The Housing Development Board (HDB) will construct 1,600 new car park lots during 2012, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan has announced.

The new parking lots to be constructed next year will be in addition to the 3,400 parking lots constructed during the past two years.The construction of parking lots will cost to the tune of $66 million.

The National Development Minister also said that the HDB had been asked to study the viability of implementing mechanized parking systems, and appraise the various technologies available.

Speaking on the topic, Khaw said, "With the new norms, new HDB flats will come with adequate car parks. The problem is in the older HDB estates. Of the 1,800 HDB car parks island-wide, about 220 of them face some localised shortages."

The car park shortages are more severe in older HDB estates, which were erected under old standards of car parking provision. Under the old standards, estates with four-room flats had 560 car parking lots per one thousand flats. Under the new norms, there will be 710 car parking lots per one thousand flats.

Residents with only one car will be given priority, while residents with second or third car will have to park them further away.