# Gillman Barracks Is Set To Become A New Housing Estate — Here’s What We Know So Far

- **Source:** Stacked Homes
- **Published:** 2026-07-11T11:23:36.000Z
- **Author:** Hailey Khoo
- **Original:** https://stackedhomes.com/gillman-barracks-set-to-become-a-new-housing-estate/
- **Topics:** HDB & Public Housing

## Featured rationale

The redevelopment could introduce substantial housing supply near Labrador Park MRT, while potential Prime or Plus classification may shape affordability, occupancy periods and resale eligibility.

## AI summary

Gillman Barracks’ 40ha site is planned for public and private housing, with 25 of 86 buildings and an eight-hectare green area proposed for retention.

## Original article

Less than a third of the existing buildings at Gillman Barracks will remain standing after the area is transformed into a new housing estate in the future, based on a recent environmental impact assessment (EIA) and heritage study released by the Housing & Development Board (HDB) on July 10.

The heritage study, conducted by conservation consultancy Studio Lapis, assessed all 86 buildings in the compound known as Gillman Barracks. The existing buildings are spread out across seven clusters in a 40ha plot of land.

The most evocative heritage building that will be spared is the original block on Alexandra School in Preston Road, which was constructed in 1939. The building sits on the highest hilltop within the area and currently houses the Preston Campus of the ISS International School.

Meanwhile, three British-built colonial era buildings will also be kept. They consist of the former regimental headquarters of the Singapore Combat Engineers (Block 6), the services canteen and social club (Block 9), and the old sergeants’ mess (Block 22).

The other buildings which will also be retained include 14 of the 16 garrison-style semi-detached houses along Preston Road, which were built between 1925 and 1939. Also surviving is the Telok Blangah Substation, completed in 1974 and still in active operation. It was noted for its modernist bronze-anodised aluminium curtain wall facade.

The 25 retained buildings currently carry no formal heritage protection, which means that government agencies will be considering public feedback before deciding whether a formal conservation status should follow.

What will not survive are the buildings during the period when the site was used by St Andrew’s Junior College and the Pasir Panjang Vocational Institute, both of which opened in the 1970s. Among the losses are SAJC’s lecture theatre, main block, and athletics track. Their buildings sit in a low-lying southern section that would need significant ground-raising for flood mitigation.

View of SAJC with now demolished barrack blocks on the hill in the background. (Source: St Andrew’s Junior College, The SAJCian 1979)

In the report, Ho Puay Peng, a professor at NUS’s Department of Architecture, said retaining clusters of buildings in this manner, rather than individual buildings, is the right call. “The buildings have more value in clusters, and their significance is expressed in a group rather than as individual buildings,” he says.

Today, the buildings at Gillman Barracks are used for a variety of interim residential, commercial, creative lifestyle, educational uses, and forested areas that make up part of the Southern Ridges. Some of the former colonial era buildings at Gillman Barracks feature event spaces, exhibitions, art galleries, and dining establishments, and a hub for entertainment and culture.

Plans to turn Gillman Barracks into a future residential estate with a mix of public and private homes were first unveiled in 2024, and the area was also mentioned in the 2025 Master Plans as when large portions of the compound were rezoned for residential use.

In the latest study, HDB says that the development of Gillman Barracks is required in order to meet rising housing demand and to better serve existing and future communities in Bukit Merah. It adds that the overall demand for housing in Singapore is set to increase as household sizes shrink and housing aspirations increase.

A map illustrating the HDB study of Gillman Barracks and the various land uses indicated in the Master Plan. (Map: HDB)

Gillman Barracks is not the only landmark site that is set to go in order to make space for Singapore’s future residential needs. HDB also released a study on July 10 that paves the way for two-thirds of Maju Forest in Clementi to be cut down to make room for a new residential estate in the Sunset Way neighbourhood.

The environmental study also documented 293 plant species and 178 fauna species. Among them, 22 plant species and 11 fauna species are of conservation concern. Most of the flora and fauna are concentrated in two habitats: a native-dominated secondary forest and a freshwater stream.

