7 Surprising Hidden Residential Plots On The Master Plan You May Not Know About

Get The Property Insights Serious Buyers Read First: Join 50,000+ readers who rely on our weekly breakdowns of Singapore’s property market.

A seasoned content strategist with over 17 years in the real estate and financial journalism sectors, Ryan has built a reputation for transforming complex industry jargon into accessible knowledge. With a track record of writing and editing for leading financial platforms and publications, Ryan's expertise has been recognised across various media outlets. His role as a former content editor for 99.co and a co-host for CNA 938's Open House programme underscores his commitment to providing valuable insights into the property market.
Even in a country as strict as Singapore, it’s hard to rigidly apply urban planning. Somehow or other, buildings still end up in the wrong zones; perhaps due to timing issues (the zoning rules changed while they were still there), or due to special permissions granted for long-forgotten reasons. Whatever the case, we found some distinctly non-residential buildings sitting on definitely residential plots in the current Master Plan.
Some of these are rather obscure, so much so that residents there may not even know that these are actually residential plots. While we don’t know when these will be redeveloped, it’s still good to know to keep an eye out for!
1. Delta House


Headquarters of the world-famous (soon to be) Stacked, Delta House is a true oddity. It’s a single industrial building, smack in the middle of a residential area. For reasons we don’t know, Delta House is sitting within a residential zone; right between an HDB enclave, and two schools.
If the current prices weren’t so high for developers, we’d expect that someone saw the potential for this plot by now. It could make a great family-oriented condo, being so close to schools; and it may even appeal to investors, as it’s on the city fringe and is minutes’ drive from the hipster enclave of Tiong Bahru.
2. Lam Soon Industrial Building


Ah, the Dairy Farm neighbourhood. Even the name evokes pastoral scenes and greenery; and we don’t think any place in Singapore sounds more country-like than Hillview in Dairy Farm… but wait, is that a lone industrial building right at the foot of the greenery?
That would be Lam Soon Industrial Building, which may have one of the oddest locations for an industrial (mainly warehousing) building ever. Hillview is zoned for residential, and you can see our urban planners have taken great pains to make it a haven for nature lovers.
To its credit though, Lam Soon is a slick and contemporary-looking building; and you may not think it’s industrial at first glance. If it ever does get redeveloped, any condo here will be within walking distance of HillV2 mall; and even Hillview MRT (DTL) is just a few minutes’ walking distance.
As a reminder, a similar case has happened nearby with the previous Tan Chong Industrial Park – which is now the site of The Myst condo. It’s a site that not many knew that was always zoned as residential, going back to the 2003 Master Plan.
3. Autobacs


Park Natura condo: surrounded by greenery, with a fantastic view of Bukit Batok Nature Park. For some units, a view complemented with, uh… Autobacs industrial building. Just like Lam Soon, this industrial building is sitting at the very foot of the greenery. We don’t know why this keeps happening in Dairy Farm.
Here’s the thing though: Park Natura owners are probably lucky it’s not a condo sitting on the Autobacs plot yet. A higher-rise development, such as another condo, would be more likely to impede their view of Bukit Batok Nature Park!
In any case, the current forested area next door is a reserve site, so there could yet be bigger changes here planned in the future.
4. The Rail Mall


We don’t think anyone really minds this, as The Rail Corridor – sort of the Singaporean answer to New York City’s High Line – is a huge amenity for residents. The old train track makes for a great park; but like everything Singaporean, we don’t think it’s complete unless food and shopping are involved.
Hence The Rail Mall, which is also a vital amenity for the residential properties in Dairy Farm. It is nicely incorporated into the park/residential space though, so it doesn’t have a negative impact on the view.
More from Stacked
I’m Looking To Upgrade From An HDB To Condo For $1.5 Million. Should I Get A Freehold 3 Bedder Or Dual Key Condo?
Hi Stacked Homes
While The Rail Mall is technically on land zoned for residential, the surrounding homes would probably be disappointed if it was taken away. We’d expect it to stay there for some time still. Besides, quite a chunk of the land of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is a reserve site, so there’s still land here that could serve other purposes in the future.
5. International School Singapore (ISS) and some surrounding preschool facilities


ISS is located along Paterson Road, and is right behind Orchard MRT station. Considering luxury homes like The Marq on Paterson Hill and Grange 1866 are nearby, the value of this land plot is certainly high; and any condo built on this parcel would definitely be in the luxury category.
This is a good location for ISS, given the large number of well-heeled expats and other foreigners living in the Orchard area. It’s also a great place to go to school: who wouldn’t want their school to be in Orchard, where you can hang out along the shopping belt the moment the bell rings?
Technically though, ISS and some of the nearby preschool/childcare facilities are on residential land. We suppose it’s a fair exception, as the Orchard area tends to be quite far from other educational institutes.
6. Some government embassies




