SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - Living near a park is a boon for the work-from-home lifestyle or hybrid work modes. Over the past year, Singaporeans have also gravitated towards green spaces for leisure. It comes as no surprise then, that 548-unit Kent Ridge Hill Residences has maintained a steady pace of sales despite the economic downturn caused by Covid-19 this year.
When Kent Ridge Hill Residences launched on Nov 10, 2018, the development sold 110 (44%) out of 250 units on the day of launch. It even moved 17 units through the “circuit breaker” period in April and May, when showflat viewings were not allowed. So far, the development has sold 410 units, or 75% of its total number of units, at prices between $1,423 psf and $2,893 psf as of Dec 17, according to URA caveats lodged.
The 99-year leasehold condominium comprises 548 units, of which 50 are strata landed properties. The units, having one- to five-bedroom layouts, are spread across 11 five-storey blocks. The project is expected to be completed in 2024 as per schedule.
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Its proximity to the CBD, Mapletree Business City and one-north, where many multinational companies are located, and the National University of Singapore (NUS) has attracted property investors, as evident from the best-selling unit sizes at the project so far. “The most popular unit types at Kent Ridge Hill Residences are the one-bedroom and two-bedroom. One-bedroom units are fully sold and two-bedroom units are nearly 90% sold,” says Eugene Lim, marketing and sales director at Oxley Holdings.
The showflat of the one-bedroom unit at Kent Ridge Hill Residences (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/The Edge Singapore)
The tenant pool is large. The development is 600m, or an eight-minute walk, to Pasir Panjang MRT Station. It is two stops, or a six-minute drive, to NUS and a five-minute drive to Grade-A offices at Mapletree Business City. The CBD is a 15-minute drive away. The project is close to one-north and Science Park One and Two, where many biotech, pharmaceutical, tech and other multinational companies are located.
The project is also near the upcoming Greater Southern Waterfront, and will be able to enjoy the future lifestyle amenities there too.
“Investors are attracted to Kent Ridge Hill Residences due its proximity to the MRT station, the CBD, Mapletree Business City, one-north, and the master plan for the Greater Southern Waterfront,” Lim adds.
Lim adds that the development is also suitable for home buyers’ own stay due to the serene surroundings and its proximity to amenities. “Homeowners do not need to travel to enjoy nature, as Kent Ridge Park is just at its doorstep and other prominent parks such as Henderson Waves and Labrador Park are just minutes away,” he says. The development is also in proximity to other green spaces such as West Coast Park and Hort Park.
There are 50 strata landed properties and 498 condominium units at Kent Ridge Hill Residences (Photo: Albert Chua/The Edge Singapore)
The appointed architect, ADDP Architects, has designed the development to sit on a sloping terrain, 10m above street level. The architecture was inspired by American master architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous saying: “No house should be ever on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together and each the happier of the other.”
There will be a gate leading from Kent Ridge Hill Residences directly to the 92ha Kent Ridge Park. “So far, buyers have loved the residents-only direct access to Kent Ridge Park from the development,” says Lim. The 320,000 sq ft site of the project is on South Buona Vista Road, where Vista Park used to be. Oxley Holdings purchased the site for $418 million ($1,096 psf per plot ratio) in a collective sale in December 2017.
The facilities within provide a “pleasant resort environment”, says Lim. Upon arrival, visitors will be greeted by a forest courtyard. The gym and tennis court are on level two near the arrival area. In the middle of the development, the central clubhouse is flanked by a 50m lap pool and a smaller family pool on the other side, and offers function rooms on levels one and two. There is also lush and extensive landscaping designed by Ecoplan Asia.
Nestled in a park, Kent Ridge Hill’s Residences elevation will provide a vantage point of the sea (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/The Edge Singapore)
In the post-Covid-19 era, where work will continue to be done both in the office as well as home, units in the project will offer flexibility for home buyers to transform spaces, says Lim, as it does not use the prefabricated prefinished volumetric construction (PPVC) method in its construction. Additionally, the units will be built to a high finish and fitted with a wide range of appliances and fixtures, ranging from Bosch to Grohe and Gaggenau.
With the Greater Southern Waterfront in the pipeline, future residents of Kent Ridge Hill Residences will find themselves within minutes’ drive to more work and leisure options down south when they move in. These include a rejuvenated Sentosa Island, new attractions at Pulau Brani, as well as the transformation of the Pasir Panjang Power District into a new waterfront destination.
The first phases of the redevelopment will happen in Pasir Panjang, where the Pasir Panjang linear park will be built to connect to Kent Ridge Park, Hort Park, and as far as West Coast Park. This will benefit the residents at Kent Ridge Hill Residences, as they will be able to link to all the other parks from Kent Ridge Park right at their doorstep.
Nestled in a park, Kent Ridge Hill’s Residences elevation will provide a vantage point of the sea, says Lim, providing a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of surrounding amenities, yet near enough to reap their benefits.
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