SINGAPORE - The first place of worship sites to be allocated to religious organisations through a ballot were launched for sale on Thursday.

In May, the authorities announced that the ballot – where winning bidders pay a pre-determined price reflecting the land’s market value – would replace competitive tenders.

It would also remove the need for organisations to outbid one another for land, thus making new plots cheaper for them.

One site in Sengkang West was released for church use, and another in Sembawang for a Chinese temple, both on 30-year leases.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Development (MND) said the church site would cost $936 per sq m per plot ratio. In comparison, the average winning bid across four church sites awarded between 2011 and 2020 was about $2,963 per sq m per plot ratio.

The Chinese temple site will cost $990 per sq m per plot ratio. This is lower than the average winning bid of about $1,752 per sq m per plot ratio for five Chinese temple sites awarded between 2011 and 2020.

Prices under the new framework vary based on location, lease tenure and other specific features relevant to the site, said the spokesperson.

Checks on the website of the Housing Board, which oversees the sale of place of worship land, showed that the prices of the sites were available only through the purchase of documents costing about $182 for each site. MND’s spokesperson did not explain why payment was needed to find out the prices.

The church will sit on a 2,983 sq m site that must have a gross floor area of at least 4,296 sq m and not more than 4,773 sq m. The site is bounded on three sides by public housing and is about 500m from Fernvale LRT station on foot.

The temple in Gambas Crescent will be on a 1,987.9 sq m plot that must have a gross floor area of at least 2,863 sq m and not more than 3,181 sq m.

The site is bounded by industrial buildings on three sides and is about 800m from Sembawang MRT station on foot.

Both the future church and temple have a height limit of five storeys, and are required to provide electric-vehicle charging infrastructure, based on documents related to the sale.

Columbariums in either place of worship will be subject to prevailing guidelines and the authorities’ approval.

Given its proximity to Sembawang Air Base, the temple must have a design that ensures users cannot view airbase activities from within the compound.

Applicants wishing to take part in the ballot must submit their applications to HDB’s procurement office on Nov 14 between 9am and noon.

They will have to put down a $150,000 deposit, which will be used to offset the land price for the successful applicant or returned to unsuccessful applicants.

The MND spokesperson said the ballot would likely take place next February, as time is needed to ensure applicants fulfil the pre-qualification criteria. These include demonstrating community support and involvement, as well as their need for space, and having adequate local funding.

The sites will be awarded soon after.

Four other place of worship sites are scheduled for launch in 2023 – a plot each in Punggol and Tengah for Chinese temples, and one church site each in Tampines and Toa Payoh.

The authorities had earlier advised religious organisations with leases expiring during a review of land allocation to take up short-term tenancies, so they can benefit from the new policies.

The MND spokesperson said on Friday that of the 24 religious organisations that opted for interim tenancies while the review was under way, 16 have submitted applications to take up long-term lease renewals since the ballot system was announced in May.

“The Singapore Land Authority is actively processing the applications, and lease renewal offers have been issued to four of these religious organisations to date,” said the spokesperson.

Separately, the framework for place of worship hubs – multi-storey developments that many religious organisations of the same faith could share – is still under review. The first two place of worship hub sites launched in 2019 were not awarded as the bids received were deemed too low.