Some 6,000 BTO flats planned for upcoming Mount Pleasant estate
This is 20% higher than the previously announced 5,000 units, with the first of four Build-To-Order projects launching in October
[SINGAPORE] The new Mount Pleasant housing estate, coming up on the Old Police Academy site along Thomson Road, will have 6,000 homes across four Build-To-Order (BTO) projects, 20 per cent more than the previously announced 5,000 flats.
The first of the four projects on the 33-hectare site – roughly a third the size of Bidadari – will be launched at the next BTO sales exercise in October. It will yield about 1,350 units of two- to four-room flats, as well as 270 public rental flats.
The larger supply will help to meet strong housing demand and offer locals more housing options, said the Housing & Development Board (HDB) in a press release on Tuesday (Sep 2).
“(It is also) part of a broader strategy to enhance the geographical distribution of public housing and cater to the evolving aspirations and diverse needs of Singaporeans,” it added.
The Mount Pleasant area, bounded by Thomson Road and the Pan Island Expressway, lies in the prime Core Central Region of Singapore.
Surrounded by private condominiums and landed housing in the Thomson and Whitley Road areas, it is also close to established housing estates in Toa Payoh and Balestier. Nearby are the MacRitchie Reservoir and the Singapore Polo Club.
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The new BTO projects will “better support young families who wish to live near their parents for mutual care and support”, said Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat.
Pleasant opportunity
Observers said upcoming BTOs in the area may fall under the Plus or Prime categories for new flats, given its central location and accessibility. This means buyers will be subject to a 10-year minimum occupation period, as opposed to the standard five years, as well as tighter restrictions on resale and rental.
Prices are estimated to start from S$450,000 and go up to S$700,000 for flats on the top floors facing the city.
In comparison, data from Realion Group showed that previous BTO launches in the nearby Toa Payoh and Bidadari areas were priced from around S$289,000 to S$446,000 for three-room flats, and S$395,000 to S$666,000 for four-room units.
ERA key executive Eugene Lim noted that as at May 2025, there were just 2,727 three-room and larger HDB flats that were under 15 years old in Toa Payoh Town. “Their scarcity has caused property prices to grow at an extremely fast pace in the area.”
In the second quarter, three-room HDB resale flats recorded a median price of S$410,000. Four-room flats posted a median of just over S$1 million, while the median for five-room flats came in at S$985,000.
Mogul.sg chief research officer Nicholas Mak also noted that the median prices of newer three-room resale HDB flats in Toa Payoh ranged from S$748,000 to S$813,000 in the year thus far.
Unit prices were around S$1,000 per square foot (psf). For newer four-room resale HDB flats, the price tags were between S$988,000 and S$1.1 million, with unit prices ranging from S$987 to S$1,134 psf.
Toa Payoh has the highest concentration of million-dollar flats as well, with 210 of such transactions recorded in the year to date, said Mak.
In the private market, caveats data showed that the median price of non-landed resale homes in Toa Payoh was S$1.6 million in the year thus far. This was S$1.7 million for sub-sales and S$2.1 million for new sales.
On a psf basis, the median price for such resale transactions was S$1,912. For sub-sales, it was S$2,440 psf, and S$2,723 psf for new sales.
Most recently, in late August, a 753-square-foot unit at the 99-year leasehold The Tre Ver condominium changed hands for S$1.5 million, or S$1,991 psf.
The BTO launch in October is expected to benefit from the area’s strong resale market performance, said Lim.
The Mount Pleasant project will be the second to offer “white flats” without partitions and beams. Chee said this will give homeowners the option of an open-concept layout to design and personalise based on their needs and preferences.
The first BTO project to offer such flats was Crawford Heights in Kallang last October. About four in 10 flat buyers opted for the white flat layout then.
Prices of white flats will be lower by S$6,000 for three-room units, and S$8,600 less for four-room units.
Historical significance
A detailed heritage study was conducted, given the site’s historical significance as Singapore’s first police academy, HDB said. An environmental impact assessment was organised as well, to assess the ecological value of the area.
Six buildings in the estate have been identified as “significant representations of police heritage” and conserved. Four blocks will be repurposed for alternative uses, such as a neighbourhood police station and Singapore Police Force heritage gallery.
One will serve as the senior police officers’ mess room, and the other will be integrated into future development, said HDB.
Part of the former Old Police Academy will also be retained as a public space for community use.
The Mount Pleasant housing estate will be car-lite, with dedicated bus lanes, wider footpaths and cycling paths for better connectivity. The nearby Mount Pleasant MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast Line will open in tandem with the completion of the area’s BTO projects.
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