The High Commission of India and the Japanese Embassy are both in residential zones, but we’ve been told it gets much more complicated where government embassies are involved. It’s something about how the embassy grounds may count as the soil of that given country.
In any case, some of these embassies are in the ritziest part of Singapore, close to Nassim and the Orchard belt (it’s important for the respectability of their governments).
7. The Pearl’s Hill Care Home


Residential space is precious in Chinatown, as it’s heavily built up, gives over a lot to commercial, and is often expensive. One Pearl Bank, for instance, averages $2,770 psf as of 2023; and this is just a 99-year leasehold condo.
So it’s nice that facilities like care homes are still given space, despite the land value. It’s a good thing too, as the stretch from Outram to Chinatown is home to many old residences, with ageing seniors. Pearl’s Hill Care Home doesn’t just let them stay in a familiar neighbourhood, it’s also highly accessible, being within walking distance of Chinatown MRT; so it’s a poor excuse for children not to visit.
But with many Chinatown buildings ageing (even nearby People’s Park Complex is on its third en-bloc attempt), we expect the neighbourhood will see big changes in the coming decade. Even though Pearl’s Hill Care Home is technically on residential land, we hope they get to retain that location, rather than making all the residents move.
As mean as it sounds, there are investors and homeowners who will gripe to their MP – or anyone who will listen – about how eldercare facilities nearby “hurts” property values.
That said, given it has a plot ratio of 8.4, it’ll probably be hard to not look at the current low building and see that it is not utilised to its maximum.
For more interesting news and developments in the Singapore property market, follow us on Stacked. We’ll also provide you with in-depth reviews of new and resale properties alike, so you can make better home-buying decisions. If you’d like to get in touch for a more in-depth consultation, you can do so here.
Ryan J
A seasoned content strategist with over 17 years in the real estate and financial journalism sectors, Ryan has built a reputation for transforming complex industry jargon into accessible knowledge. With a track record of writing and editing for leading financial platforms and publications, Ryan's expertise has been recognised across various media outlets. His role as a former content editor for 99.co and a co-host for CNA 938's Open House programme underscores his commitment to providing valuable insights into the property market.Read next from Property Market Commentary

Property Market Commentary Which Central Singapore Condos Still Offer Long-Term Value? Here Are My Picks

Property Market Commentary I Reviewed HDB’s 2 And 3-Room Show Flats: Ideal For First-Time Buyers Or Too Small To Live In?

Property Market Commentary I Reviewed HDB’s Showroom For 4 And 5-Room Flats. Here’s What Future Homeowners Should Know

Property Market Commentary The Biggest Misconceptions About Buying Property In Singapore’s CCR In 2025
Latest Posts

Landed Home Tours Where To Find Freehold Terrace & Semi-D Landed Homes From $4.85m In The East

Singapore Property News She Lost $590,000 On A Shop Space That Didn’t Exist: The Problem With Floor Plans In Singapore

On The Market 5 Cheapest Newly MOP 5 Room HDB Flats From $700k

Pro Why Rivergate Outperformed Its District 9 Rivals—Despite Being Nearly 20 Years Old

On The Market Springleaf Vs Faber Walk: Which Future GLS Residential Site Has More Potential?

Editor's Pick Why Kingsford Hillview Peak Underperformed—Despite Its MRT Location And “Good” Entry Price

Editor's Pick Buying Property In Malaysia As A Singaporean: 6 Key Restrictions To Be Aware Of

Editor's Pick Why Punggol Northshore Could Be The Next Hotspot In The HDB Resale Market

Singapore Property News 9,800 New Homes Across 11 GLS Sites In 2H 2025: What To Know About Tanjong Rhu, Dover, And Bedok

Singapore Property News Why HDB Needs To Build More 4 Bedroom Flats

Homeowner Stories “If We Sell, We’ll Never Have A Home This Big Again”: What Singaporean Parents Do After The Kids Move Out

Property Advice How Much Is Your Home Really Worth? How Property Valuations Work in Singapore

Property Investment Insights Singapore Property Data Is Transparent: But Here’s Why It Can Still Mislead You

Editor's Pick Why Marina Bay Suites May Look Like a Poor Performer—But Its 4-Bedroom Units Tell a Different Story

On The Market 5 Cheapest Convenient 1-Bedders Near Integrated Developments From $800k

There is also an industrial building opposite Lam Soon called Kewalram Hillview. A couple of streets away there are also some industrial buildings in the street called Hillview Terrace.