Turf City, a 176 hectare plot of land in Singapore, is surrounded by some of the most expensive residential real estate.

On the Turf City site are about 15,000 to 20.000 homes, which includes the first public housing planned in Bukit Timah for 40 years.

The new housing development will take place in phases, over a 20-30 year period. It will begin with areas located closer to transport hubs along Dunearn Road.

Formerly one of South-east Asia’s leading racecourses the 176-hectare Turf City property is situated amongst some of Singapore’s prime residential properties, facing multi-million-dollar houses along the Good Class Bungalow areas (GCBs) of Swiss Club Road or Binjai Park.

Bukit-Timah Turf City will be a diverse and accessible estate. It is the very first time that public housing has been planned for Bukit-Timah since nearly 40 years. This is in response to the increasing aspirations of Singaporeans who want to live near their workplaces.

Analysts predict that if the estate is launched soon, four-room Build To Order Flats (BTOs), which are likely to be classified as Prime Flats, will range in price from S$500,000 up to S$700,000.

The average four-room apartment in Upper Bukit Timah sold for S$800,000.

Turf City BTOs can start as low at S$800,000. The Housing and Development Board stopped building executive villas.

Turf City’s first condominiums could be priced anywhere between S$3,200-S$3,200 per sq. foot (psf) in the private housing segment.

Fourth Avenue Residences (completed in 2022) was the nearest 99-year-leasehold condo and sold for a median price S$2,679/sqft on secondary market in 2023-2024. It could take several years before the first site launches, by which time prices may have risen 10-20%.

Turf City had been a popular horse race venue between 1933-1999, but the Singapore Turf Club moved to Kranji after that to reduce the traffic congestion. Plans to close down the club to make room for housing in Kranji were announced in the year 2023. Turf Club is set to run its last race on October 20, 2024.

Turf City is located in Bukit Tiamah and has been zoned as residential land since 1998. This was done to meet the future housing demand. It was leased for a number of tenants, including childcare providers. motor vehicle dealers. food and beverage outlets. and sports facilities, until the end 2023.

The plans of Bukit Timah turf city demonstrate our planning strategy in land-scarce Singapore. We are committed to achieving our vision for the Draft Master Plan by 2025, which is to make Singapore a liveable and inclusive home for everyone.

Despite the scale of the project, we do not intend to completely intensify it. Instead, the estate will be sensitively integrated with nature and historic elements to create an environment anchored in the local history and natural spaces.

Turf City will have four distinct neighborhoods – Racecourses Communes, Stables Communes, Saddle Club Knolls & Tinggi Hills.

Each neighbourhood’s character will be reflected by the integration of existing heritage structures. Saddle Club will be defined by its undulating landscape and the surrounding forest.

Turf City’s residents can walk to the MRT station within a distance of 800m. There will be buses to increase connectivity.

URA says that there will be a comprehensive pedestrian network and cycling network to facilitate access to public transport and amenities. Parking will be reduced to allow for more space to be allocated to public amenities, greenery, and housing.

Turf City’s goal is to become a pedestrian-friendly estate, with a “10-minute neighborhood” concept, where all shops, recreation and community centers, parks and nodes of public transportation are within a 10-minute walking distance.

About one third of the land will be reserved as green space, which includes parks, open areas and natural vegetation.

URA ordered an Environmental Impact Assessment to be conducted in the area. The results revealed that 177 species of plant and 25 species of animal were found. These species included the globally-threatened Strawheaded bulbul, and the Sunda Pangalin. Most of these species can be found in Bukit Inggi and Eng Neo Avenue Forest.

To protect this natural capital, these two areas of forested land will be preserved and analyzed to see how they could be integrated into a future park network.

It is planned to retain and reuse 27 of the buildings and structures from the Turf Club. They include the North Grandstand – a Modernist structure built in 1980s which accommodated thousands of race attendees.

A large open space will be created in front the Grandstands that will be twice as large as the Padang. This will pay homage the the site’s rich sporting heritage. Bukit Timah Turf City will have an oval-shaped open space that is inspired by the racetrack geometry. It will be used primarily for sporting and recreational purposes.

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