A Rare Cluster Of Conserved Terrace Houses Could Become New Landed Homes In One Of Singapore’s Historic Districts

The recent public tender for the sale of a cluster of conserved buildings at Chitty Road and Veerasamy Road could result in new strata landed houses or land-stay apartments in Little India. It also comes as the government explores more ways that state-owned properties could be repositioned for a variety of residential uses.

The URA tender comprises 18 Art Deco style terrace houses at Chitty Road and Veerasamy Road. Built in 1927, the two rows of two-storey pre-war conserved buildings sit on a 0.34 hectare site in the Little India Historic District.

Originally built as living quarters for government employees, the two parallel rows of terrace houses at 44 to 60 Chitty Road and 42 to 58 Veerasamy Road are linked by a back lane. Among other colonial houses in the area, this site is the only one that has been rezoned for residential use.

The tender proposes that these buildings could be repositioned as either a housing development with 18 strata landed houses, or a residential cluster of 36 units under the Serviced Apartments II (SA2) framework.

The SA2 is a pilot long-stay serviced apartment framework introduced by the government in 2023. It is intended as a form of rental accommodation, but for longer-term lodgings for a minimum of three months.

This is not the first time that the government has repositioned colonial-era or earlier State-owned properties. In March 2023, the terrace houses on Hindoo Road, which were also originally municipal quarters for labourers, were put up by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) to be used as co-living space.

Revitalising former municipal quarters for contemporary living

The conserved terrace houses were previously zoned for commercial use, but the site was rezoned for residential use in July 2024 and a tender was called to investigate the condition of the existing structures.

If the site is successfully awarded, the tenderer is expected to submit a concept proposal that blends heritage with contemporary living and adheres to URA’s conservation guidelines. 

The guidelines include having a clear plan for preservation of the buildings’ heritage value, sensitivity to the site’s of the site and thoughtfully integrated service spaces which are compatible with the overall intent of conservation. 

With long-stay serviced apartments lagging in supply despite growing demand, the sale tender presents an opportunity for developers to leverage the precinct’s vibrant cultural setting, bouyed  by a host of eateries and retail establishments, proximity to town centre and access to amenities and public transport options. 

This effort to utilise vacant State-owned properties reflects the government’s recent efforts to shape Little India into a lively mixed-use precinct, while introducing more housing options closer to the city centre.

If past tenders are an indicator, this tender could attract a good number of competitive bids. The tender for developing the Hindoo Road units into a co-living space attracted 16 bids, with a five-year tenure for the property and an option to renew for four years. 

It was eventually awarded to Eco-Energy in partnership with co-living operator Cove Living. Renamed to 1925 Quarters, it was a nod to the property’s origins as the quarters for the junior Asian staff of the municipality of Singapore. 

Close to the terrace houses on Chitty Road are the two-storey Rowell Road colonial houses comprising 18 apartment units with a gross floor area (GFA) of 18,299 sq ft. Managed by SLA, these are leased to individual tenants. It was the first shophouse-type asset class in the State Property portfolio to be launched for co-living concepts, as part of a push to ramp up housing supply in recent years.

The tender for the cluster of conserved buildings at Chitty Road and Veerasamy Road closes on July 28.