Amber Gardens versus Meyer Road: A District 15 Freehold Condo showdown

For more affluent property buyers who are looking to buy a freehold condo in the East, they typically come to decide between two mid-to-upscale residential areas of District 15: Amber Road and Meyer Road.

Location-wise, these two prime city fringe neighbourhoods are just right next to each other, but visit both of them and you’ll realise that they actually have very different qualities. To make things easier for homebuyers and investors, here’s our in-depth analysis of the Amber and Meyer Road residential areas in D15, and how the freehold condos there stack up against one another.

Location Brief

amber-meyer-d15-condo

The Amber and Meyer Road residential areas are located near the shore, with easy access the CBD via East Coast Parkway (ECP) and Marina Coastal Expressway. In 2023, the Thomson-East Coast MRT Line will begin serving both areas (station locations indicated in the map above), giving non-motorists an additional mode of commute to the city and the airport.

The two areas are also known for the concentration of freehold land. In the Meyer Road area, large parts of these freehold land have been reserved for landed housing. Where condos are concerned, there is a high number of low-unit developments in both areas owing to the smaller-sized land parcels, which were originally demarcated for lavish seaside landed properties in the British era. Over time, many of these land parcels were sold, and re-sold, to developers who developed high-rise condos on the land with the approval of the Singapore authority.

Today, the Amber and Meyer Road areas look like a strip of high rise condos that form a ‘wall’ between the sea and the low-density housing districts that stretch until Paya Lebar. The two areas are now one of the most prime city fringe residential locations in Singapore.

In particular, freehold condos along Amber and Meyer Road have also seen their values rise significantly. In the mid-2000s, the average per square foot (psf) price of Amber Road and Meyer Road freehold properties were on par with the Singapore average. Today, the psf price of Amber and Meyer properties have risen beyond the average — evidence that these locations are now attaining upmarket status.

Freehold condos in Meyer Road

Condos in the Meyer area that have successfully undergone collective sale in 2017 and 2018 include Katong Park Towers, Albarraca and Nanak Mansions, all smaller plots with their own unique characteristics and locational advantages. Nanak Mansions, for instance, will be redeveloped into a “Nassim Residences of the East” given “its rare location right next to a park”, says the winning developer UOL Group.

Freehold condos in Amber Road

Currently, the Amber Road area has a much higher density of development than Meyer Road, which means two extreme development types: high unit-count projects on large land parcels and high-rise condo projects on tiny land parcels.

The larger developments in Amber are popular precisely because freehold condo projects of this scale are uncommon in the city fringe. These projects include Coastline Residences, Amber Park and Amber Sea. Larger projects typically means that facilities are more comprehensive and bigger in scale, such as larger swimming pools and gyms. Maintenance fees may also be lower, because there are more owners to split the cost.

Perhaps the most anticipated new launch freehold condo in D15 is also situated in Amber Gardens. Retaining the name of Amber Park, it will be built on the site of Amber Park, which was collectively sold in October 2017 to CDL Group. Amber Park will likely be launched in 2019, and with approximately 800 units it’ll become the largest freehold development since City Square Residences was launched back in the mid-2000s.

Point	Meyer Road freehold condos	Amber Road freehold condos
1	Low traffic	High traffic, especially in peak periods
2	Quieter neighbourhood	Generally less quiet
3	Most units enjoy unblocked views	Fewer units with unblocked view
4	No primary schools within 1km radius (except Aalto)	Tanjong Katong Primary School within 1km
5	Mostly outside walking distance to Katong and Parkway Parade	Mostly within walking distance to Katong and Parkway Parade
6	More condos on underutilised land parcel (en bloc potential)	Few condos on underutilised land plots

Comparing the two locations, although Amber Road freehold condos are closer to the action at Parkway Parade and Katong, it comes at a tradeoff of greater traffic and noise levels. When Amber Park and Amber 45 are complete, we expect jams at the Amber areas during peak hours to worsen.

In contrast, the Meyer Road area is expected to remain uncongested as there are many feeder roads leading through the landed estate onto Mountbatten Road that motorists can take. There are also two entrances to the ECP that Meyer Road residents can easily access (Fort Road and Tanjong Katong Road exit), as opposed to just one for Amber Road residents (Tanjong Katong Road exit).

That said, if you value the nearness to Katong and Marine Parade, there are plenty of quiet facing units at Amber Road condos to choose from. Of course, Meyer Road condos will still give you more options should you want an unblocked view above all else.

Public Transport and Schools

And in any case, with the opening of the Thomson-East Coast MRT Line in 2023, Meyer Road residents will find themselves with a fast alternative commute to Katong and Marine Parade. Both Amber and Meyer Road residents can take the new line direct to the CBD, and we foresee that proximity to the new MRT stations could significantly improve the rentability of condo units in these two locations. (Today, residents have to rely on buses to get to the CBD, usually within half an hour.)

tanjong-katong-mrt-amber-meyer

The upcoming Tanjong Katong MRT Station serves both Amber and Meyer Road neighbourhoods.

There’s one big drawback for the freehold condos along Meyer Road, however. With the exception of Aalto, none of the condos here are within 1km from a primary school, which means residents with young children must settle for leftover places at potentially faraway schools come P1 registration. Amber Road condos, and Aalto, are within 1km of Tanjong Katong Primary School. Notably, the two easternmost blocks at The Sea View condo are also within 1km of Tao Nan School, one of the most popular primary schools in Singapore.

Although Meyer Road condos are disadvantaged when it comes to primary schools, it is nearer to two reputable secondary schools, Dunman High School and Chung Cheng High (Main). Both locations have a good selection of preschools in the area.

So which location is better: Amber or Meyer Road?

Although right next to each other, condos on Amber and Meyer Road are like chalk and cheese. Roland Goh (real name not used for anonymity), a retiree who owns an investment property each in both locations, sums it up the best:

“I’ve had tenants who lived in my Amber Road condo, then moved to my Meyer [Road] condo because they wanted a change of scenery but love the area so much. I’ve also had it the other way round, tenants at my Meyer Road condo moving over to Amber to be nearer to Katong!”

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