SINGAPORE, March 17 — The Regent of Johor, Tunku Mahkota Ismail, plans to develop residential properties on his land parcels at Holland Road following a land swap with the Singapore government announced last year.

A media release published on the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) website stated that it had received a development application from the Regent of Johor to develop the land parcels for residential use.

“The Regent of Johor has now submitted a development application to develop his land for low-rise, low-density housing with a gross plot ratio of 1.4 as well as Good Class Bungalows,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.

In June 2025, a land swap deal was agreed, under which Singapore received a 13-hectare (ha) plot of land abutting the Singapore Botanic Gardens, while Tunku Mahkota Ismail received an 8.5-ha piece of state land in exchange.

Following the deal, the Regent of Johor now owns 16.6 hectares of land in Holland Road, which is suitable for low-rise, low-density residential use.

The statement said that the URA and the relevant agencies have reviewed the development application and assessed that the proposed plans are compatible and sensitive to the surrounding residential neighbourhood.

The plans also comply with current height restrictions that protect the visual amenity of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) World Heritage Site.

Therefore, URA said it has proposed rezoning the Regent of Johor’s land parcel from ‘special use’ and ‘open space’ to ‘residential’ status.

“Should the rezoning proposal be approved, part of the land parcels zoned ‘residential’ will also be designated as a good class bungalow area to reflect the type of housing to be developed.

“The developer will be required to undertake environmental studies prior to the commencement of works to mitigate any potential impact on the environment,” it added. — Bernama