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Touring Robin Estate: Freehold Landed Homes In Bukit Timah (Some Can Even Be Redeveloped Into Boutique Condos)
Published 1 Oct 2023 |
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9min read
BY TJPublished 1 Oct 20230 comments | 9min read
BY 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 Greedygirlgourmet
As I was pleasantly surprised by Goldhill estate the other day, I thought I would go take a look at some of the other landed estates in the Bukit Timah area that I’d always written off before, to see if they would also turn out to be a pleasant surprise. The first estate I decided to visit was around Robin Drive.
I used to know an expatriate who lived along Robin Road, and my impression of the area was that it was a little like the first Kovan estate I had visited: well-connected but lacking conveniences and too bustling for me, as so many cars use it to cut through from Stevens Road to Bukit Timah Road. Moreover, my memory of the roads there was that they were quite narrow, making the area feel quite claustrophobic. (The expatriate has since left Robin Road for, you won’t believe it – JB, of all places, due to rent increases!)
The amenities situation has changed somewhat over the years, with the construction of the Stevens MRT station, which is literally next to the landed estate.
Very few landed houses can boast that they’re only 70m away from the MRT! (It’s an underground station too, so residents won’t be affected by noise issues from the MRT.)From within the estate, looking out to the (partially covered) walkway to the MRT.Moreover, there are not many but sufficient amenities at the nearby Alocassia Apartments: McDonald’s (one of the few with a drive-in), a tiny Cold Storage, an Italian restaurant, a gym, a Subway, Jurlique spa, and a cafe, to name a few.
The only thing I can think of that I would dearly miss would be a hawker centre! (You’re sort of in between Adam Food Centre and Newton, neither of which is close enough to walk to.)
There’s also one hour of free parking at Alocassia which is good if you have visitors, because some parts of the estate don’t have much street parking. That’s the drop-off for Alocassia.On the other side is the Cold Storage, and the drive-in for MacDonalds. You have to walk quite carefully as there isn’t a path for pedestrians.This is about the entire Cold Storage. I couldn’t find the more Asian ingredients, such as herbs (like lemongrass and chilli padi) so I’m not sure if it’s because they were out of stock, or because of the clientele they serve.
There are NTUC Finest units over at Coronation Plaza (40 minutes walk so you’ll need to drive, really) and Balmoral Plaza (about a 15-minute walk according to Google Maps.) Balmoral Plaza also has a few eateries, so I’ll leave it to you to decide whether that’s considered walking distance or not!
The walk is partially sheltered, but it’s not the nicest of walks, as it’s next to a very wide and busy road. (Bukit Timah Road.) Noise and smoke, and all that.Along the way, you’ll pass Singapore Chinese Girls School and Anglo Chinese School, two of the reasons why this Bukit Timah area is so popular with parents.There’s also a church right outside.For those who prefer the bus to MRT, 6 buses stop here.This is what Bukit Timah Road looks like, on the rare occasions that it’s empty (I.e. not school-going days.) There are several condos along the road, but since we’re looking at landed estates, not condos, I didn’t take any photos of them.
OK now that we’ve seen the outside of the estate, let’s head back inside!
Before Alocassia, we take a left turn. I like that there is this nice leafy hedge. However, you have to be a bit careful crossing the road here, as the roads aren’t perpendicular, so there’s quite a large blind spot for cars. As you can see, the road here is pretty narrow for a popular through road. There’s also a construction project right next to Alocassia. I think that was the old Lew Mansion, which en-bloc-ed in 2021?
Oh, I should also mention that Stevens MRT is a Downtown Line and Thomson-East Coast Line interchange!
Then we pass Robin Residences, which TOP-ed in 2015. It looks quite fancy so I was curious and Google it – the Google rating is 2.8!!Mostly because of unhappiness with the security guard, it seems, although there was also one unhappy tenant.Next, we reach this junction, which is when my impression of the Robin enclave starts to change. It’s pretty spacious and quiet!It’s a mix of terrace units and semi-Ds. Unfortunately, none for sale at the time of writing, so I guess residents are pretty happy living there (or still have a few years to go before they can move out of the hood, after making it into the Primary Schools.)If memory serves, the terrace houses face this larger house. (This is Robin Close FYI.)
