Singapore’s East Coast Road

Singapore’s East Coast Road is renowned for being lined with large houses, condominium apartments and famous food and beverage outlets. Highly sought after in the 1970s for its suburban tranquility, this neighborhood looks set to enter a real estate boom with mounting speculation on the construction of an underground LRT (Light Rapid Transit) extension of the MRT(Mas Rapid Transit) line.

There have been no official reports to confirm the actual location of where the LRT line and its stations shall be built within this vicinity. Marine parade is the only other viable location but it stands upon reclaimed land. Regardless, developers and owners remain optimistic that East Coast Road shall be slected.

The Junction of East Coast Road and Frankel Avenue

East Coast Road lies between the Singapore Changi International Airport, the Singapore Expo and both the new and existing CBDs (Central Business Districts) with 3 convenient access routes to the ECP (East Coast Parkay) Expressway. The convenience of proximity, as well as the quality of residential properties at this location make it the ideal choice for locals and expatriates alike.

The 1920s Through to the 1950s

This was once a quiet 2-lane estate road lined with coconut trees and some of the largest colonial houses. The end of World War One saw the rise of 2 and 3 story terraced shop-houses between the 1920s and the 1950s at the Western end called Katong.

Spanning a mile from East to West, this road housed 3 cinemas and a host of of the island’s best local food outlets known as coffee shops. Before the land reclamation that saw the birth of Marine Parade and the East Coast Parkway, East Coast Road lay barely a stone’s throw away from the shoreline. Indeed, this was Singapore’s playground by the sea. In those days, the now defunct Grand Hotel with it colonial charm was Singapore’s only seaside resort hotel.

Today, the Paramount Hotel and the Grand Mecure Roxy Hotel cater to the accommodations of a growing number of business travelers who seek quick and easy transit routes.

A 2 Story renovated bungalow sits to the left of a pair of newly redeveloped 2 Story semi-detached houses. More and more bungalows are being torn down and replaced with luxurious condominium apartments, semi-detached houses and rows of terraced houses.

The 1960s Through to the 1970s

Apartment buildings started to emerge on the vacant plots of land during the late 1960s through to the 1970s. The introduction of higher property taxes also compelled some owners of large mansions to sell off their properties to private developers who then built even more apartments and smaller houses. It was during this period that a bowling alley and 2 shopping centers were built.

Singapore’s East Coast Road used to have 2 wooden ramshackle fishing villages. These were developed into brick and mortar houses and apartments. Such cultural legacies could not be conserved because of their squalid condition.

The 1980s Through to the New Millennium

This era saw large mansions being torn down and redeveloped into semi-detached and terraced houses. The demand for better housing also saw the start of en bloc sales of clusters of mansions that were then transformed into exclusive 4 and 5 story condominium apartment buildings.

The bowling alley was replaced by another condominium apartment complex, 3 more shopping centers shot up and 2 hotels chains set up shop on East Coast Road. With the exception of conserved shop-houses, real estate developers avidly seek en bloc sales of old apartments and houses from which to redevelop luxury condominium apartment complexes.

New Condominium Apartments on East Coast Road - An Increasingly Common Sight

Projected Jump in Real Estate Value

As liquidity remains a problem during this time of economic downturn, only the most stalwart and optimistic developers continue to procure and redevelop land parcels acquired from en bloc sales. There are no more vacant plots of land in this area and thus, en bloc sales are the only means available for land acquisition.

The reason for such bullish sentiment at this inopportune juncture is because of the Government’s relentlessness at pushing infrastructural projects to their scheduled completion dates; in particular, the LRT extension that is most likely to run along Singapore’s East Coast Road.