In the master plan for the Newton & Novena areas, there are three new condominium projects worth noting—Pullman Residences, Kopar at Newton, and Enchante, which interested buyers may consider.
The Newton MRT interchange is one of Singapore’s busiest MRT stations, where commuters can switch between the North-South Line and the Downtown Line. This station is also a crucial public transport hub for the Newton area.
The Newton MRT interchange is centrally located within a 2 km radius of the Newton/Novena planning area.
This article will examine and analyze the key development plans for the Newton/Novena planning area as outlined in the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) 2019 Master Plan.
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Newton and Novena Planning Areas
The Newton planning area primarily refers to the upscale residential district near the Orchard Road shopping belt. According to the Master Plan, this area is bordered by Balmoral Road and Bukit Timah Road and includes the extensive grounds of the Istana and its offices.
Newton’s central location is close to the Civic & Cultural District and the Central Business District. Its prime location in the Core Central Region (CCR), adjacent to the city center, makes Newton a highly popular residential area characterized by numerous luxury condominiums.
Meanwhile, the neighboring Novena planning area is a commercial and residential district bordered by Dunearn Road, Lornie Road, Thomson Road, as well as parts of the Central Expressway (CTE) and Pan Island Expressway (PIE). The entire planning area consists of several subzones, including Moulmein, Balestier, Mount Pleasant, and Dunearn.
Most of the commercial activity in Novena is concentrated in several established shopping malls and office buildings located at the junction of Newton Road, Thomson Road, and Moulmein Road. The area is also a well-established Medical District, home to renowned hospitals and medical institutions such as Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.
Due to its proximity to various amenities, Newton/Novena is highly popular, and residents are often working professionals.
Families with school-going children will also find both areas convenient, especially those planning to enroll their children in nearby primary schools. Nearby schools include Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), Farrer Park Primary School, Singapore Chinese Girls’ School, and St Joseph’s Institution Junior.
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HealthCity Novena
The largest urban transformation in the Novena area is the 17-hectare HealthCity Novena, which will be developed into “an integrated community of healthcare, medical education, and translational medicine in a vibrant and sustainable communal environment.”
Novena is an established medical hub in the central region of Singapore, with several renowned healthcare developments and hospitals nearby. These include Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Ren Ci Hospital, the National Skin Centre, and the National Neuroscience Institute.
Complementing these are the Novena Medical Centre and Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital and Medical Centre. Supporting facilities include Square 2 mall—which has direct underground connections to Novena MRT station, Novena Medical Centre, and Tan Tock Seng Hospital—Velocity mall, and United Square.
In 2013, the Ministry of Health, the National Healthcare Group, and Tan Tock Seng Hospital jointly unveiled the master plan for HealthCity Novena. This is an integrated care hub that brings together rehabilitative, sub-acute, and end-of-life care, and will become the central region’s hub for intermediate and long-term care services to support the overall healthcare needs of Singapore’s growing elderly population.
According to the master plan, new and existing healthcare buildings will complement each other and be interconnected via skybridges and pedestrian-friendly walkways. HealthCity Novena is expected to be completed in two phases by 2030.
As part of the first development phase, three new projects have been completed so far this year. The completed buildings include the Ng Teng Fong Centre for Healthcare Innovation, the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, and the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine Clinical Services Building.
By the end of this year, two more new buildings will complete the first phase of development. The upcoming projects are the Tan Tock Seng Integrated Care Hub and the new National Skin Centre.
The next development phase of HealthCity Novena will begin in 2023.
Future Residential Developments near HealthCity Novena
Currently, there are only a few residential projects surrounding Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Within a 500-meter radius of the hospital, there are only 36 residential developments. These private residential projects offer about 2,300 units.
According to the HealthCity master plan, it is estimated that by 2030, when the medical facilities, research institutes, and educational buildings are fully completed and operational, they will accommodate more than 30,000 people daily.
According to the 2020 Singapore Census of Population, the demographic profile of the Newton/Novena area is significantly older (with a high proportion of the population aged 40-54) and in a higher income bracket compared to the general population of Singapore. For example, 45% of the population in the Newton area earns between S$10,000 and S$15,000, and 11% earn over S$15,000 per month. In terms of Singapore’s overall income, 54% of the population earns between S$10,000 and S$15,000, while 8% earn over S$15,000.
Approximately 17% of households in the Newton/Novena area are tenants. According to the 2020 Singapore Census of Population, this proportion is equivalent to 3,113 households. For condominiums within a 500-meter radius of Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the existing Novena medical cluster, monthly rents range from S$4.20 to S$5.80 per square foot, with estimated rental yields between 3.2% and 4.5%.
Within a 500-meter radius of the existing Novena medical cluster, no new condominium projects have been launched since Novena Regency. Novena Regency is a boutique, freehold mixed-use development with only 55 apartment units, located directly opposite Novena Church. Novena Regency was launched for sale in April 2013, with units sold at an average price of S$2,197 per square foot. According to caveats lodged with the URA, the most recent transaction was for the largest three-bedroom penthouse on the fourth floor, a 1,744 sq ft unit that changed hands for S$2.21 million (S$1,267 psf) in July 2021.