There are only 2-3 more houses here, so Robin Close is a pretty spacious cul-de-sac.
Leave Robin Close, turn to the left, and this is what you see. Another narrow road, also called Robin Close – if you follow it all the way down, it brings you to Stevens Road and Stevens MRT.
Let’s take a walk down that way!
We pass these gigantic houses along the way (detached.)
Similar to Goldhill, I find it interesting that the less expensive units (the terrace and semi-Ds) have the “better” location: in a cul-de-sac (more private, especially given that the Robin area sees a lot of through traffic) and with wider streets. Of course, someone else may disagree and feel that these houses have the better location as they’re slightly nearer the MRT, so it’s all relative I guess! (Personally, if I had the $$$ to live here, I would prefer a property located in the cul-de-sac.)
A few steps down, we reach another cul-de-sac, and these are some of the houses we see there. Further in, behind the semi-Ds are more terrace units.And a detached house that looks to be in original condition (since it’s still a single storey.) (If you’re wondering about the house behind, with all the windows, that’s located along Stevens Drive.)Looking down the cul-de-sac. As you can see, no parking issues here, unlike some other estates which are mainly terrace units (at least at the time of visiting!)LOTS of room to build upward here!Then we reach Raffles House Pre-School.Opposite the pre-school are more terrace houses, but these look quite a bit bigger!After the pre-school, we reach another junction: there’s a short cul-de-sac (still called Robin Close) and Robin Lane (which takes you back to Bukit Timah Plaza – you’ll pass the other side of Alocassia, where Cold Storage is located.)The cul-de-sac (There’s a condo back gate (for pedestrians) at the end.) I THINK it’s for Loft@Stevens, but am not 100% sure.Some of the houses in the cul-de-sac. As you can see, it’s set up quite similarly to the previous cul-de-sac that we saw.OK now that we’ve seen it, let’s continue along the main Robin Close!Interesting house!More interesting, colourful houses. (This is where I took the previous photo, showing you the walkway to the MRT.)Here it is again, to refresh your memory. (70m to the MRT.)That’s the MRT. From afar I thought it was another house! I’m sure we all know what the MRT looks like, so I won’t show you any more photos! However, if you drive out this way, you can reach Orchard Road in about 10 minutes, depending on traffic.
To the right is Robin Walk, so let’s head out that way.
Looking down Robin Walk.You may have noticed that there are a few small condos dotted around the area. This one has 16 units, TOP-ed in 2013, none for sale at the time of writing.The houses here look a bit bigger.As you can see, there are also quite a few vintage properties in the Robin enclave. Prior to this walkabout, I had thought the entire area had been redeveloped!And that’s Bukit Timah Road again.This house REALLY likes gardening!The other side of the MRT!I’ve driven on Bukit Timah Road many times but never noticed the shophouses here! Apparently, one unit is a fencing school.They’re quite rare as they come with a space to park.
I kinda wonder how the residents of the houses towards the end get out though – do they go house by house to ask them to drive their cars out? (As there is only one way to enter/exit this little street.)
We walk past the shophouses and we’re back at Alocasia!Here’s how you drive in, if you were wondering.
We’ve now reached the end of today’s tour of the Robin area. How did you find it? Whilst it was more spacious than I had previously thought, I personally prefer residential areas with more of a village feel. The Robin enclave, like my first Kovan tour, feels more like a collection of houses with some amenities nearby, rather than a residential village. However, the area obviously remains popular with parents who want to enter their kids into ACS or SCGS (and have deep pockets!)
Do note that there is no playground within the estate. The closest green space would probably be Malcolm Park, across Bukit Timah and Dunearn Road. You can see it in the Masterplan below (it’s the green bit at the top.)
If you walk all the way along Robin Road, you’ll also eventually reach the Mercure Hotel, where you can find more eateries.
One last thing to highlight: many plots of property here have a plot ratio of 1.4, as shown above. I.e. in the absence of other restrictions, there are potential opportunities to en-bloc and develop a low-rise condo on the grounds.
So, now that you have all the info, how did you find the Robin estate? Let me know in the comments!
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
