Based on a few discussion threads, I read up a bit on plot ratios for new developments.

If you’re classed as a TOD development ie. within 400m of public transport you can build 1:8. This seems to have been the case for developments like Sunway Belfield.

I noted that the much maligned M Vertica has a plot ratio of 1:10 and I can’t really tell with the Skyline project but it seems extremely high dense for a 3 acre piece of land with over 2k units.

The only way I could get accurate information was based on information feed from Bursa. This only works for listed companies. Is there a way to get information for non listed developers?

Note that plot ratio does NOT limit the number of units. It limits the total floor area of the development, including unit floor space.

theoretical example: a ratio of 1:5 on a 1000 sq ft piece of land means the total sq ft of all units combined (assuming no facilities or commercial lots) cannot exceed 5000 sq ft

however the developer is free to subdivide this 5000 sq ft into how many units they want, can be 10 units of 500 sq ft each, or 5 units of 1000 sq ft each, or 100 units of 50 sq ft each (lifts, stairwell, car park etc. don't count in the floor space), subject to council approval on floor plans.

Plot ratios aren't exactly fixed from the start and are subject to approval by local authority (town/city council) when developer submit their plans for approval.

Currently in KL the max is 1:10

Generally for projects that are TOD they'll approve higher plot ratio, and if the land is flat + big they'll also likely to approve higher plot ratio (as projects on hillside or uneven land usually get lower plot ratio).

for Skyline case, note that they have units as small as 485sq ft, their largest is only 1k sq ft, which inflates the total number of units in that development.

You can make a rough guess at plot ratio by summing up all of the floor space of all the units (gross floor area) and dividing that with the size of the land

This post has been edited by DragonReine: Feb 8 2022, 01:47 PM

So if I understand correctly, before the highest plot ratio was 4. But under the new planning regulations introduced around 10 years ago, the plot ratio could go up to 10.

Well then ladies and gents, this is the root cause of the oversupply issue. Singapore still has a hard cap of plot ratio 4 I believe.

This post has been edited by Cavatzu: Feb 9 2022, 08:59 AM

Actually that's incorrect, not sure where you got the idea that 1:4 is a hard cap for residential

under URA master plan (as of 2021), 1:4 is on the "lowest density" side

Singapore can go all the way up to 2:8 or higher, they do however limit the number of stories (for safety reasons, as their land is not suitable for multiple skyscrapers)



Note that this is for residential use land.

KL's cap of 1:10 and their subsequent implementation of capping the maximum number of storeys was done in mid 2019, so it's a recent development. Before that it was higher. Mega projects with higher plot ratios that were approved earlier had to get special approval.

Also note that these higher ratios are given to commercial land (read: "service apartments"), residential use land in Malaysia still has a much lower cap. Such land is rare and expensive these days, or has been already developed. Which is why you see most high rise projects now are classified as service apartment, not condominium.

This post has been edited by DragonReine: Feb 9 2022, 10:55 AM

I didn’t mean 1.4. I meant 4 gpr as in the Singaporean table you linked. They changed the way they accord ratio.

Just for the sake of semantics, take away the 1:

Edit: ok I get it now, if it’s pure residential ie condo then it’s 4 plot ratio max. If it’s commercial ie. serviced apartment then it’s 10. Aren’t developers just converting the title anyway to commercial? It’s the dominant high rise type nowadays. I don’t believe the concept of commercial under HDA was a thing more than 10 years ago.

This post has been edited by Cavatzu: Feb 9 2022, 11:22 AM

I stand corrected, sorry for the misunderstanding

Although again, Singaporean restrictions are largely in place due to limitations of geography and resources, not necessarily because they think it's better to not build as high or as dense. If given the opportunity there's little doubt that more high rises will be built as there's quite strong appetite for property there.

That said, Malaysia has always had a very haphazard planning approach to zoning and construction, since our country prioritise profits over livability

-double post-

This post has been edited by DragonReine: Feb 9 2022, 11:19 AM

It depends. It's expensive to convert land use type to residential. Quite a lot of projects were built on land originally gazetted for farmland/agricultural cultivation. But most commercial land is already approved as commercial use.

RIP residential titled condos. They’ll only exist for atas enclaves and ulu areas.

The default mass market accomodation now are dense commercial titled service apartments.

Sadly in Klang Valley/Iskandar Puteri/Penang and other major hubs, projects are not built for locals to live in, but for investment (whether by enticing overseas people to buy them, or for locals to rent out to white collar workers, be it local or expats)

The conclusion I will draw is that if developers continue churning out projects with this plot ratio of 10, it’ll definitely destroy property as an investment asset but more like a fmcg product.

Units become like a seasonal thing with the newer designs and facilities getting a lot of attention.

Funny anecdote is that when I was shopping for Sunway Belfield, the SA line was you won’t lose money instead of the “sure make money”. Times have changed.

This post has been edited by Cavatzu: Feb 9 2022, 11:51 AM