Land-titled Residential

Enlarging the rooms

Planning permission is not required for enlarging the existing rooms in your landed house.

Relocating the rooms

Planning permission is not required for changing the position of the rooms if it does not change the primary residential use.

Balcony

Planning permission is required to close up “open balconies”.

Planning permission is not required to close up approved balconies by glass panels or windows in landed housing development if such balconies are already approved as “covered balconies” and thus comply with the setback requirements. 

Car-porch Roof

Planning permission is not required to convert a car porch roof for use as an open balcony or garden if your project meets the following requirements:

• the parapet wall at the perimeter of the car porch is not higher than 1m;
• the materials for the parapet wall shall be visually porous (e.g. tempered glass parapet and metal railings); and
• the light-weight screen wall along the common boundary is not higher than 1.8m.

For more details on the guidelines, refer to Circular - Guidelines for Usage of Car Porch Roofs in Landed Housing Developments.

Doors and Windows

Planning permission is not required for replacing or changing the windows and doors if:

1. there is no increase in GFA;
2. there is no reduction in setback; and
3. it does not involve changing the position of the window.

Roof

Planning permission is not required to re-construct a roof in its existing form with no increase in height.

Uncovered roof garden is allowed provided the activities in the garden do not cause nuisance to neighbours.

Boundary Wall

Planning permission is not required when the boundary wall is not higher than 1.8m.

Earthworks

Planning permission is required for all proposed earthcut and/or earthfill.

Proposed earthworks is to respect the existing terrain of the site as much as possible in relation to the surrounding areas.

i. Within setback distances

Earthcut or earthfill is generally not allowed within the setback distances of the site except for the following:

1. When the proposed earthcut or earthfill is to match the existing platform levels of the neighbouring sites;
2. When the sites are on undulating or sloping terrain, with large differences in platform levels within the site, or between the site and the road in order to create a workable platform level; and
3. When the earthcut is necessary to build a fully submerged basement to abut the site boundaries.

ii. Within the build-able area (e.g. outside the setback distances)

Earthcut or earthfill within the buildable area of more than 1m are subject to evaluation on a case by case basis. If the earthfill of more than 1m is allowed, the earthfilled area will not be counted as an additional storey as long as the overall aggregate building height complies with the maximum allowable building height measured from the allowable platform level.

iii. Entire development site

Earthfill involving the entire development site may only be considered if the proposed earthworks are required to meet the technical requirements of the Drainage Department. Such earthfill would be allowed up to the Minimum Platform Level (MPL) stipulated by the Drainage Department.

Enclosures

Planning permission is not required for construction of gates, walls, fences or other enclosures if the structures are not higher than 1.8m.

Meter Compartment

Planning permission is not required to build a meter compartment if it is not larger than 0.9m wide x 0.6m deep and it forms part of the boundary wall.

Pavilion

Planning permission is required for a new pavilion.

Pavilion should be single-storey, freestanding and unenclosed on all sides with lightweight roofing. Roof eaves and columns are to be located at least 2.4m from the road reserve and at least 2m from the common boundaries.

Swimming Pool

Planning permission is not required to change the shape of a swimming pool when it does not increase the size of the pool nor reduce the existing in setbacks.

Planning permission is required to redevelop an existing landed property into more than one landed property.

Types of Landed Properties

The types of landed properties you can redevelop to depend on the housing form(s) safeguarded in the designated landed housing area plan.

Example: In an area designated for semi-detached houses, you may redevelop your property into bungalows and semi-detached houses on the same plot. However, you cannot build terrace houses. You may also build strata bungalows and strata semi-detached houses. You cannot build terrace houses.

Number of houses I can redevelop from my existing property

The number of houses you can redevelop depends on the type of landed property and the corresponding minimum plot size and minimum plot width. Refer to prevailing Development Control parameters for landed housing for more information on minimum plot size and plot width by type of landed property.

Example: Your land size is 1,000 sqm in a designated bungalow area, where only bungalows or strata bungalows are allowed. As a detached house (bungalow) requires a minimum plot size of 400 sqm, you may only be allowed to redevelop the existing property into 2 detached houses.

Your proposed reconstruction or redevelopment must comply with prevailing Development Control Parameters. You also have to comply with technical requirements by other Government agencies. Your QP (Qualified Person) will be able to advise you on the requirements.