In Singapore’s competitive property market, buyers often find themselves caught between their aspirations and crushing reality. Budget constraints often force…
A few weeks back, we visited (part of) Watten estate. Unfortunately for those whose pockets aren’t so deep, we only saw one street with terrace units when walking around. Luckily, the landed enclave “next door”, located along Shelford Road, is mostly terrace houses (and boutique condos) but shares access to many of the same amenities as the Watten enclave: it’s within walking distance of Tan Kah Kee MRT and many famous schools.
Here’s a map of the area to give you a better idea. As shown above, you can walk from Watten to Shelford via the main Road (Dunearn Road) or Watten Rise, where the Shelford Road playground is located. (Shelford Road forms a loop between Watten Estate Road and Adam Road but we will only be visiting the part of Shelford Road directly next to Watten Estate Road, as that is where most of the landed houses are located.)
This is quite fortunate for the landed houses, as Adam Road is quite a busy and noisy road (and the boutique apartments and church buffer out the road noise.)
Here’s how you walk over from Watten Estate Road.As I had mentioned in my piece on Watten, I found that the cars in the area drove surprisingly quickly, given that this was a residential estate. I guess I’m not the only one who feels that way, since I saw “Slow down” signs along my walkabout.Can you see the crane to the left of the photo? Watten House, which will TOP in 2027, is located at the top of Shelford Road (i.e. there was some major construction work when I visited the area.) Still walking along Watten Rise (another street on the estate with terrace houses.)On the left of Watten Rise is Shelford Road Playground. It’s located on slightly higher ground so you need to walk up some steps to get to it, which makes it a little hard to access if you have a stroller with you.As you may have noticed, the park is quite small – I’m standing at the top of the stairs and I can see the opposite boundary right in front of me. In addition, due to construction, it’s not a very nice place to play at the moment.Here’s the junction of Watten Rise and Shelford. To our left is Watten House and the boutique condos, so we’ll turn right instead.Despite being nice and spacious, Shelford Road is not as busy as Watten Estate Road (probably because there are fewer streets that Shelford Road leads to.) I was surprised to see that there were no street markings forbidding parking along (this part of) Shelford Road and even more surprised to see that there were no cars taking advantage of the street parking. (Which makes the road a very comfortable one to drive along.)Shelford Road also has a few cul-de-sacs branching off the main road. The ones on the opposite side (i.e. further from Watten Estate) slope upwards.Here are some of the units you can find along one of the cul-de-sacs. As shown, there is room to build upwards here.The cul-de-sacs also tend to be a bit more cluttered than the main Shelford Road, as people do park along them.Heading back out to the main Shelford Road.Some tall houses.I think this photo is a better illustration of exactly how tall – it looks almost twice the height of its neighbour. (Peeking behind, you can also see one of the Shelford Road condos located on the other side of the street.)Here’s a closer look at the boutique condo – it’s the one with the light purple roof. I’m showing this photo to draw attention to its location on higher ground. Unfortunately, the stretch of Shelford Road that we’re on is located in somewhat of a valley. (However, it’s not on the Jan 2024 list of flood-prone areas by the PUB.)There’s also a preschool, literally named Pre-School-By-the-Park, here.Opposite the preschool, we find another cul-de-sac.Something very interesting about this cul-de-sac is that it’s a very short street but with a roundabout located at the end!Walking out to the main road again.Next to the preschool is the entrance to one of the boutique condos, Shelford Regency. If I recall correctly, it’s the only boutique condo exit/entrance along this part of Shelford Road. Oh, in case you were wondering, the Master Plan has the boutique condo plots zoned as 1.4 so, for now, there isn’t a threat of a skyscraper being constructed next door, if you decide to move to this estate.Continuing down Shelford Road.Can you see how the driveways to these houses incline a bit upwards?This photo may make why I feel Shelford Road is located in a bit of a valley more obvious.Another cul-de-sac. Passed a unit for sale.I think this is the car park for Poh Ming Tse Temple, which is located along Dunearn Road, at the mouth of Shelford Road. (Shelford Road has both churches and a temple within walking distance.)We’re now at the junction of Shelford Road and Dunearn Road. Dunearn Road is a very, very busy road.
The entrance to Shelford Road is quite close to the turn onto Adam Road – I’ve passed this road during peak hour many times over the years, and there’s often a bit of congestion here, which could make turning into Shelford Road a bit more of a hassle. Thankfully, residents can enter via Watten Estate Road instead and drive over to Shelford via Watten Rise.
The answer seems obvious right? But not quite. Speed does count to some extent: condo developers work within tight time…
Ryan J. Ong ·
24 Nov 2024 ·
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To the right is Tan Kah Kee MRT. As per the sign, it’s 210 m away, so not very far at all.
Here’s what you see to the left. Adam Road Hawker Centre is just a stone’s throw away. (About 15 minutes walk.) It’s approximately a 12 minute walk to Greenwood Fish Market and 8 minutes to Coronation Plaza (though you’ll need to cross Bukit Timah and Dunearn Road to get to Coronation.) Near or at Coronation Plaza, you can find an NTUC, some good Poh Piah (Cozy Corner), some speciality delis (a German marketplace), Nam Kee Pau, and a few other eateries. There are also several tuition centres, a tailor, a hair salon, a gym, a KFC, and even a burger truck!
The schools in the vicinity need no introduction: Nanyang Girls High, Hwa Chong Institution, National Junior College, and Raffles Girls Primary are all within walking distance. It’s also a short bus ride straight down Dunearn Road/Bukit Timah Road to Methodist Girls School, SCGS, and ACS.
Quite a good assortment of amenities, in my opinion. What do you think? 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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