http://www.straitstimes.com/archive/...-belt-20140412
HOT SPOT
Bukit Timah a hit with its primary school belt
Homes there in spotlight with Pri 1 registration
Published on Apr 12, 2014
By Melissa Tan
A HOME around Bukit Timah can run into the millions but that's a small price to pay for some parents if it means getting their kids into one of the area's popular primary schools.
With this year's Primary 1 registration exercise just around the corner, homes in parts of District 10 and 11 are back in the limelight.
"Bukit Timah has all the while been a hot spot not only for the rich and upper-middle class - the presence of schools there has also created demand," says PropNex chief executive Mohamed Ismail.
"Many parents will have considered buying a property there and most parents normally plan one to two years ahead."
Popular schools in the area include Nanyang Primary, Anglo-Chinese (Primary), Singapore Chinese Girls' (SCGS), Methodist Girls' (MGS) and Raffles Girls' Primary (RGPS).
These schools are along a belt that stretches from Chancery Lane to Bukit Timah Plaza and passes through three postal districts - 10, 11 and 21 - with varying prices and rentals, notes Chesterton Singapore research head Elaine Chow.
Coronation Road and Farrer Road
THOSE who want to live within one kilometre of Nanyang Primary or Raffles Girls' Primary can look at the area around Coronation Road and Farrer Road.
Nanyang Primary is at a temporary location at Toh Tuck Road but is expected to move back to its King's Road campus in December.
The RGPS campus in Hillcrest Road is also undergoing upgrading but the school is expected to move back there around December next year or after.
Condo prices in this area typically average $1,700 per sq ft (psf) to $1,800 psf, Ms Chow said.
However, they could go higher at some new projects coming up in the area such as The Siena and Cluny Park Residences.
The most recent transaction at the 54-unit The Siena was of a 753 sq ft apartment at $2,332 psf in February, according to caveats lodged with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).
The 52-unit Cluny Park Residences across the road moved a 1,959 sq ft unit at $2,704 psf in November last year, according to caveats.
Newton
SOME projects in the Newton area, close to SCGS, ACS Primary and ACS Junior, can be slightly more expensive as it is closer to the Orchard Road shopping district.
The most recent sale at the 92-unit Robin Suites, which is expected to be completed in 2016, was at $2,519 psf in February for a 441 sq ft apartment.
At the recently completed 150-unit The Glyndebourne, two units of 2,669 sq ft and 2,756 sq ft were sold at around $1,800 psf last month.
King Albert Park
THE King Albert Park area will likely appeal to parents keen to live near MGS.
The 142-unit KAP Residences, to be built on the site of the former King Albert Park McDonald's, launched in May last year and sold at a median $1,839 psf that month, URA figures show.
Ms Chow said prices in this area tend to be lower than those in Coronation Road and Newton and some bargains can be found at older apartments.
For instance, the 269-unit Sherwood Tower, completed in 1980, saw a 1,539 sq ft unit resold for $864 psf last month.
[email protected]
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by reporter2
