Touring Mount Emily: Freehold Landed Conservation Shophouses And Terrace Homes On Top Of A Hill In District 9

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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
A month ago, I saw a notice advertising the sale of a freehold residential conservation shophouse at Niven Road. As I mentioned in my Blair Road walkabout, I’ve always loved heritage homes, so I thought I’d check out the area and see if it was worth a feature. (If it was just shophouses, it may be too similar to Blair Road to write about, so I wanted to see if it offered another unique angle.)
When exploring the area, I was delighted to find more residential houses, including terrace units (i.e. more affordable), virtually at the top of Mount Emily (which is pretty much next to Niven Road.) In Singapore, you usually have to have an obscene budget to enjoy such scenic surroundings – or they come with a catch such as being located under a very busy and noisy flyover (as with these Macritchie houses). So I was extremely surprised to see that there were terrace houses on Mount Emily (along Upper Wilkie Road) and thought it would make for an interesting tour! (Most of the old houses there have since been converted into boutique condos but as the terraces are located right at the corner, they don’t feel too hemmed in by the condos.)

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by TJIf you’re having a hard time picturing the houses, follow me as I tour the area now!

You’re actually in between a few MRT stations, Dhoby Ghaut Interchange (where you can find the Circle, North East and North South Lines), Little India (Downtown North East Lines), Bras Brasah (Circle Line), Rochor and Bencoolen (Downtown Lines.) They’re all about 6-15 minutes walk away, so you can see how well-connected the area is!

Moreover, as shown in the URA Master Plan above, the houses are also a stone’s throw from St. Margaret’s Primary (honestly, a bit too close, in my opinion.) Some are also within 1 km of ACS Junior and Farrer Park Primary School.
For those with older kids, you’re also very close to SOTA, SMU and La Salle.
Something else worth pointing out is how the houses have plot ratios of 2.1 so, as many of their neighbours have done, they can be re-developed into boutique condos (in the absence of further restrictions.) Do note that they most likely won’t be able to take full advantage of the 2.1 plot ratio (usually able to build up to 24 stories), at least for the near future, as they’re very close to the Istana.
Another thing that I had not noticed till I checked out the Master Plan is the reserve sites (the yellow plots) next to Mount Emily. It’ll be interesting to see what they’re used for in the future, and what upgrades they bring to the area.
Now that we’ve gotten the basics out of the way, let’s get started with the tour!










I actually saw several co-living residences in this area, so I guess I’m not the only one who finds this area a good location to stay in. (If not, there wouldn’t be enough demand to support all the co-living residences, which I’ll show photos of later. If you’re curious about co-living in Singapore, you can check out my unsponsored review, though note that I stayed in Chinatown and not here.)







Some conservation areas don’t allow you to make many modifications, but from what I’ve seen done to Niven Road Studio, they don’t appear as strict here. (Basically, they built a glass extension at the rear, which you can see if you click on the link.)

































These are the terrace houses I had mentioned at the start of the article. They’re directly opposite St. Margaret’s and next to the Gurdwara so I’m not sure how peaceful they are. (It was quiet when I was there but the temple and school were both not in session.)

At the end of the short row of houses is a staircase and an open space.







Answer: $60,000 at the time of writing…… It does have a pool if that makes the price more palatable.

















That’s the end of today’s walkabout! How did you find the area? In my opinion, this is the best it can get in terms of convenience and access to shops, restaurants and amenities. Personally, I would love to live in the area!
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Before I go, I better mention the Peace Centre/ Peace Mansion en-bloc (which succeeded after its 5th try!) The 76,617 sq ft site is zoned for commercial use so it’ll be interesting to see what upgrades it brings to the area!
See you again next week!
TJ
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 GreedygirlgourmetRead next from Landed Home Tours

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