Hong Leong Holdings, GuocoLand JV is sole bidder for Berlayar Drive condo site

[SINGAPORE] A tie-up between Hong Leong Holdings unit Intrepid Investments and GuocoLand was the sole bidder for a condo plot on the former Keppel Club site on Tuesday (Aug 4).

Its bid of S$576.78 million works out to S$1,515 per square foot per plot ratio (psf ppr) for the 99-year leasehold site in Berlayar Drive, the second plot released in the new Berlayer estate.

This marks a fresh high for a 99-year government land sale (GLS) pure private residential site in the city fringe or Rest of Central Region (RCR), exceeding the S$1,455 psf ppr fetched for a Tanjong Rhu site in February this year.

Hong Leong and GuocoLand’s bid at Tuesday’s state tender is also 14.3 per cent above the S$1,326 psf ppr land rate fetched for the maiden GLS site in Berlayar estate tendered in November last year.

The 271,931 square foot Berlayar Drive site, about 330 m from the Telok Blangah MRT station on the Circle Line, can yield about 415 private homes.

While the sole bid received is below the two to eight bids that analysts had predicted in a poll by The Business Times, the land rate of S$1,515 psf ppr is closer to the higher end of the S$1,100 psf ppr to S$1,600 psf ppr the analysts had forecast as the top bid.

Market watchers expect the Urban Redevelopment Authority to award the Berlayar Drive site.

Kingsford Group’s winning bid for the first site amounted to S$918.3 million. In that tender, a tie-up between GuocoLand and Hong Leong Holdings was the second-highest bidder, at S$1,271 psf ppr. The tender drew three bids in total.

That land parcel is on Telok Blangah Road and can yield about 745 private homes.

The latest plot tendered is within walking distance to an MRT station, one stop from VivoCity, and near the sea and greenery. However, there is a lack of schools and large-scale retail amenities in the immediate vicinity.

Moreover, the low 1.4 plot ratio (ratio of maximum gross floor area to site area) and five-storey height limit for the land parcel may have caused some developers to stay away from Tuesday’s state tender.

In contrast, the maiden plot in Berlayar estate that went to Kingsford last year is earmarked for a high-rise project. It has a 4.7 plot ratio.

Developers keen on developing private homes in the Berlayar estate may be saving dry powder for the third GLS site in the estate that will be launched in December.

It can yield 695 private homes and has a 2.1 plot ratio. The site is beside the maiden plot.

Commenting on the Berlayar Drive site, Nicholas Mak, chief research officer of Mogul.sg, said: “The lower height of the project could limit the price that the property can command. Residential units on lower floors typically command lower prices than those on higher floors.”

In a similar vein, Wong Shanting, head of research for Singapore at Newmark, said: “The low rise nature of the project on this site means it will not enjoy the stature or panoramic waterfront views typically associated with taller developments.”

PropNex head of research and content Wong Siew Ying said that the low plot ratio and height limit means the land yields relatively less saleable area.

Moreover, construction costs may be higher due to replication of lift cores, staircases, roofs and common areas across multiple blocks in the development as opposed to having one or two tall towers in the project, she added.

Newmark’s Wong highlighted that the lack of schools in the immediate vicinity of the Berlayar Drive plot may dampen the site’s appeal for younger families.

Berlayar estate – which will have about 7,000 new public housing and 3,000 private housing units – is part of the Greater Southern Waterfront stretching from Pasir Panjang to Marina East.

Knight Frank Singapore research head Leonard Tay said: “The area will likely be characterised by a lot of construction sites in the coming years as the Greater Southern Waterfront takes shape.”

But the site has many positives. “It is within walking distance from Telok Blangah MRT station on the Circle Line and yet away from the highway and road noise,” said Tricia Song, CBRE head of research for Singapore and South-east Asia.

Tay said: “Waterfront plots for residential development are rare in Singapore, and this site enjoys proximity to Berlayar Creek, Labrador Nature Reserve and the southern coastline.”

There have been no new private condo launches near the Berlayar Drive plot in the past few years.

Tay of Knight Frank said the land rate offered by the sole bidder may translate into a possible launch price starting from about S$2,900 psf and averaging around S$3,100 psf.

“Premium stacks may potentially exceed that level – depending on views, orientation and product design,” he added.

Justin Quek, deputy group CEO of Realion (OrangeTee & ETC) Group, envisaged that the private housing project on the Berlayar Drive site is likely to see strong buying interest when it enters the market.

Demand is expected to come from HDB upgraders in the nearby towns of Queenstown and Bukit Merah, where HDB resale prices for four-room and five-room flats have been robust.