In Singapore’s competitive property market, buyers often find themselves caught between their aspirations and crushing reality. Budget constraints often force…
Shangri-La Close is a tiny, tiny, TINY freehold landed estate off Ang Mo Kio Avenue 2 and Ang Mo Kio Street 11 (it is connected to both of these roads.) It lies in between 2 estates that we had previously viewed – Ellington Square and Shangri-La Walk. However, unlike the other 2 landed enclaves, it enjoys a few distinct advantages (in my opinion, at least.)
Firstly, it is connected to 2 main roads, unlike the other 2 estates which are only connected to 1 main road. Through Ang Mo Kio Street 11, Shangri-La Close has access to Buses 262 and 265. This road also provides a shortcut to Mayflower Market and Food Centre, as well as Mayflower MRT, which is on the Thomson-East Coast line (it’s about a 5-minute shorter walk from Shangri-La Close to the MRT, as compared to the neighbouring estate, Shangri-La Walk.) Crossing the other main road, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 2, you’ll reach Sembawang Hills Food Centre.
Secondly, the estate enjoys a good position, being elevated high above its surroundings.
See what I mean? I took this photo standing opposite Ellington Square, on Ang Mo Kio Street 11. The houses you see on the top of the hill here belong to Shang-ri La Close. Now Shangri-La Close slopes upwards – so the houses shown in this photo are situated at the highest point of the street. Isn’t the elevation quite impressive? In addition, the row of properties closest to Ang Mo Kio Street 11 is single-loading meaning there are no houses in front of it. Here’s a map of the area to give you a better idea of the situation of the street. Like Shangri-La Walk, there is no direct access to a playground, but crossing the street will bring you to St. Nicholas View Playground. (There is a traffic light for easy crossing.)Another advantage of Shangri-La Close is the privacy. There are only around 20 units at Shangri-La Close, about half the number of properties in Shangri-La Walk. (Ellington Square has even more buildings, as it’s mostly terrace houses there.) Fewer houses mean fewer residents and fewer cars entering in and out of the estate (which is important as there is only 1 vehicular entry and exit point into Shangri-La Close, via Ang Mo Kio Avenue 2. The connection to Ang MO Kio Street 11 is pedestrian access only.)Here’s what the houses at the end closest to the HDB estate look like.Shifting the perspective a bit so that you can better see the distance from the HDB blocks.Street parking is a bit limited as double yellow lines are drawn on part of the street. (A good thing, in my opinion, as it makes it easier to drive in/out.)This could be why some houses had their bins out to reserve parking spaces.However, due to the length of the driveway, most residents should be able to park 2 cars, if they keep the gate open. Looking down to the main road. As pictured, the street is so short, you can see all the way to the main road from the top.The previous photo didn’t give a good idea of how sloping the street is, but this one might do a better job. (Compare the difference in angle between the green fence and the house’s fence.)The houses are mostly 2 storey properties, and I don’t remember spotting any that had been rebuilt recently. (Note the sign on this gate!)Indeed, sales on this street are quite few and far between. No units were listed for sale at the time of writing, and a sale usually only occurs every few years. (The last one was in 2020 for $4.75 million.) Most of the units are around 2,000-3,000+ sq ft but there are a few larger ones at over 5,000 sq ft. (FYI the minimum plot size for a detached unit in Singapore is 4,360 sq ft so the larger unit could detach itself if it meets a few other conditions such as reaching the minimum plot width.)Here we are, looking onto Ang Mo Kio Avenue 2.Across is the playground and another landed estate.
Behind the landed houses across the road are many parks, such as Lower Pierce Reservoir Park, Windsor Nature Park, Thomson Nature Park etc, so the area is pretty green, with easy access to nature. In addition, a 20 km cycling path is also being built nearby in phases – it will turn Ang Mo Kio into Singapore’s first walking and cycling town.
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Looking to the left – if you walk this way, you’ll reach Shangri-La Walk and Bright Hill MRT. However, since it’s 25 minutes to Bright Hill MRT, I don’t think many will walk that way.Turn right and that’s the way to Mayflower MRT. But let’s save time and take the shortcut! To do so, we head back to the top of the road where we started today’s walkabout.There’s a staircase at the top of Shangri-La Close that’ll take you down to Ang Mo Kio Street 11. (Alas, there’s no ramp for wheelchair or pram access.)Stopping after walking part way down and looking back up.I like how the staircase is separated into sections, which makes it easier to climb. Almost at the bottom now, still looking back towards the houses. Don’t you find the rocks here quite scenic? At the bottom of the stairs now – that’s the bus stop on the right. Unfortunately, no sheltered walkway here. (You also walk in this direction to get to the MRT.)Looking to the left – this is the way we would have come by if we had walked out onto Ang Mo Kio Avenue 2.Looking down Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 – Shangri-La Close I on the right and Ellington Square on the left. (There aren’t any traffic lights for a while FYI which some may find makes crossing difficult.)
When we head over to the side of Ellington Square and look back, this is what we see – as shown, there’s a small plot of green land separating the single-loading row of houses on Shangri-La Close from the main road, so the first row of houses has an unblocked view from the back. (Single-loading houses are houses that do not have any properties behind them – they’re relatively rare in Singapore and the reason I prefer Shangri-La Close to Shangri-La Walk.) However, note that this green plot is marked residential on the Masterplan so it could technically be turned into more housing (but it is quite long and narrow…)
Another positive about Shangri-La Close is that despite being very close to CHIJ (only a 7-minute walk), it’s separated by Ellington Square, so there’s a buffer for any noise that may arise during school hours. However, do note that the nearby AMO Residence condo (it’s just behind Shangri-La Walk) is currently being constructed and is estimated to TOP only in 2026 so there may be some spillover noise and inconvenience from the construction.
This brings us to the end of today’s tour- of the 3 landed enclaves, which did you like best? Let me know in the comments!
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TJ's interest in property was sparked after returning from the UK- where balconies are not counted in one's square footage!- and finding that the Singapore property had totally changed in the 7 years she was away. When not reading and watching articles & videos about property, she is busy cooking and baking for friends, family & her blog Greedygirlgourmet
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