HDB to clear two-thirds of Maju Forest for flats: what to know

HDB confirmed on July 10 that about 15 of Maju Forest’s 23 hectares in Clementi will make way for new public housing, with around 8 hectares kept for nature. For buyers, it is the clearest signal yet that a rare mature-estate BTO location is moving through the pipeline.

The Housing and Development Board published an Environmental Impact Assessment on July 10 for the greenfield site bounded by Brookvale Drive, Clementi Road and Sunset Way. The study sets out how the forested area, roughly 23 hectares in all, will be developed: about two-thirds cleared for future public housing, and about 8 hectares retained to provide refuge for wildlife and let animals move between green spaces.

The retained portion is not an arbitrary slice. According to HDB, it includes a natural freshwater stream with its surrounding vegetation, plants of high biodiversity value, and the area around the Old Jurong Line, the disused railway corridor that acts as the main ecological link to nearby forest patches. A 4 km nature trail along the old rail line and a 2 km Clementi Nature Trail are being studied to keep that connection intact.

The public can give feedback on the report through an online form from July 10 to August 6, and HDB says the responses will feed into the conceptual plans for the site.

What the study found

The environmental consultants recorded 113 fauna species on the site, six of them of conservation significance, including the straw-headed bulbul, buffy fish-owl, changeable hawk-eagle and long-tailed macaque, as reported by The Straits Times. Maju Forest sits within the ecological corridor linking Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, which is why the mitigation measures matter as much as the headline hectares.

Of Maju Forest’s roughly 23 hectares, about 15 will make way for public housing and about 8 will be retained. Source: HDB Environmental Impact Assessment, 10 Jul 2026. Chart: HomeAsset.

HDB says it will salvage plants of conservation significance from affected areas where feasible, and clear the site in phases so wildlife can move to adjacent green spaces ahead of the works. Checks for wildlife are to be carried out before trees come down.

The same announcement covered a second site: Gillman Barracks, which will be redeveloped into a housing estate with both public and private homes. There, HDB proposes keeping more than 20 of the 86 existing buildings and most of the secondary forest, forming a green connection of roughly 8 hectares between Telok Blangah Hill Park, Berlayer Creek and the Labrador area. The Sunset Way site, by contrast, is planned for public housing.

Why this site, and why now

This part of Sunset Way has been earmarked for residential use since 1980, so the direction is not new. What has changed is demand: HDB’s study notes that shrinking household sizes keep pushing up the need for new public housing, and redeveloping already-built sites is no longer enough to meet projected demand. Greenfield sites like Maju Forest are the consequence.

The area has already seen a first cut. In 2024, about 3.6 hectares of the forest was cleared for the 1.2 km Brookvale Drive, built to serve residents of the Ki Residences condominium nearby.

What HDB has not announced is the number of flats or a launch timeline. An EIA is an early step: it shapes the conceptual plans before detailed planning begins, so any BTO launch here is still some years away.

What this means for you

• If you are waiting for a BTO in the Clementi area, this is a genuine pipeline signal, but an early one. No flat count or launch date exists yet, so do not put your plans on hold for this site alone.
• Location fundamentals look strong: a mature-estate address near Clementi and Sunset Way, with nature trails planned on the doorstep. Expect demand to be intense when a launch eventually comes, as it usually is for rare mature-estate sites.
• If you own nearby, in the Sunset Way landed enclave or condos off Clementi Road, plan for a long construction horizon once works begin, balanced against new amenities and the retained 8 hectares of green buffer.
• If you care about how the forest is handled, the feedback window is open until August 6 via HDB’s online form.