These Colonial-era Bungalows In Tanglin Will House A New Lifestyle Hub – But The Awarded Bid Price Is Shocking

Managing a large plot of land with clusters of conserved buildings is not an easy feat, and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has been very careful with how such clusters of these historic areas are utilised.

SLA is a statutory board under the Ministry of Law, and it manages over 2,600 State-owned properties, including black-and-white bungalows and heritage properties. Familiar clusters of these historic buildings that have been successfully repositioned as lifestyle, arts, or F&B zones include Dempsey Hill, Gillman Barracks, and Seletar Aerospace Park.

So it was a pleasant surprise when SLA launched a price-quality tender for 33 heritage black-and-white colonial buildings at the former Phoenix Park in September 2025.

Located at 300-320 Tanglin Road, the 610,487 sq ft site comprises low-rise homes that were originally built by the British colonial government in 1949 as homes for staff in the British Far East Command, the British High Commission.

After Singapore’s independence, the colonial buildings were occupied by the Ministry of Home Affairs from 1977 to 2001. The site was declared a historic site by the National Heritage Board in 2012.

The September 2025 tender comprises two 3-storey buildings, two 2-storey buildings, and 29 single-storey buildings. SLA estimates that the total gross floor area (GFA) is approximately 119,338 sq ft. The site also includes 150 surface car park lots and 17 motorcycle lots.

The purpose of the tender was to invite proposals that could reposition the historic site as a new lifestyle destination, just like how Gillman Barracks and Dempsey Hill have transformed into vibrant areas.

When the tender launched in September 2025, SLA said that it welcomed concepts that involved co-working and co-living spaces, as well as art galleries. If realised, these offerings would complement the site’s existing approved uses such as commercial schools, offices, serviced apartments and F&B establishments.

On April 17, SLA announced that the site would be leased to TS Home for an initial term of five years with the possibility of a final four-year term.

Based on the tender, we assume that the concept proposed by TS Home was acceptable and shortlisted with other bids, before they were compared on their bid price. But it certainly helped that TS Home also submitted the highest bid price of $404,888 per month, which works out to an annual rate of over $4.85 million.

The other bidders were:

TS Home is a unit under TS Group, a local firm known for operating dormitories and accommodation solutions. This is not the first time the company has participated in an SLA tender.

In 2024, together with The Assembly Place (TAP), it won the bid for 98 Henderson Road – the former Henderson Primary School. The former school campus has since been repositioned and launched as Commune on Henderson, an inter-generational co-living facility.

According to SLA, TS Home will be the site’s master operator and will rejuvenate the site into a multi-use compound, with plans to leverage the site’s expansive scale and greenery into the new concept.

TS Home plans to develop communal spaces, with car-lite, pet-friendly, outdoor fitness and recreation areas. These plans will also incorporate the premises’ rich heritage, while wellness, residential, co-working, F&B, and retail offerings will be integrated into the cluster.

If TS Home can successfully implement its proposed concept, the rejuvenated site will be a much needed creative and lifestyle destination, which is sorely needed to complement the existing selection of retail, cultural, and lifestyle zones in the central area.

It is also likely that TS Home will collaborate with other partners, especially if it intends to introduce co-living concepts and retail/F&B options.

Recent tenders have shown that local operators are capable of repositioning heritage properties into vibrant and meaningful destinations. A recent case is Coliwoo’s rejuvenation of the former Bukit Timah Fire Station on Upper Bukit Timah Road.

In April 2024, LHN Facilities Management, a unit of LHN Group, was awarded the site through an SLA tender at a monthly rent of $68,889. The site is now a mixed-use development with co-living spaces and community-centric offerings.

It is good to see State-owned properties being creatively positioned for the benefit of more Singaporeans and residents. So far, SLA has repositioned many schools – like the former Serangoon Garden South School – and other colonial-era properties.

With a rising interest among locals for alternative housing options, offering private operators with these facilities to run co-living is also a good move to meet the evolving housing needs and demands from younger Singaporeans and residents.