If the approved development comprises more than one use, the following rules shall apply in the calculation of common areas. Such a mixed development may also arise due to the land use zone, for example the Commercial & Residential zone.
The prescribed use quantum mix in the Master Plan zoning is detailed below:
Business Park – White (X)
E.g. Business Park – White (40)
(100 – X)% for Business Park (X)% for White*
60% for Business Park 40% for White*
Business 1 – White Y[B1-Z ]W
E.g. Business 1 – White 3.0[B1-2.5]W
Similar apportionment formula applies to Business 2 – White developments
(Z) x 100% for Business 1 Y
(Y - Z ) x 100% for White* Y
83.3% for Business 1 16.7% for White*
The new apportionment rules will be applied on a per floor basis. If a floor is occupied by a single use (e.g. Commercial), any vertical circulation GFA areas like staircases on that floor will be apportioned to Commercial use, though they may also be used by other users (e.g. Residential) above for escape purposes. However, if the floor is occupied by two or more uses1 for which the staircase GFA on that floor cannot be exclusively attributed, they will be regarded as non-attributable space and apportioned based on weighted average, pegged to the prescribed use quantum in the Master Plan zoning.
The illustrations above are not exhaustive in covering all possible building or layout designs. In evaluating the development applications, URA may, if the circumstances of a case or the planning considerations relevant to a case so warrant, depart from these rules. Persons intending to carry out a development are advised to take this into consideration and check with URA through enquiries or development applications to confirm the application of the rules on their proposals.
1These should comprise actual uses and not common areas. For example, on full Commercial floors with lift lobbies that serve Hotel uses, vertical circulation areas like staircases on that floor will be apportioned to Commercial use. However, on mixed floors with both Hotel and Shop uses, vertical circulation areas will be apportioned based on weighted average.
For sites where the tender or lease conditions state that the land is to be developed for a certain use quantum mix, non-attributable common areas will be apportioned based on the specific use quantum mix stated in the tender or lease conditions, rather than the Master Plan zoning. For example, if the lease conditions for a site zoned Commercial require that the site is to be developed for a use quantum mix of 65% Commercial and 35% Civic & Community Institution, the non-attributable spaces will be apportioned based on 65% Commercial and 35% Civic & Community Institution, rather than 100% Commercial.
For White sites where the tender or lease conditions stipulate a minimum quantum control on a particular use (e.g. minimum 30% Service Apartment), this will be taken into account when apportioning the non-attributable common areas with the balance 70% distributed to the other uses in the development on a simple average basis. For example, if the White site has a requirement of minimum 30% Service Apartment use and the development also has Commercial and Hotel uses, the apportionment of the non-attributable common areas will be based on 30% Service Apartment, 35% Commercial and 35% Hotel.
In evaluating the development applications, URA may, if the circumstances of a case or the planning considerations relevant to a case so warrant, depart from these rules. Persons intending to carry out a development are advised to take this into consideration and check with URA through enquiries or development applications to confirm the application of the rules on their proposals.
Prior to 1 Sep 1989, the intensity of residential developments was determined using the population density (i.e. persons per hectare) method while that for commercial developments was based on the nett floor area method (i.e. excluding neutral areas). With effect from 1 Sep 1989, the different methods of determining development intensity for different types of development were standardised by the current Gross Floor Area (GFA) method. The GFA was re-defined by counting all covered floor space within a development (unless specifically exempted) and including open areas used for commercial purposes. To determine the intensity of such developments approved before 1 Sep 1989, there is a need to convert the approved GFA of the developments to the standardised current GFA definition. For such developments, the approved building would need to be recomputed based on the prevailing GFA definition.
Last updated on 11 Nov 2022