However, more residential developments are planned for the vicinity of HealthCity Novena in the future. According to the 2019 Master Plan, two residential sites along Mandalay Road have now been listed as “subject to detailed planning.” This means that details for future redevelopment on this site, such as the gross plot ratio, are yet to be finalized.
The largest site designated for future residential redevelopment, spanning over 877,000 sq ft, was formerly the location of the Communicable Disease Centre, which was established in 1985. The site has been used for various government medical facilities since 1907.
The second potential site for redevelopment is approximately 184,700 sq ft. According to the URA’s Master Plan, this site is a combination of two plots—one where an existing car park is located, and another which is still occupied by a private educational institution.
More details about the redevelopment plans for these designated sites are expected to be announced in the next URA Master Plan—likely to be released in 2024.
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North–South Corridor (NSC)
One of Singapore’s largest ongoing infrastructure projects is the construction of the 21.5 km North–South Corridor (NSC). Overseen by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the NSC is described as Singapore’s longest Transit Priority Corridor.
Transit Priority Corridors were first introduced by the LTA in 2017 and are roads that integrate dedicated bus lanes, wider footpaths, and dedicated cycling paths.
When this infrastructure project is completed in 2027, the NSC will enhance the overall road connectivity for towns along the corridor to the city center. These residential towns and areas include Woodlands, Sembawang, Yishun, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Toa Payoh, Novena, and Newton. The NSC will also connect to expressways such as the Seletar Expressway (SLE), Pan Island Expressway (PIE), and East Coast Parkway (ECP).
The LTA states that the integration of various transport modes along the NSC will provide a faster and smoother travel experience for commuters traveling to and from the city center. The LTA adds that when the NSC is fully operational, commuters taking the bus can save up to 15 minutes of travel time.
One of the goals of the NSC is to alleviate traffic congestion on the busy Central Expressway (CTE) and major arterial roads such as Marymount Road, Thomson Road, and Newton Road. Excavation for the NSC tunnel under Thomson Road began in 2020.
Residents in the Newton/Novena area will benefit from the improved road connectivity brought by the future NSC.
Future Developments on Orchard Road
The Orchard Road shopping belt is another future transformation area that residents of Newton/Novena can enjoy, due to the area’s proximity to the shopping district.
The latest Master Plan proposes several initiatives to rejuvenate the shopping street, elevating the entire Orchard Road area into a lifestyle destination, not just a shopping street.
In the URA’s vision, each sub-precinct along Orchard Road will be developed into an area with a distinct character. This includes enhancing the Tanglin Road area into a new mixed-use arts and crafts community, promoting the core Orchard Road area as a luxury and flagship store district, transforming the Somerset area into a youth entertainment hub, and turning the Dhoby Ghaut area into a family-friendly green space.
The Master Plan highlights future redevelopment opportunities along Orchard Boulevard, where several vacant state-owned plots will be developed into vibrant mixed-use projects. The attractiveness of these potential developments will be enhanced when the long-awaited extension of the Thomson-East Coast Line to Orchard MRT Station is completed at the end of this year.
Phase 3 of the Thomson-East Coast Line consists of 13 MRT stations, with nearby stations including Orchard Boulevard MRT Station.
According to the Master Plan, Orchard Road will be transformed into an urban green corridor with more green spaces. For example, the URA suggests enhancing the appeal of Orchard Road as an urban pedestrian corridor between the Singapore Botanic Gardens and Fort Canning Park.
Residential Options in Newton and Novena
The upcoming supply of private housing in the Newton/Novena area will largely come from private en-bloc collective sales.
For example, in the Moulmein subzone of the Novena planning area, the upcoming luxury condominium project, Pullman Residences by EL Development, is a redevelopment of the former Dunearn Gardens. Dunearn Gardens was sold en-bloc for S$468 million in April 2018.
Another recent development in the area is the 25-unit Enchante project by boutique developer Victory Land, which was previewed on July 23. The project is set to officially launch in early September. Victory Land acquired the site, which was formerly a bungalow, for S$18.25 million in March last year.
The only Government Land Sales (GLS) site nearby is the Kampong Java Road plot. This site was successfully bid for S$418.38 million in January 2019 by CEL Development, a subsidiary of Chip Eng Seng. The new development is named Kopar at Newton and was launched for sale in March 2020.
As for new residential projects near Newton/Novena, we see only eight new projects in the Moulmein area. Kopar at Newton and Pullman Residences are the only two large new developments with over 200 units. To date, about 63% of the units in these eight new projects have been sold since their launch.
In 2018, the privatized HUDC estate Chancery Court, located near Newton Circus, was successfully sold en-bloc for S$401.8 million to Far East Organization. However, the developer only intends to refurbish the units and rent them out as corporate residences.
Meanwhile, in February this year, two residential plots at 32 and 34 Gilstead Road were sold for S$70 million to a company under Kheng Leong. Although the developer has not yet announced its redevelopment plans for these two sites, if they are amalgamated, they could be redeveloped into a residential project with 56 units, subject to approval.
Looking ahead, the built environment in the Newton and Novena areas is undergoing a significant transformation. The development plans laid out in the 2019 Master Plan and the ongoing infrastructure projects in these planning areas will cater to the demand for both residential and commercial properties in the region.
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