HDB plans to retain both habitats within an eight-hectare green area that makes up about a fifth of the future housing estate. Ecological corridors will connect more than five hectares of existing greenery with over two hectares of new native-species planting.

The idea is that this will allow the future housing estate to serve as a stepping stone for wildlife moving between HortPark, Telok Blangah Hill Park, Berlayar Creek, and Labrador Nature Reserve. A nature trail along the Old Jurong Line railway corridor near the site is also being studied.

Prof Ho says that running the environmental and heritage studies simultaneously allowed findings from each to reinforce the other: the forest stream, for instance, is both an ecological asset and an essential part of the site’s terrain and character.

Some of the former colonial era buildings at Gillman Barracks feature event spaces, exhibitions, art galleries, and dining establishments. (Picture: SLA)

The groundwork to plan for future HDB flats at Gillman Barracks is in place

For now, the government has not publicly shared how many new HDB flats will be built at Gillman Barracks in the future. But the nearby 48-hectare Berlayar estate is expected to house 10,000 homes, giving a rough sense of what a similarly sized southern site can deliver.

The more relevant question may be the eventual classification of the Build-To-Order projects there. Eugene Lim, key executive officer at ERA Singapore, expects BTO flats at Gillman Barracks to fall under HDB’s Prime or Plus category, given the site’s proximity to the city and Labrador Park MRT on the Circle Line.

Flats in those two categories carry a 10-year minimum occupation period and an income ceiling for the subsequent resale buyer, but also a more heavily subsidised launch price. In terms of the private residential market there, comparable 99-year condos nearby have been trading at $1,755 psf to $2,496 psf in 2026, from Reflections at Keppel Bay to the newer Reef at King’s Dock, based on caveats.

The proportion of public housing and private homes at Gillman Barracks will be determined once the consultation closes on Aug 6. The completion of the environmental and heritage studies clears the way for urban planners to start developing concrete plans that may appear in the next master plan.

The public feedback form for the Heritage Impact Assessment of Gillman Barracks can be found here. The public feedback form for the Environmental Impact Assessment of Gillman Barracks can be found here.

## Chinese translation

> Translation model: grok_cli

### 吉尔曼军营将变身新住宅区——目前已知情况一览

建屋发展局（HDB）对吉尔曼军营的研究确认：在约40公顷用地再开发为公共与私人住宅时，将保留8公顷森林，以及86栋建筑中的25栋。

根据建屋发展局（HDB）于7月10日公布的最新环境影响评估（EIA）与文物研究，吉尔曼军营（Gillman Barracks）未来转型为新住宅区后，现有建筑中将保留的不足三分之一。

由保育顾问公司Studio Lapis开展的文物研究，对吉尔曼军营范围内全部86栋建筑进行了评估。这些既有建筑分布在约40公顷用地上的七个集群中。

最令人印象深刻、将获保留的文物建筑之一，是位于普雷斯顿路（Preston Road）亚历山大学校（Alexandra School）原址的主楼，建于1939年。该建筑坐落于该区域内最高山丘，目前为ISS国际学校普雷斯顿校区（Preston Campus）所使用。

此外，三栋英殖民时期建筑也将保留，包括前新加坡战斗工兵团（Singapore Combat Engineers）团部（第6座）、服务食堂与社交俱乐部（第9座），以及旧士官食堂（第22座）。

其他将获保留的建筑还包括普雷斯顿路沿线16栋驻军式半独立式住宅中的14栋，这些住宅建于1925年至1939年之间。仍在运作的德乐布朗加变电站（Telok Blangah Substation，1974年落成）也将保留；其现代主义青铜阳极氧化铝幕墙立面备受关注。

目前这25栋获保留建筑尚无正式文物保护身份，意味着政府机构将在考虑公众反馈后，再决定是否赋予正式保育地位。

将无法保留的，是该地块曾作为圣安德烈初级学院（St Andrew’s Junior College）与巴西班让职业学院（Pasir Panjang Vocational Institute）使用时期的建筑——两者均于1970年代开办。损失包括SAJC的讲堂、主楼与田径场。这些建筑位于地势较低的南段，需大幅填高地面以应对防洪。

