration.

But the ban was lifted on Nov 30 and a sales licence for Normanton Park was issued to Kingsford Huray after it "completed the Kingsford Waterbay with certificate of statutory completion (CSC) and titles issued", the URA said.

"The Kingsford Hillview Peak project has also been issued with CSC and titles, and the developer has also taken steps to resolve the issues previously raised by the home buyers," the URA added.

For the Normanton Park project, the developer will have to "budget at least 12 months to complete the Quality Mark assessment across all 1,862 units", a spokesman for the Kingsford Group told ST yesterday.

The scope of the assessment includes the workmanship standards of internal finishes of the flooring, internal wall, ceiling, door, window and fixtures like wardrobes and kitchen cabinets, among other things. It will also include water-ponding tests for the bathrooms and toilets, said the spokesman.

"There will be inspection fees, preparatory costs and additional construction costs incurred to... ensure adherence to workmanship standards," the spokesman added.

Kingsford Huray, which bought the plot in a collective sale in October 2017 for $830.1 million, has to finish selling the units by early 2023 or risk incurring additional buyer's stamp duty (ABSD).

Developers must sell all units in any new project within five years of buying a site to qualify for upfront remission of ABSD on the land purchase price. If a developer fails to do so, it must pay the ABSD, with interest. The levy was 15 per cent for sites acquired from Jan 12, 2013, and it was raised to 25 per cent in July 2018.

To attract early bird buyers and incentivise agents, Kingsford Huray is dangling carrots, including 10 Mercedes-Benz cars in a lucky draw. Buyers of the first 800 units and the agents involved will be eligible for the draw.

Five property agencies - ERA Singapore, Huttons Asia, OrangeTee & Tie, PropNex and Singapore Realtors Inc - have been appointed to market the massive project.