Guide to Tengah
While searching for a potential new home, there are two key areas that we often look at – your comfort and potential capital appreciation. This is never an easy feat and even achieving just one of them might prove to be a challenge! Now imagine trying to achieve it on a land that’s currently empty, that’s Tengah! Upon extensive research, I’m a believer in Tengah’s potential and this article is for you if you need a comprehensive guide. Being someone that stays in the west, you can take my word for it!
What is Tengah?
Tengah is the nation’s new town over the next two decades and it is the encapsulation of Singapore’s vision to be a smart nation. Dubbed as the country’s very first Forest Town, the city is equipped with smart and sustainable technology. You can think of it as somewhat a futuristic yet environmentally friendly town with minimal carbon emission. Roads are mainly kept beneath the town center, freeing up space for walking, cycling, and recreational activities.
To achieve everything it sets out for, planning of the town is assisted by computer simulations to provide the best living environment for future homeowners.
Where is Tengah located?
Nestled on a land over 700ha, Tengah occupies a space that is roughly the size of Bishan. It is expected to house 42,000 new homes spread across five residential districts – Bukit Batok, Choa Chu Kang, Jurong West, Jurong East, and Western Catchment.
Each district comes with a unique flavor and theme, providing the town with a multi-faceted identity.
a) Plantation District
First out of the five districts to be built by HDB, Plantation District is located between Jurong East and Bukit Batok. Home to 10,000 units, it offers community farming with spaces dedicated to community gardening and urban farming. Such facilities run through the neighborhood, opening up opportunities to “Farm to Table” dining.
“Plantation Grove” was the very first project launched in November 2018 and there are four BTO projects here to date. With expected completion between end-2022 to 2023, you can expect a Community Club, Neighborhood Centre, and a shopping street much earlier compared to others!
Tip: Do note that the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) separates the Plantation District and Jurong East. This may result in a higher noise level and lower property value.
b) Garden District
Expecting to house 6,500 units, the Garden District is the second out of five launched by HDB. The district is bounded by the Jurong Innovation District (JID), Tengah Pond, and the town’s Central Park. It seeks to offer a unique amalgamation of urban living with a garden-themed farmway.
“Garden Vale” was the very first project launched in May 2019 and there are four projects offered here to date! The expected completion of these projects is similar to the ones released in Plantation District and similar amenities can be expected.
Tip: JID is an advanced manufacturing hub expecting to complete its first phase of construction at end of 2022. Home to the likes of Hyundai, Bosch, and A*STAR, approximately 95,000 jobs will be created. It provides a sustainable demand for houses in that area which increases both the property and rental value!
c) Park District
Third of the five districts launched by HDB, Park District will be both the heart and hub of Tengah. Home to 7,200 units, it offers residence with lush landscaping and they can enjoy the town’s central park at their doorstep. Furthermore, the district offers amenities such as commercial and retail spaces, eateries, and a sports center.
“Parc Residences” was the very first project launched in August 2020 and there are only two projects offered to date. As these projects are expected to complete in 2025, the amenities might not be ready compared to the Plantation or Garden District!
Tip: You might want to try for a unit near Central Park but not directly located next to it. Central Park is poised to be the hub of Tengah with a bus interchange that might generate a higher noise level.
d) Brickland District
This district is reminiscent of Tengah’s industrial past in producing bricks. Located next to Choa Chu Kang, you can expect houses here to be clad in bricks to provide a unique touch to the estate!
To date, there are no projects or information released in this district.
e) Foresthill District
The Foresthill District seeks to bring nature right to your doorstep, allowing residents to indulge in the concept of “living amidst nature”. It is located near the town center and Jurong Industrial District which is a plus to the estate.
To date, there are no projects or information released in this district.
Three factors that sold me to Tengah
At this point, you might think that all BTO projects these days come with a unique project name and identity. What’s so special about Tengah that others don’t have? Let me share with you 3 pointers that sold me to the idea of Tengah!
