HDB will launch 4,940 flats across seven projects in three mature and two non-mature estates in the upcoming August 2021 BTO sales launch. Out of the seven projects, two will be in the city-fringe estates of Queenstown and Kallang/Whampoa. For the latter project, only 310 units of 3-room and 4-room flats will be available.
Here’s 99.co’s detailed review of the August 2021 BTO at Kallang/Whampoa
Project name: To be announced
Location: Towner Road
Classification: Mature estate
Number of units: 310 (3-room and 4-room flats), 210 units of which will be in a separate rental block
Number of blocks: To be announced
HDB’s estimated completion date: To be announced
Indicative price range:
HDB will only announce the starting prices during the August 2021 BTO launch itself. In the meantime, you can refer to these estimations based on nearby resale transactions and launch prices from recent BTO launches.
| Price range | |
| 3-room | S$340,000 – S$450,000 |
| 4-room | S$510,000 – S$650,000 |
Source: SRX. These estimations take into account property age and location. If a launch is nearer to an MRT or commercial development, it’s likely to be more expensive.
Although not as hyped as the Queenstown BTO and Jurong East BTO, we think there’s going to be a lot of interest for the Kallang/Whampoa BTO as well. For instance, the previous project in the estate launched earlier this year in February drew an application rate of 7.4 for 4-room flats. So this August BTO will be the fifth launch in the area since 2019.
Let’s dive into the pros and cons of the August 2021 Kallang/Whampoa BTO project.
August 2021 Kallang/Whampoa BTO — The Pros
Accessibility
- The good thing about the Kallang/Whampoa BTO is that it will be within an eight-minute walk to Boon Keng MRT on the North East Line.
- If you want direct access to more MRT lines, Bendemeer MRT (Downtown Line) will be around a 15-minute bus ride. A little further is Lavender MRT (East West Line) that’s around 20 minutes away by bus.
- But the main appeal of this BTO is that residents can get to two other MRT lines via a quick transfer. For instance, it’s three stops to North South Line and Circle Line at Dhoby Ghaut.
- Given the variety of MRT lines to choose from, you can reach the CBD in five to six stops.
- If you’re driving, you’ll also have easy access to Central Expressway (CTE) and Pan-Island Expressway (PIE). In fact, a stretch of the CTE stretches along the north-east side of the plot.
Food and retail amenities
- There’s plenty of food and retail options available in the vicinity. For the shoppers and bargain hunters, City Square Mall and Mustafa Centre will just be one train stop away.
- Closer to home are Bendemeer Shopping Mall opposite Boon Keng MRT and Whampoa Drive Market and Food Centre six-minute walk away, where you can find daily essentials and hawker fare.
- The nearest supermarkets, Sheng Shiong at McNair Road and NTUC Fairprice at Lorong Limau, are both around a seven-minute walk.
- But if you’re craving for even more options, you can always quickly head to Dhoby Ghaut (in three stops) or Bugis (in 25 minutes by bus).
Childcare centres
- Another plus side of this August 2021 BTO is that there’s quite a number of childcare centres in the area.
- For instance, My First Skool and MY World Preschool at McNair Road are both around six minutes away by foot. A little further away is PCF Sparkletots at St George’s Lane, at around an 11-minute walk.
Healthcare facilities
- Just like the Queenstown BTO, this BTO will also be located close to a healthcare facility.
- The new Kallang Polyclinic will be opening by end-2021 and will be within an 11-minute walking distance from this August 2021 BTO.
- For more comprehensive medical care, Farrer Park Hospital and Tan Tong Seng Hospital are also within close proximity at around a nine- to 12-minute drive.
Recreational facilities
- While there aren’t major parks nearby, you can find various recreational options near this Kallang/Whampoa BTO.
- Civil Service Club @ Tessensohn, which has facilities like a rock-climbing wall, gym and bowling alley, will just be a 13-minute walk from the project.
- St Wilfred Field, Tennis and Squash Centre are 14 minutes away on foot, and Jalan Besar Stadium and Swimming Complex is 15 minutes away by bus.
