46 Affordable HDB Homes To Enjoy Waterfront Views In Singapore: Here’s Where To Find Them

We’re not talking about facing the canal, or tiny streams in park connectors here. We’ve picked out HDB developments with nice coastal views, reservoir views, or something a condo would be proud to advertise. These HDB flats aren’t easy to come by; but if you’re staying for the long haul, it may be worth considering:

HDB flats with waterfront views

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1. Marine Drive Gardens

This is one of the oldest HDB projects standing, dating back to 1976. As you’d expect of a flat built on reclaimed land, it’s close to the sea; and the block looks out to East Coast Beach. Some might consider it a nicer view than just a waterfront, as it also overlooks East Coast Park – this gives you a good blend of both greenery and a sea view.

Marine Drive Gardens is also close to Parkway Parade Mall. It’s easily walkable, but we’d probably walk to the bus stop opposite Block 57, and grab one of the many buses (e.g., bus 43) that’s one stop from Parkway Parade. If you want to go on foot, you can easily cut through the HDB blocks to get through Marine Parade Central Market and Food Centre.

Proximity to Parkway Parade is a good thing right now, as Marine Parade MRT (TEL) is soon to be operational. This is right in front of the mall, and finally provides train access for Marine Parade residents here. 

Besides this, Parkway Parade is just across the road from Roxy Square and i12 Katong, which is a major recreational hub of the east. This area is dotted with family-friendly pubs, enrichment centres, and hipster restaurants. This area has also become well known for its unusually large cluster of music schools.

Parkway Centre (next to the mall) has one of the biggest collections of tuition centres and enrichment schools in any single building.

The main drawback here is lease decay. At 47 years old, younger buyers may be put off; and the area will likely be of greater interest to older couples or retirees. Marine Parade is also notorious in the industry for its low volume of transactions. Flats here change hands very rarely, and that can make prices volatile. 

2. Belvia (DBSS)

Belvia’s north-facing high-floor stacks have a panoramic view of Bedok Reservoir (although this isn’t true for every unit, so do check first.) Belvia also stands out for its age: built in 2014, it’s quite easy for Belvia to stand out from the many ageing flats in the Bedok Reservoir estate.

We’d also opine that Belvia escaped many of the complaints involving DBSS flats. Apart from some allegations by one resident over water quality (which was never proven), there were very few major concerns, whereas other projects saw unfixable issues like overly narrow corridors.

The main draw of Belvia is living close to Bedok Reservoir. If you take bus 5 from Block 745, you can be at the park entrance in just a few minutes (it’s also borderline walkable, at around 12 minutes.) Bedok Reservoir is a major recreational area, which also has watersports – so it’s a perennial favourite among families.

The HDB enclave at Bedok Reservoir is also old and well-established. Right across Bedok Reservoir Road is Reservoir Village, an HDB-run retail/food area. A Sheng Siong and an NTUC FairPrice can both be found here, just minutes away. 

The MRT connection here is good too, as Bedok North MRT station on the Downtown Line is a short walk away.

3. Punggol Bayview

Sumang Walk used to be considered a backward part of Punggol, until Piermont Grand (and EC) appeared to push the boundaries. Today there seems to be more appreciation for the area; and Punggol Bayview is in fact closer to the waterfront than Piermont Grand.

Besides the excellent view, Bayview has a lot of amenities right downstairs. Close to block 232, for example, there’s a Prime supermarket and a coffee shop (along with other amenities like a hair salon, clinics, etc.). The project is also next to the park connector, which provides easy access to cycling routes and playgrounds. We get the sense that HDB was well aware of how ulu the area was, and made a special effort to develop it in record time.

There are also small touches to this overall project that make a difference. It has, for instance, some of the best-looking drop-off and pick-up points of any HDB project, complete with shelters, site maps, and fancy bench seating. Likewise, many of the outdoor seating areas are sheltered, and positioned strategically along the park connector. 

One drawback though, is the lack of direct MRT access. It’s not so bad, in that the Sumang LRT will connect you to Punggol station (NEL, CPL) – but if you’re the sort who dislikes using LRT connections, it might annoy you. You can still walk to the MRT, which does at least give you a nice enough walk along My Waterway @ Punggol.

Waterway Point, a major retail and entertainment mall, is right next to Punggol MRT. This area provides for most of the residents’ needs.

Do note though, that the current empty area across is a reserve site – so expect there to be changes in the upcoming future here.

4. Beach Road Gardens

Although it’s close to the heart of town, Beach Road Gardens does have higher floor units that command a view of the Sungei Kallang, where it meets the Kallang Basin. The flats here are old, dating back to 1979 – but the incredible location makes that easy to overlook.

Beach Road Gardens is just across from Golden Mile (currently being redeveloped), and anyone who did their National Service in the 2010s or before has probably seen these flats (yes, these are the flats you probably saw on the way to the Beach Road Army Market.)

Even with Golden Mile currently out of the picture, this heavily urbanised area is loaded with eateries, minimarts, bakeries, etc. The eventual redevelopment of Golden Mile is likely to add further amenities, once it is complete.

Several buses here (from opposite Golden Mile Complex) can take you further into town. E.g., bus 980 from here will get you to Lavender MRT (EWL) in a matter of minutes. You could also walk to Lavender from here, but it may be a bit far for some (over 10 minutes). From there it’s just one stop to Bugis.

That said, Beach Road Gardens isn’t for everyone. Noise and crowds are inevitable when you’re this close to the city centre. You are at least, at the doorsteps of Kallang Riverside Park, which gives you some greenery and different spots to exercise.

5. Parkland Residences (DBSS)

As the name implies, Parkland Residences overlooks Punggol Park and its scenic lake. Many of the higher floor units have unimpeded views of this area, coupled with easy access via the park connectors, if they want to go in person.

This is also one of the better-designed DBSS projects, which saw fewer complaints (the only one we’ve heard is that the sheltered walkways don’t block the rain too well.) It even has features that you don’t typically see, like 3.6m high ceilings for the top floor units.

Parkland Residences has its own ground-floor amenities; there’s a coffee shop, minimart, and clinic just an elevator ride away. There’s also a childcare centre, which coupled with the nearby park, makes this a good choice for family living. If you don’t mind a bit of a walk, you can also cross Upper Serangoon Road toward Hougang Capeview, where you’ll also find an NTUC FairPrice and more eateries; this is just around 10 minutes on foot. 

All in all, it makes for quite a compact, self-contained area, where you seldom need to venture out for day-to-day amenities. That being said, Parkland Residences isn’t close to any MRT station (Hougang MRT is the nearest), so you should be ready to rely on bus connections. 

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