The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) released their Draft Master Plan 2025 last month. This is essentially the vision of how Singapore’s development is expected to look like in the next decade. One of the most notable announcements in the Draft Master Plan 2025 is the addition of at least 80,000 new public and private homes across 10 neighbourhoods within the next 10 to 15 years. We looked at five estates that we believe are going to have the most impact.
#1 Paterson
Imagine living right above Orchard MRT station. With the upcoming plans for the Paterson neighbourhood, you will soon be able to. Now that Orchard MRT station is an interchange for both the North-South Line and the Thomson-East Coast Line, it was inevitable that a new integrated development would be built over it, at the junction of Orchard Boulevard and Paterson Road.
Source: URA Draft Master Plan
The Paterson neighbourhood will include about 1,000 new private residential units. It’ll finally be time to say goodbye to the 70-year-old building at 25 Paterson Road, which served many roles, firstly as the Teacher’s Training College/Institute of Education (the precursor to the National Institute of Education, or NIE), but also the first Raffles Junior College, MRT Corporation’s headquarters, the Overseas Family School, and more.
Two other plots along Grange Road have also been updated to reflect residential zones with commercial units on the first storey. The gross plot ratio (GPR) has also increased. This means that we can expect the new development to be much taller than Paterson Suites and Paterson Residence next door.
#2 Newton Circus, Scotts Road, Monk’s Hill
When it was announced in 2023 that Anglo Chinese School (Junior) would be moving out of its location at Winstedt Road, analysts expected downward pressure on property prices in the area due to the lack of schools. Now, with the release of the URA Draft Master Plan 2025, prices in the region are probably headed up instead.
This is because the iconic Newton Food Centre will soon be joined by a new “Urban Village” landmark – a high-density mixed-use development built around the Newton MRT interchange. There will also be three new residential clusters at Newton Circus, Scotts Road, and Monk’s Hill, consisting of 5,000 private homes.
Source: URA Draft Master Plan
A unique feature of the new neighbourhood will be the transformation of Monk’s Hill Road into a linear park, flanked by several heritage buildings in the area, including the former Monk’s Hill Secondary School (known today as 10 Winstedt), the former Girl Guides’ Headquarters (currently a Kiddiwinkie Schoolhouse), former Singapore Municipal Commission (SMC) flats and Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) flats from the 1940s
The combination of heritage buildings, lush greenery and open spaces gives the Newton neighbourhood a sense of exclusive luxury. Combined with its proximity to Orchard Road and the CBD, it’s not too much to expect property prices in the area to go up.
#3 Dover-Medway
The new Dover-Medway neighbourhood will bring a fresh energy to the area, with about 6,000 public and private housing developments expected. The neighbourhood takes over the land currently used by the United World College campus, and the Singapore Institute of Technology Dover building, and the Medway Park Colonial Estate. It also finally uses the land opposite the Fairfield Methodist schools, which used to be an HDB estate until it was en bloc in 2010.
Source: URA Draft Master Plan
Not much detail has been released beyond this, but this neighbourhood’s expected popularity simply cannot be understated. As part of the Greater one-north region, the Dover-Medway neighbourhood complements the thriving knowledge hub. It is near to prominent educational institutions like the National University of Singapore, Singapore Polytechnic, as well as the Fairfield Methodist and Anglo-Chinese schools, as well as the top companies in the info-comms, technology, media and biomedicine industries.
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The neighbourhood is served by both the one-north and Dover MRT stations on the Circle Line and East-West Line respectively. It has also been announced that the upcoming Jurong Line will eventually extend to Kent Ridge MRT station on the Circle Line by the early 2040s.
#4 Defu (former Paya Lebar Air Base)
It had already been announced before the launch of the Draft Master Plan 2025 that Paya Lebar Air Base would be decommissioned from the 2030s onwards, freeing up a massive area that can be built up, now that there are no longer any height restrictions. There are lots of plans for the area, including business hubs, a commercial district and a heritage cluster.
The first of such redevelopments is Defu, currently being used as an industrial area, will become a new town with the upcoming Defu MRT station on the Cross Island Line as its hub.
The “10-minute neighbourhood”, as URA describes it, is expected to have all your work, live and play needs within a 10-minute walking radius. It will use some of the former airport buildings to form a “civic heart”, which will serve to honour the memory of the area’s aviation history.
Source: URA Draft Master Plan
#5 Kranji (former Singapore Racecourse)
Just like the Paya Lebar Air Base, the massive land area around the former Singapore Racecourse in Kranji will be redeveloped into a new housing estate. Around 14,000 new public and private homes will be built near the new Kranji Nature Corridor.
Read Also: Neighbourhood Estate Guide: Why Woodlands Can Be The Star Destination Of The North
These homes will have access to nearby parks, open community spaces, and waterways including Sungei Mandai and Sungei Pang Sua. In addition, the estate will be next to a hub for equestrian sports and community horse riding.
Source: URA Draft Master Plan
