LinkTown Residences Launch Timeline: From GLS Tender to Keys
A stage-by-stage timeline for LinkTown Residences (Hougang Central Residences), from the December 2025 tender close to the expected early-2027 launch and 2030/2031 completion, with what buyers should do at each step.
Buying a new launch means committing years before you get your keys. For LinkTown Residences (Hougang Central Residences), the clock started when the Hougang Central GLS tender closed in December 2025, and it will run until the project is completed around 2030 to 2031. The Hougang Central Residences launch date itself has not been announced; sales are expected in early 2027, and UOL’s August 2026 results guide a 2H 2027 launch. Knowing where each stage falls helps you plan your cash, your current home and your loan.
Below is our timeline. Dates that have already happened are confirmed. Everything after the land award is an estimate based on published expectations and how Singapore new launches typically progress. We will update it as the developers announce details.
At a glance
| Stage | Timing | Status |
|---|---|---|
| GLS tender closes (3 bids) | 16 Dec 2025 | Confirmed |
| Site awarded to UOL, CLD and CICT | 14 Jan 2026 | Confirmed |
| Design, planning approvals, developer’s licence | 2026 | Estimate |
| Preview and booking | Early 2027 | Expected; dates not announced; UOL’s August 2026 results guide a 2H 2027 launch |
| Construction | 2027 to ~2030/2031 | Estimate |
| CRL Phase 1 opens | ~2030 | Government target |
| TOP | ~2030/2031 | Estimate |
| CSC | After TOP | Estimate |
Stage 1: The land tender (December 2025)
The Hougang Central mixed-use site, about 504,820 sq ft with a plot ratio of 2.5, closed for tender on 16 December 2025. Three groups bid. The consortium of UOL Group, CapitaLand Development and CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust topped the field at S$1.5 billion, or S$1,179 psf ppr, just 2.06% above Sim Lian Group’s S$1.47 billion. Frasers Property, Sekisui House and Lum Chang came third at about S$1.4 billion.
The tight margin between the top two bids is worth noting. It suggests two experienced developers valued the site at similar levels, which gives some confidence that the land price was not an outlier. Full details are in our Hougang Central land bid analysis.
What buyers could do: nothing to buy yet, but the land price gives the first clue to launch pricing.
Stage 2: Award and planning (2026)
The site was awarded on 14 January 2026. It is the first major mixed-use GLS site in Hougang in more than a decade. After award, a developer typically works through several steps before it can sell homes:
- Finalising the design of the homes, the mall (about 300,000 sq ft NLA, owned by CICT), the new bus interchange and the town plaza.
- Getting planning approval from URA and building plan approval.
- Obtaining a housing developer’s licence, which is required before units can be marketed and sold.
- Building a showflat and preparing the brochure, price list and sales documents.
For an integrated site, there is extra coordination with transport and public-space agencies, which is one reason these projects can take a little longer to reach launch.
What buyers can do now: check your finances. Get an idea of your loan eligibility under the 55% TDSR and 4% stress-test rate, work out what your HDB flat may sell for, and decide your realistic budget. Our calculators are a good starting point.
Stage 3: Hougang Central Residences launch date, preview and booking (expected early 2027)
The sales launch is expected in early 2027. UOL’s August 2026 results guide a 2H 2027 launch. Showflat and preview dates have not been announced. Based on how most Singapore launches work, you can expect:
- Preview: showflat visits, usually by appointment, where the developers release the price list, site plan and floor plans.
- Expression of interest: buyers submit their preferred unit types, often with a cheque and bank approval-in-principle.
- Booking day: buyers are called in order, usually by ballot, to choose a unit and pay the 5% option fee.
What buyers should do: register interest early so you receive plans as soon as they are out. Get an in-principle loan approval before booking day. Shortlist two or three stacks, not one, in case your first choice goes. Read the showflat page for updates.
Stage 4: From booking to the Sale and Purchase Agreement
Once you book a unit, you receive an Option to Purchase (OTP) and pay 5% of the price. The developer then sends the Sale and Purchase (S&P) Agreement. After you exercise the option, a further 15% is due, typically about eight weeks from the option date. Buyer’s Stamp Duty is also payable shortly after, and any ABSD if it applies.
Taken together, this is the heaviest cash stage: 20% of the price plus stamp duty within the first couple of months. On an illustrative S$1.7 million unit, that is S$340,000 plus S$54,600 in Buyer’s Stamp Duty, payable from cash and CPF. See our stamp duty guide.
Stage 5: Construction and progressive payments (2027 to ~2030/2031)
This is the longest stage. The bank loan is drawn down as each construction milestone is certified. The standard schedule looks like this:
| Milestone | % of price | Rough timing (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Option to Purchase | 5% | Booking, early 2027 |
| S&P Agreement | 15% | ~8 weeks after option |
| Foundation completed | 10% | Around the first year of construction |
| Reinforced concrete framework | 10% | Mid-construction |
| Partition walls | 5% | Mid-construction |
| Roofing/ceiling | 5% | Later construction |
| Doors, windows, wiring, plumbing | 5% | Later construction |
| Car park, roads, drains | 5% | Near completion |
| TOP | 25% | ~2030/2031 |
| CSC | 15% | After TOP |
Timings per milestone are our estimates. Actual dates depend on the construction programme, and integrated sites with a mall and bus interchange can have more complex sequencing.
Your monthly loan instalment starts small and rises as each tranche is released. The biggest jump comes at TOP, when 25% is paid in one go. Plan for that step-up rather than looking only at the early instalments. Our progressive payment guide works through the numbers.
What buyers should do: keep a cash buffer, review your loan when the lock-in period ends, and track construction updates. If you still own an HDB flat and paid ABSD, note the refund deadline, which for an uncompleted home is generally six months after TOP or CSC, whichever is earlier. Confirm the current rules with IRAS.
Stage 6: CRL opens (~2030)
Cross Island Line Phase 1 is targeted to open around 2030, turning Hougang into an NEL–CRL interchange. This could happen shortly before or after the project completes. Either way, residents should have both lines on their doorstep within the first years of living there. Remember that both the CRL date and the TOP date are targets that can move. Read more in our Cross Island Line guide.
Stage 7: TOP, keys and CSC (~2030/2031)
At TOP (Temporary Occupation Permit), the building is safe to occupy. You pay 25% of the price, inspect your unit for defects, collect your keys and can move in or rent it out. CSC (Certificate of Statutory Completion) follows later, when the final 15% is due. The exact TOP date has not been announced; the S&P Agreement will state an expected date.
What buyers should do: plan renovation and furniture budgets, list defects carefully during inspection, and time the sale of any existing home. Investors should line up tenants ahead of TOP.
Bottom line
The key dates to watch are the preview announcement (expected early 2027; UOL’s August 2026 results guide a 2H 2027 launch) and the price list. From there, most of the timeline follows a standard pattern. The practical takeaway is to have your loan, CPF and cash plan ready before booking day, and to budget for rising instalments through to around 2030 or 2031.
We will post confirmed dates as soon as they are announced. Register your interest to get the preview details, price list and floor plans.
