Chuan Grove GLS tender attracts interest from developers

This is the second tender for a land parcel in Chuan Grove in 2 months.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority has just closed the tender for a site at Chuan Grove. The site was launched under the H1 2025 Government Land Sales (GLS) Confirmed List. It attracted five bids.

Justin Quek, CEO of OrangeTee, said that the five bids received for this plot were within their expectations. Though the highest bid price was lower than the other Chuan Grove land parcel awarded in July 2025, it was understandable as the new site has slightly more complex building requirements than the previous plot.

“Nonetheless, participation in this land tender exercise remained healthy, and may have come from a few factors. There has been a dearth in new project launches in the Lorong Chuan area, which is one of the more attractive OCR areas bordering the city fringe,” Quek said.

“Moreover, there is also a large catchment of potential HDB upgraders from the nearby areas of Serangoon, Bishan, and Ang Mo Kio, as well as landed home downgraders in the vicinity of Serangoon Gardens and Lorong Chuan who may be looking to right-size their property,” Quek added.

Mark Yip, CEO of Huttons Asia, said that despite the number of bidders being lower than the earlier tender in the area awarded in July, these bids are a testament to developers' confidence in the demand in the Lorong Chuan area.

“Chuan Park is more than 85% sold and may be fully sold when these projects are launched for sale,” Yip said.

“There may be more demand for homes in Lorong Chuan following news of the government focusing efforts to develop Bishan into a subregional centre,” he added.

Leonard Tay, Head of Research at Knight Frank Singapore, said that the number of interested parties may have dipped as some participants in the first tender did not continue to pursue this location in the second tender.

But Tay noted that if the tender for the second Chuan Grove plot were awarded to the joint venture of Sing Holdings Residential and Sunway Developments, which was also awarded the first tender in Chuan Grove in July, they now have the opportunity to combine both sites into a substantially sized project of potentially more than 1,000 units equipped with a wide variety of communal facilities.

“This is subject to the necessary planning approvals and title/lot amalgamation approvals from the relevant authorities,” Tay said.

“The possibility of an upsized Chuan Grove project could attract potential buyers, such as retirees who wish to right-size from the landed areas in Serangoon, as well as at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1,” Tay added.

Wong Siew Ying, Head of Research and Content at PropNex, said that the five bids in the tender continue a trend of active land tender participation among developers.

“From the middle of this year, we observe that GLS land tenders have consistently garnered five bids or more with relatively firm top bid prices, reflecting optimism in the market and as developers seek to replenish their land inventory amid a pick-up in buyer sentiment,” Ying said.

PropNew noted that all five bidders for the second Chuan Grove plot have participated in the land tender for the first Chuan Grove site.

“Factors driving developers’ confidence in the Chuan Grove GLS plots stem from the attractive location attributes, being close to a number of schools, including the Australian International School across the street, and within walking distance to the Lorong Chuan MRT station on the Circle Line,” Ying said.

“The robust sales at the nearby Chuan Park have also lifted developers’ confidence in the private housing demand in that area,” Ying added. 

Tricia Song, Head of Research at CBRE Southeast Asia, noted that the lower bid price for the second Chuan Grove land parcel “could be due to its slightly irregular shape and position further from the MRT and main road.”

“Developers could have also factored in competition from the earlier Chuan Grove site,” Song added.

CBRE also noted the apparent demand for more housing in the location. Nearby launch, Chuan Park saw robust take-up over its launch weekend in November 2024.

“The site remains within walking distance to Lorong Chuan MRT and is in a tested location with attractive attributes. There could also be pent-up demand from potential downgraders at the nearby Mei Hwan and Braddell Heights landed estate and potential upgraders from Serangoon, Ang Mo Kio, and Toa Payoh HDB estates,” Song added.