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Many of Singapore’s landed homes can be found in Bukit Timah and in the East so it should be no surprise that we’re back in Joo Chiat again this week. Today, we’re headed to Joo Chiat Avenue, a street that connects Telok Kurau and Telok Kurau Park/ Siglap Canal. (It’s actually just across from Frankel Estate, which we did a tour of a few years ago, but Frankel generally has larger houses so you’ll need deeper pockets if you want a house there.)
Here’s a map of the area for your reference. As shown, Telok Kurau Park is a very sizeable green space and one of the best things about living at Joo Chiat Avenue, in my opinion. The other plus point is the lifestyle factor: you’re within walking distance of a lot of great eateries and cool places to hang out, such as George’s Katong Laksa and the Brewing Ground. (As is often the case in terrace house estates, street parking can be hard to find but the Brewing Ground has a car park at which your visitors can park- it’s a very short walk away thanks to all the alleys linking Joo Chiat Avenue and Joo Chiat Park.)
Here’s the Masterplan: you’ll probably have immediately noticed that houses zoned 1.4 are not in short supply here. Almost the entire section left of Siglap Canal is zoned 1.4 (which means that in absence of other restrictions, large enough plots can be turned into boutique low-rise condos.)
Another interesting thing you may have noticed from the Masterplan is that some of the houses on the “upper” side of Joo Chiat Avenue are very long and have frontages on both Joo Chiat Avenue and Lorong H Telok Kurau (the parallel street.) In contrast, the units on the “lower” side of Joo Chiat Avenue appear to be divided into 2 (with 1 unit having a Joo Chiat Avenue frontage and the 2nd a Joo Chiat Place frontage.)
Let’s start our tour at the junction of Telok Kurau Road and Joo Chiat Avenue.
Along Telok Kurau, you’ll find a bus stop with 3 buses serving it: 15, 150, and 155.
Looking to the right.And to the left.
Along Telok Kurau, there are a few more landed houses (4 to the left to be exact.) However, do note that Telok Kurau is a pretty busy road.
After these houses is The Brewing Ground where you’ll find a complex with a cafe, pottery studio, fitness centres, and more.Across the road is Parkway East Hospital.And a few steps down are YiLo Bar, a kopitiam, and more.
Now that we’ve seen the surroundings amenities, let’s walk down the actual street itself.
These are the houses closest to the Telok Kurau end. As you may have noticed, it’s a dotted white line so technically you can park on the street.There’s also a pre-school near this end (Little Big Pre-School.)Although it’s mainly terrace houses, there is the odd bigger unit too.Some vintage style properties.When I visited, it was possible to find street parking, but this may not be the case once everyone is back from work.You can find some colourful units here. I haven’t seen many yellow houses on these walkabouts!So far most of the houses we’ve seen are 2-storey units but you can also build higher, as shown above.And bigger ones. If I had the budget to look for a terrace unit, my preference would be for one set on a street with semi-Ds and detached units, as that makes the area less claustrophobic.Another photo to show you the difference in heights between the older and newer units.Earlier, I had mentioned how some of the units on Joo Chiat Avenue are very long and extend all the way back to the parallel road (Lorong H Telok Kurau)- this could be one of them as it only has a backdoor that opens up to Joo Chiat Avenue. (It’s hard for me to say for sure without actually entering the unit.)This photo may give you a better idea of how much higher you can go with a 1.4 plot ratio. Most of the units here are still 2 storeys though.Earlier, I had mentioned that you can find several (pedestrian) alleyways connecting Joo Chiat Avenue and its parallel street, Joo Chiat Place, which serves as shortcuts.This is 1 of them. I also like how they provide some extra buffer space between the Joo Chiat Place houses and Joo Chiat Avenue houses. (The alleys are in a “+” shape.)Looking at Joo Chiat Place from Joo Chiat Avenue. The closer we get to Telok Kurau Park, the bigger units we see. (But it’s still majority terrace units.)
(No alleys or roads linking Joo Chiat Avenue to Lorong H Telok Kurau though.)
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This single storey house was definitely one of the more memorable ones on this walkabout.This house marks the end of Joo Chiat Avenue, where it meets Telok Kurau Park.Here you’ll find a 2nd road that connects to Joo Chiat Place. On the left is the park and Siglap Canal.Taking a last look down Joo Chiat Avenue before we enter the park.The park- I love how green, peaceful, and spacious it is.There seems to be quite a good community feel too (note the community day poster above.) I also spoke to a lady who lives in one of the houses nearby and she was very happy living here- no complaints about the neighbours.Those are the Frankel houses in the distance.No lack of space for activities here.I’m not sure if this is a community garden? If so, it’s one of the neatest ones I’ve seen.
This brings us to the end of today’s tour. How did you find the area? One thing to mention: unfortunately, there have been flood warnings for Joo Chiat Avenue in the past.
Something prospective buyers may want to know more about is the transaction history (shown above)
Any other questions about the area or places you want to see covered? 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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