Price appreciation
- Like in mature estates in general, we expect a healthy price appreciation here. Over the past five years, the average resale price of flats in Towner Road and McNair Road has increased by 14.58%.
- At the same time, this is another estate where we’ve seen several million-dollar HDB units sold. In fact, City View, a DBSS project with several million-dollar flats, is just within a nine-minute walking distance.
August 2021 Kallang/Whampoa BTO — The Cons
Oversubscription
- With only 310 units up for grabs, the Kallang/Whampoa BTO will have the lowest number of units among the projects in this August 2021 BTO launch.
- It’s hard to say if this project will be the most oversubscribed, since we also have Queenstown BTO and Jurong East BTO (both a first in nearly a decade) in this launch.
- But coupled with its popularity and city-fringe location, securing a ballot number will be tough.
Price
- As with its mature-estate status and central location, prices will be on the higher end of the spectrum.
- Prices for the McNair Heights BTO 4-room flats launched in February ranged from S$532,000 to S$672,000. So the prices for this time round will probably be around the same price range, as predicted by SRX.
- Flats here will most probably be the second most expensive, with the most expensive one being the Queenstown BTO.
Type of flats
- Similar to the Queenstown BTO and recent launches in central location, 5-room flats won’t be offered. Only 3-room and 4-room flats will be available here. So you may want to look elsewhere (or consider resale) if you’re looking for a bigger space.
Schools
- Hong Wen School (a popular school in the area), Bendemeer Primary, Bendemeer Secondary and Northlight School will all be within 1km of the BTO.
- In fact, the project will just be a stone’s throw away from Hong Wen School and Northlight School.
- St Andrew’s Village, comprising St Andrew’s Junior, Secondary and Junior College, is a little further away at around a 30-minute bus ride.
- But other than these schools, there aren’t a lot of schools nearby.
What else we noted about the August 2021 Kallang/Whampoa BTO
- The Kallang/Whampoa BTO is one of the noisier BTO sites we’ve seen so far.
- It will be right next to the CTE, so it can get really noisy, especially for those in the north-west facing stack. So avoid this stack at all cost if you’re sensitive to vehicle noise.
- This BTO plot is also sandwiched between two schools — Hong Wen School and Northlight School. So the area can get noisier in the morning before school, recess and afternoon when lessons end.
- At the same time, the best unblocked view is the south-west stack facing Northlight School, where you can also see the sports field and low-rise buildings across Balestier Road.
- Schools and HDB blocks will mostly surround the project. So unless you manage to secure a unit in the south-west facing stack, there’s a very low chance of getting an unblocked view.
- The area is also pretty old, and land plots are mostly developed. Other than the polyclinic and new BTOs, we’re not expecting new amenities here anytime soon.
Our verdict on the August 2021 Kallang/Whampoa BTO
Out of the August 2021 projects, we think the Kallang/Whampoa BTO is one of the better ones due to its location. Not only is it in the city-fringe, it’s also within walking distance to the MRT and within minutes to expressways.
It’s probably even better than the Queenstown BTO plot since residents here will be within walking distance to the MRT and enjoy easy access to five MRT lines.
The major turn-off for us is that the BTO will be right beside the CTE and sandwiched between two schools. So the area is bound to get really noisy due to road and human traffic.
August 2021 Kallang/Whampoa BTO: Should you apply?
Yes, you should apply if you’re very, very lucky. If you’re the kind that has managed to secure a seat for your child in a popular school, win a few lucky draws, or even 4D or Toto.
Like Queenstown, Kallang/Whampoa is a popular estate in the city fringe that has seen a number of million-dollar flats being sold. On top of that, only 310 units will be offered in this August BTO launch. So chances of securing a ballot number for a flat here is extremely low.
But if you’re willing to wait a little longer, there’s also another launch in Kallang/Whampoa in November 2021, which may or may not offer a higher number of units. Otherwise, there’s always resale that you can check out.
Will you apply for the August 2021 Kallang/Whampoa BTO? Let us know in the comments section below.
If you found this article helpful, check out our August 2021 BTO reviews here
- Queenstown
- Jurong East
Keep your eyes peeled for our reviews on the other August 2021 HDB BTO projects in the coming weeks.
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