SAJC景观，背景山丘上现已拆除的军营楼宇。（来源：St Andrew’s Junior College，《The SAJCian》1979）

报告中，新加坡国立大学建筑系教授何培斌（Ho Puay Peng）表示，以集群而非单体方式保留建筑是正确选择。“这些建筑在集群中更有价值，其意义体现在群体，而非单栋建筑，”他说。

如今，吉尔曼军营的建筑用于多种过渡性居住、商业、创意生活与教育用途，森林区则构成南部山脊（Southern Ridges）的一部分。部分前殖民时期建筑设有活动空间、展览、艺廊与餐饮场所，是娱乐与文化枢纽。

将吉尔曼军营打造为未来公共与私人住宅混合住宅区的计划于2024年首次公布，该区域亦在2025年总体规划中被提及——当时大片用地被改划为住宅用途。

在最新研究中，HDB表示，开发吉尔曼军营是为了满足不断上升的住房需求，并更好服务红山（Bukit Merah）现有与未来社区。局方补充称，随着家庭规模缩小与住房期望提升，新加坡整体住房需求将继续增加。

说明HDB对吉尔曼军营研究及总体规划中各类土地用途的地图。（地图：HDB）

吉尔曼军营并非唯一为新加坡未来住宅需求腾出空间而面临改变的地标地段。HDB同于7月10日发布研究，为金文泰马裕森林（Maju Forest）约三分之二被砍伐、以在日落道（Sunset Way）一带建设新住宅区铺路。

环境研究亦记录了293种植物与178种动物。其中，22种植物与11种动物属保育关注对象。多数动植物集中在两类栖息地：以原生种为主的次生林，以及淡水溪流。

HDB计划在约8公顷绿地内保留这两类栖息地，约占未来住宅区约五分之一。生态廊道将连接超过5公顷既有绿化与逾2公顷新增原生种种植。

此举旨在让未来住宅区成为野生动物在园艺公园（HortPark）、德乐布朗加山公园（Telok Blangah Hill Park）、柏礼雅河（Berlayar Creek）与拉柏多自然保护区（Labrador Nature Reserve）之间移动的踏脚石。邻近地段沿旧裕廊线铁路廊道的自然步道也在研究中。

何教授表示，环境与文物研究同步推进，使双方发现相互印证：例如森林溪流既是生态资产，也是地段地形与特色的重要部分。

吉尔曼军营部分前殖民时期建筑设有活动空间、展览、艺廊与餐饮场所。（图片：SLA）

吉尔曼军营未来组屋规划的基础工作已到位

目前，政府尚未公开说明吉尔曼军营未来将兴建多少新组屋。但邻近约48公顷的柏礼雅（Berlayar）住宅区预计容纳约1万个住家，可大致反映类似规模南部地段的供应潜力。

更关键的问题或许是当地预购组屋（BTO）项目的最终分类。ERA Singapore首席执行官林恩庆（Eugene Lim）预期，鉴于地段邻近市中心及环线拉柏多公园（Labrador Park）地铁站，吉尔曼军营的BTO组屋将属HDB的Prime或Plus类别。

这两类单位设有10年最低居住期，以及转售买家的收入顶限，但发售价补贴幅度更大。私人住宅市场方面，附近可比的99年地契公寓在2026年成交约每平方英尺1,755新元至2,496新元，从映水湾（Reflections at Keppel Bay）到较新的King’s Dock礁湾（Reef at King’s Dock）等，均依据Caveat数据。

吉尔曼军营公共住宅与私人住宅的比例，将在8月6日咨询结束后确定。环境与文物研究完成后，城市规划者可开始制定更具体的方案，或将出现在下一轮总体规划中。

吉尔曼军营文物影响评估的公众反馈表可在此查阅。吉尔曼军营环境影响评估的公众反馈表可在此查阅。