1. Smart and Futuristic City
Like many other countries, Singapore is moving towards a smart nation that places a higher reliance on technology. One example of this move would be the adoption of Electric Vehicles. In the past, many were skeptical about any potential mass adoption of EVs but the outlook has drastically changed since then. The global push for EVs resulted in an acceleration of Singapore’s plan to encourage its adoption. It was announced that by 2025, the country will start to phase out diesel cars and cabs. Furthermore, you can also expect petrol cars to be slowly converted into electric ones.
If we were to look at the current infrastructure in terms of car park’s, most lots are closely packed adjacent to each other and it’ll be a challenge to have these charging stations ready. Out of 1,200 HDB car parks studied by LTA, only 33% of them can support overnight EV charging while 77% require infrastructural upgrades. The lack of charging stations is something that you’ll never have to worry about as Tengah will be at the forefront of the technological push!
Not impressed by the support of EVs? What if I told you that residents can potentially save on their utility bills in Tengah? To plan for the design of the town, both computer simulations and data analytics were used to optimize wind flow, minimize heat and derive cost-effective solutions! Apart from using a centralized cooling system, the provision of smart switched socks and a distribution board allows residents to track their monthly household consumption and usage through their mobile!
2. Location and Accessibility
Before studying the location of Tengah and accessibility to other towns, the convenience within the area is second to none. As seen in the picture below, walkways and designated cycling paths are provided all around Tengah. Just imagine navigating around the town while enjoying the lush sceneries!
If you do not feel like walking on that day, the town got you covered with the Jurong Regional Line! Most residents will live within walking distance to an MRT station which is another added advantage to residents. This connects residents in Tengah to major developments such as the Jurong Lake District and Jurong Innovation District. Regarding the image below, living in Tengah will put you less than 5 stops away from Jurong East and Boon Lay! There is tremendous potential here was Jurong East is planned to be the next CBD of Singapore.
3. Possible Capital Appreciation
Moving on to the last selling point, I believe that there is tremendous potential for properties in Tengah. Apart from everything mentioned above, we can make a quick reference to Punggol which was in a similar situation to Tengah just a few years ago!
First movers into the area were able to enjoy high capital appreciation as the amenities develop over the years. Research by Huttons found out that properties in Punggol 181.5% increase in value! The concept of a smart futuristic town coupled with the development of Jurong will put Tengah in a similar spot in terms of capital appreciation once everything is up and running.
Past Tengah Projects to date
The above table shows all past 10 projects that were previously released by HDB. To provide you with some visualization of the units, I’ve extracted the URA master plan shown below.
These are the legend to help you understand the map better:
- Red stripes are projects in the Plantation District
- Pink stripes are projects in the Garden District
- Green stripes are projects in the Park District
- Blue boxes are a mix of commercial and residential units
- Beige boxes are pure residential units
Upcoming May 2021 Tengah BTO flats
For the upcoming 2021 BTO in Tengah, you can expect 780 units of 2, 4, and 5 room flats. It sits right between Hong Kah and Tengah Plantation station which puts you four stops away from Boon Lay and Jurong East!
As prices are yet to be realized for the upcoming launch in Tengah, these are the expected prices with reference to November’s launch:
To understand more about the development around the land, the below is an extraction from the URA Masterplan.
From the masterplan, these are the pointers to look out for in the upcoming launch:
- You can expect a health and medical care facility in front of the project shown by the red rhombus. If you are superstitious, you might want to avoid units facing it as it may also affect the future value of your house. However, if it doesn’t affect you, facing the healthcare institution would guarantee you a higher chance of an unblocked view
- The unit will also be surrounded by train tracks and it is confirmed by the HDB that the JRL line will run overground. This means that units may be affected by the noise from the tracks! Although noise barriers will be built, it is unknown if the noise level will still be prominent.
- Educational institutions are labeled with an “E” and you can expect some units right above the school. Noise levels around these units might be high and undesirable for future residents.
Conclusion
Tengah is one of the up-and-coming projects in Singapore but it’ll take time for everything to materialize. Like many other projects, capital appreciation is never guaranteed but Tengah is one place to keep a watch out for if you don’t mind waiting for the estate to grow!
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