Guideline on Maintaining Advertisement Spaces on Building Facades in Strata Titled Development as Common Property

Circular No : URA/PB/2014/06-DCG
Our Ref : DC/ADMIN/CIRCULAR/PB_14
Fax : 6227 4792

CIRCULAR TO PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTES

Who Should Know:
Architects, surveyors, developers, building owners and Management Corporations

Effective Date:
With effect from 07 Apr 2014

Background

1. The external building façade is the most prominent area of the building and installations on the external façade, such as advertisement signs, could have a direct bearing on the image of the development. In strata-titled buildings, building façades are typically maintained as common property, where the Management Corporation (MC) manages and upkeeps the façade in the best interest of the development.

2. URA has observed a recent trend where some developers of strata-titled commercial developments have proposed prominent advertisement ledges on the building facade for mounting advertisement signs. These advertisement ledges would then be sold upfront as accessory lots to one or a few strata unit owners. As these accessory lots are privately owned, the MCs when formed subsequently, would not have any direct control over these areas on the building façade. This arrangement could lead to potential downstream conflicts among the subsidiary proprietors and between the MC and subsidiary proprietors on the appropriate usage of the building façade.  It could also lead to maintenance issues on the parts of the façade area that are not held as common property.

3. To minimise such potential downstream conflicts, this circular introduces a new guideline for new strata-titled development proposals where advertisement spaces are proposed on the external facade.  

Details of Guidelines

4. The new guideline will require all new external advertisement spaces proposed on the external façade of development intended for strata subdivision to be held as common property and managed by the Management Corporation, or its appointed agent. If there are ledges or structures proposed on the external facade for advertisement purposes, they are not to be included as part of the private strata area or as accessory lots to the strata units.

5. This approach allows the MCs to have the necessary control to guide the usage of the common property and to balance the interests of the subsidiary proprietors for the overall benefit of the development.

Implementation

6. The guidelines will take effect from 7 Apr 2014 and will apply to all new applications. Only formal development applications submitted prior to 7 Apr 2014 that have obtained a Provisional Permission or Written Permission with  approved accessory lots for advertisement ledges on building façade can continue to proceed with the strata subdivision as per the layout in the approved plans.

7. I would appreciate if you could convey the contents of this circular to the relevant members of your organisation. If you or your members have any queries concerning this circular, please do not hesitate to call our Development Control Group (DCG) Enquiry Line at Tel: 6223 4811 or e-mail us at ura_dcd@ura.gov.sg ↗ (opens in new tab). We will be pleased to answer queries on this subject and any other development control matters. For your information, our past circulars to the professional institutes are available from our website http://www.ura.gov.sg ↗ (opens in new tab).

Thank You.

HAN YONG HOE
GROUP DIRECTOR (DEVELOPMENT CONTROL)
for CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY