The Housing and Development Board (HDB), Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Singapore Land Authority (SLA) jointly announced their plan to build a new public housing estate in Mount Pleasant and mentioned that the first Build-To-Order (BTO) project will be launched within the next five years. The Mount Pleasant site, marked by the red dotted line, will span 33 hectares and is expected to yield around 5,000 new homes.
Source: HDB
The plot, is located within the District 11, is also close to an exclusive landed enclave and is expected to see strong demand from future homebuyers.
Here are 6 things you need to know about the Mount Pleasant site before your next BTO application.
#1 Historical Significance Of Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant was given its name by George Henry Brown, an Englishman who bought a piece of property off Thomson Road in the 1840s. The estate was used as his residence and for the plantation of fruit trees and tapioca. Soon after his passing, part of the estate was bought over by the municipal authorities for use as a Chinese cemetery, which later came to be known as the Bukit Brown Cemetery.
In 1920, the colonial government acquired the remaining land at Mount Pleasant to provide accommodation for its high-ranking colonial officers and senior police officers from the nearby Police Depot (later renamed as Police Academy). These facilities were continued to be used by the Singapore Police Force’s Training Command until December 2005, when they were relocated to the New Home Team Academy in Choa Chu Kang.
#2 Unique Architectural Identity
The 33 black-and-white bungalows that currently occupy the Mount Pleasant site were among the grandest black and white bungalows built by the colonial government. Until recently, these bungalows had been preserved and refurbished for lease to expatriates as high-end residences.
Four of these heritage buildings within the site earmarked for residential development will be preserved. These buildings include Blocks 1 and 2 – which functioned as the main administrative buildings at the original main entrance at Whitley Road and blocks 27 and 28 – which are a pair of colonial-style bungalows that were used as senior officers’ accommodation. Additionally, a part of the parade square will also be kept as an open space within the new estate.
Photo by Moo Kar Ming, DollarsAndSense
HDB also shared plans to have the neighbourhood centre be open, green and low-rise, with community spaces for residents to foster new bonds. Furthermore, the authorities will also explore the possibility of retaining physical elements of key sites of the old police academy by incorporating them into the new housing estate as street furniture or markers.
These efforts to infuse heritage buildings into the surrounding area will give Mount Pleasant a unique architectural identity that not many other public housing estates have.
#3 A Rare Opportunity To Be Surrounded By Nature
An Environmental Impact Study (EIS) by HDB, conducted in 2019, found that the area was composed mainly of abandoned-land forest and managed vegetation, including landscape and streetscape plantings, green verges and managed lawns. Development plans were adjusted so as not to affect the river streams and surrounding greenery in Bukit Brown and the adjacent Kopi Sua Cemetery. This would allow residents to enjoy nature at their doorstep.
The site’s close proximity to MacRitchie Reservoir and Botanic Gardens also gives future residents a rare opportunity to be surrounded by nature, on top ofthe prime location.
Read Also: Neighbourhood Estate Guide: Is Pasir Ris The Place For Seaside Living?
#4 Good Connectivity To and Around The Island
The Mount Pleasant site is located in the central region of Singapore bounded by Thomson Road, Pan Island Expressway (PIE), Bukit Brown Cemetery and Andrew Road.
The new estate will have two points of access via the road network. The first network is to link via the existing Onraet Road off the PIE while the other connects via Thomson Road. For motorists, it will take around 10 to 15 minutes of driving to reach either Orchard Road or Raffles Place and around 20 to 25 minutes to reach Changi Airport.
Future residents will also have access to a variety of public transportation options. There are two bus stops along the PIE serving many bus routes that go around the island from Woodlands – Marine Parade, Clementi – Sengkang, Jurong West – Eunos, Bukit Merah – Hougang. Besides the bus services, future residents will also have access to rail transportation as the Mount Pleasant MRT station, which will be part of the Thomson-East Coast Line, is expected to be operational together with the completion of the BTO projects.
#5 Conveniently Located To Amenities and Schools
The new public housing estate is close to the mature estate of Toa Payoh/Balestier, and will give the early batch of residents, ready access to essential amenities like wet markets, supermarkets and eateries. And, within the same 2km-radius, there are also other recreational amenities like the library, the Toa Payoh Sports Complex, and a Safra Clubhouse.
There are plenty of sought-after schools nearby as well. Some of these include Saint Joseph’s Institution International, CHIJ Primary and Secondary, Singapore Chinese Girls School and Catholic Junior College. This bodes well for homebuyers with school-going children.
#6 Possible Property Pricing in Mount Pleasant New Estate
The authorities have yet to release any pricing details on the future Built-To-Order (BTO) projects. As a result, we can only speculate on how future launches might be priced by comparing current price transactions in neighbouring HDB estates.
| Project / Address | Built Year | HDB Model | Last Transacted Price ($)* |
| 171 – 172 Toa Payoh Green | 1995 | 5I | 805,000 |
| 158 – 170 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh | 1974 | 3I | 340, 000 |
| 101 – 102 Jalan Dusun | 1981 | 5I | 650,000 |
| 103 – 106 Jalan Dusun | 1981 | 4NG | 495,000 |
*Data extracted from HDB based on the last transacted price in Nov 2021.
The current HDB flats near Mount Pleasant estate, are relatively old, with around 52–73 years of the lease remaining. Therefore, these prices may not be a good benchmark.
Potential buyers can also look at past BTO launches in the nearby towns and other popular BTO projects in 2021 for a price reference. We have tabled a short list of projects and their pricing details for 4-Room HDB flats.
| Project | Flat Type | Price
(Indicative, before grants) |
| Telok Blangah Beacon | 4RM | 602,000 – 710,000 |
| McNair Heights | 4RM | 532,000 – 672,000 |
| Bartley GreenRise | 4RM | 496,000 – 580,000 |
| ParkEdge @ Bidadari | 4RM | 476,000 – 576,000 |
| Alkaff Breeze | 4RM | 464,000 – 578,000 |
Source: HDB BTO launches
As the first BTOs in Mount Pleasant will only be launched in about five years’ time, these price references may be out of date by then. However, we can expect that the BTOs will receive significant BTO subsidies
Regardless, factors such as a small supply of existing HDB flats with long lease in the area, its prime location and proximity to amenities is likely to make Mount Pleasant a highly sought-after estate when future projects are released for application.
Cover image source: HDB
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