A historic junction

This is the junction of Upper Thomson Road, Sembawang Road, and Mandai Road - a geographical landmark that has existed for around 170 years.

The junction used to be far smaller, as the trunk roads were not as wide - they started out as single-lane dual carriageways, but were progressively widened to accommodate heavier vehicular traffic. Today, Upper Thomson Road-Sembawang Road is a three-lane dual carriageway, while this stretch of Mandai Road, a single-lane dual carriageway, meets the junction as a two-lane dual carriageway.

The junction in 1954, marked with a blue dot.

At the time, it was the heart of Nee Soon Village.

Credit: Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

The junction in the 1940s, including a sign for Nee Soon Post Office, which served the eponymous village. I wish the old, classic signs were kept!

The same location today - the attap house behind the men is gone, replaced by trees, bushes, and grass.

The junction in 1975, marked with a blue dot. More roads in the area had been built and / or named, such as Transit Road, Chong Kuo Road, and Thong Bee Road.

The junction in 1976. Nee Soon Post Office was the building on the left, along Mandai Road. The two-storey concrete building on the right was more than a century old, owned by 71-year-old Soh Chee Kim.

Credit: Singapore Press Holdings.

Mr Soh outside his dwelling. Sadly, this lovely, historic building - which had been occupied by the Japanese as an operational headquarters during World War II - was soon demolished for the widening of Sembawang Road.

Credit: Singapore Press Holdings.

The same location today. Somehow, the area doesn’t look as rural anymore. Perhaps it is because some of the greenery has been trimmed.

Nee Soon Police Station used to be at the southwest corner of the junction, but it has also been demolished, and the former site taken up by road widening and the creation of a filter lane connecting Upper Thomson Road to Mandai Road.

Fortunately, Nee Soon Post Office, just slightly to the west of the police station, has survived.

Today, the post office has been converted to Mandai Pet Sanctuary, at 5 Mandai Road.

The red tiles of urban history

Older public housing estates in Singapore have low-rise buildings dedicated to shops and other commercial spaces, separate from the taller housing blocks. Examples include Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, and Yishun, all of which were built in the 1970s and 1980s.

These low-rise buildings have red squarish tiles in front of their facades and for the five-foot-ways or pedestrian passageways. I don’t really see this type of tile in newer neighbourhoods.

When the inevitability of urban redevelopment hits these older estates, I hope at least some of the low-rise buildings - and their red tiles - are conserved for posterity.

HDB terraced houses

An oddity in Singapore’s public housing landscape.

Two-storey terraced houses with spacious living areas and mini front porches complete with gates - these sound like private landed properties, but the Housing Board block sign gives them away.

HDB terraced houses - a rarity in Singapore’s public housing - have come under the spotlight after a record sale of a 210 sq m unit in Whampoa for $1.268 million this month, the most expensive HDB resale property to change hands so far.

There are only 285 HDB terraced units, and they are located in Jalan Ma’mor, Jalan Bahagia and Jalan Tenteram in Whampoa and Stirling Road in Queenstown - both sought-after mature estates.

Credit: The Straits Times.

Like all HDB properties, these terraced units have 99-year leases. Those in Whampoa have 50 years left, while those in Queenstown have 46 years left.

However, compared with HDB flats, the lease depreciation effect on HDB terraced units may be cushioned by the limited supply in the market, said Dr Sing Tien Foo, director of the Institute of Real Estate and Urban Studies at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

“Compared with private landed housing, an HDB terraced house at $1.268 million is still an attractive deal for some buyers who can enjoy the exclusiveness of landed housing for the next 50 years, although the upside may be limited as time passes,” he said.

The median price for a private leasehold terraced house in the Whampoa area is about $2.1 million, while a freehold property is about $3 million, based on caveats lodged in the past 18 months.

One difference, though, is that HDB terrace owners do not own the land the house sits on.

Associate Professor Yu Shi Ming at NUS’ department of real estate said that in theory, “if the house collapses, the HDB lessee will have nothing left while the private 99-year lessee will still have the land for the remaining lease period”.

Nine HDB terraced units - seven in Whampoa and two in Queenstown - have changed hands this year, compared with 15 such transactions in the whole of last year...

However, not all HDB terraced houses are built equal.

The smallest units are 78 sq m, slightly bigger than a three-room Build-To-Order (BTO) flat. The largest is a 307 sq m three-room unit, close to three times the size of a five-room BTO flat.

HDB terraced houses were built in the 1950s by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), the predecessor of the HDB. Owners were issued a fresh 99-year lease when the HDB took over from SIT in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The dwindling leases on these terraced units have inevitably sparked talk about the possibility of them being picked for the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers), in which the HDB buys back old units and owners are offered a replacement unit in the vicinity.

Most of the analysts interviewed said the chances of that are not high at the moment, although some do not rule out a small possibility of it in the future...

ERA Realty head of research and consultancy Nicholas Mak said: “While the future of these HDB terraced units is uncertain, one thing is for sure: The current Government will definitely not extend the lease.”

He cited the example of the HDB terraced houses in Lorong 3 Geylang that were returned to the state last December when their 60-year leases expired.

He said: “HDB may treat these two terraced clusters as land banks for now. If they need the land, they may take it back through Sers but for now, there is enough land for new housing in Tengah and Woodlands.”

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Whampoa’s HDB terraced houses.

Credit: Google Maps.

At first glance, these terraced houses look like any other, but then one realises each unit has no private driveway for cars - all must park outside, just like in other HDB estates!

Credit: Google Maps.

Along Jalan Ma’mor, there is a small cluster of parking lots in the middle, under some trees, in the midst of terraced houses - a cross between private and public neighbourhoods.

Credit: Google Maps.

Queenstown’s HDB terraced houses.

Credit: Google Maps.

Likewise, public parking lots amidst terraced houses.

Credit: Google Maps.