Do I need URA approval to add an attic to my terrace house?
Generally yes, because an attic adds gross floor area. Since July 2021 URA allows the attic to be proposed flexibly within the permissible two-storey or three-storey envelope, rather than set back behind a 45-degree line. Any accessible roof terrace must sit at least 3 m below the top of the envelope. Your Qualified Person will check whether the attic also takes the house beyond 3 levels, which changes the SCDF position.
From the RRD Field Guide, checked against the sources cited in Landed House A&A in Singapore: Reconstruction vs A&A, Attics, Extensions and Approvals. General information, not advice for your project.
The fuller picture
In Singapore, landed house works stay A&A only within URA's limits: added floor area up to 50% of the existing approved GFA, and no more than 50% of external walls or structural floor area replaced. Anything larger is lodged as reconstruction or new erection. Extensions, attics and basements need URA planning permission and, where structural, BCA plans and a permit through a Qualified Person.
More questions on this topic
- What is the difference between A&A and reconstruction for a landed house?
- Which landed house works need no BCA plan submission?
- Can I hack into my party wall to support a new beam?
- Does my renovated house need SCDF fire safety approval?
- What are the rules for Good Class Bungalow Areas?
- Do I need to tell my neighbours before renovating?
- How long does a landed house A&A approval take?