A while back, a reader asked for a tour of Corporation Walk, so off to the West I went on a weekday mid-morning. Although the area is quite far West, it's located in between Jurong Point and Jurong Gateway, so there are two large shopping malls for residents to choose from, both about 15 minutes drive away. (If you've not been to the Gateway area, it's quite comprehensive: you can find most of the shops you want there, from Sephora to Redman, NTUC, Ikea, and, of course, eateries).
PHOTO: Stackedhomes
The estate also stood out for two other reasons. I wasn't able to find a space to park in it! Luckily, it is SO close to a HDB estate — some houses literally have their back doors open into the HDB estate — that I could park there and walk over.
Difficulty finding parking space is an issue I've experienced in several 99-year landed estates, except for the lucky ones such as Eastwood and more expensive ones such as Victoria Park Villas, although this is the first one I've literally not been able to find any space at all.
The roads here actually aren't as crowded as some other 99-year estates though, and the reason I couldn't find parking is because some of them do not even allow street parking (i.e. they have continuous single white lines or double yellow lines drawn on them), not because they're filled up with cars.
Anyway, this is where I ended up parking instead. The HDB MSCP was the most empty one I've been to, so friends and family will have no issue finding parking spaces when visiting you. PHOTO: StackedhomesWalk to the right (away from the landed houses) and you find a small coffee shop. PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesThen walk back to the left to get the landed estate. PHOTO: StackedhomesYou'll pass a large playground. That's the back of the landed houses that you see behind the playground — as mentioned before, most have backdoors. When I saw this set-up, I thought that this would be a great solution for young married couples and their parents staying in the landed houses (as in if the young couples got a resale HDB here, they would be so close to their parents. Very convenient for HDB grants, visiting, babysitting, and what not.) PHOTO: StackedhomesAnother photo to better illustrate the proximity - the landed houses are on the left, and the HDB is what you see on the right. PHOTO: StackedhomesClose-up of the houses. They're not the newest, the architecture reminds me of the 90s, but they all look very well-maintained. In some estates, I do see a derelict unit or two, but there were none at this one. PHOTO: StackedhomesWalk just a few steps more and you'll reach the exit of the HDB estate. (Those are the landed houses on my right already, by the way.) PHOTO: StackedhomesAs mentioned previously, here are the backdoors of the landed houses, right into the HDB estate. PHOTO: StackedhomesWe pass a shaded pavilion. PHOTO: StackedhomesA quick look up - interesting, these seem to be the rare HDB units with the unusual circular alcoves! PHOTO: StackedhomesAcross from the HDB (landed houses to the right) is Lakeside Primary School. School was in session but I didn't hear any noise when standing in the landed estate, or even here at the HDB. (I did hear the children when walking along the main road though, towards the park connector, so it seems that the school might have been set-up in such a way to keep the noisier activities closer to the road.) PHOTO: StackedhomesTurn right and I immediately see the terrace houses. PHOTO: StackedhomesSee what I mean? The road isn't very cluttered but you can't park because you would be on a no-parking section OR you would block the gate of someone's house. PHOTO: StackedhomesOr the available space has already been reserved by dustbins. (Lots of dustbins out in this estate.) PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesHere's what the houses look like. Probably because they're already 3-stories high, I didn't see any rebuilding, so the estate has a homogenous but not totally identical look. (The corner units have a different facade, though in the same style, as the other units.) PHOTO: StackedhomesHere's a close-up of the front area, so you can see how many cars you can park. If your cars aren't large, some of the houses may be able to fit two vehicles. PHOTO: StackedhomesI must say, a quick lick of paint really elevates the look of the estate and makes it so modern! PHOTO: StackedhomesThere were also a (very) few semi-Ds in the estate. PHOTO: StackedhomesGood to see the roof has enough area for solar panels — according to a company I previously consulted, not all terrace houses have enough roof area for solar panels to make sense. PHOTO: StackedhomesDo you prefer the houses in grey, white (shown previously), or the original beige and green? PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesSome corner units even have space to put in a small pool! PHOTO: StackedhomesIf you were wondering, this is how much space there are between corner units. PHOTO: StackedhomesHaving said that, the estate doesn't exactly consist of houses in perpendicular rows. As shown above, some are arranged in slanted lines, so the houses at one end have much more space from their neighbours than the houses at the other end. PHOTO: StackedhomesThere's a sign for a Neighbourhood Park, so let's walk down this alley to explore some more. PHOTO: StackedhomesYou reach a small playground. (Don't forget there was a larger one in the HDB estate.) PHOTO: StackedhomesNot many rides but a bit of green space for the kids to run around. PHOTO: StackedhomesOr your dog! PHOTO: StackedhomesA community event being advertised. PHOTO: StackedhomesSome construction going on (though not whilst I was there) so we may see more rides soon. PHOTO: StackedhomesAgain, the houses here have back gates for direct access to this space. PHOTO: StackedhomesSome have literally turned the space into a beautiful extension of their back yard! (I'll show you some close-ups below.) PHOTO: StackedhomesThere's public shaded seating. PHOTO: StackedhomesAnd more "added" seating — not sure if this is just for one home, or all the residents, to enjoy? PHOTO: StackedhomesNot sure if you can see, but there's even a babbling brook. Very scenic! PHOTO: StackedhomesAnyway, we've seen enough of the playground so let's move on. PHOTO: StackedhomesHere's how close the HDB estate is to the houses — they're literally towering right behind one of the rows of terrace units. PHOTO: StackedhomesWe turn round the corner, and find a second way to walk or drive in and out of the estate — extremely generous given the small number of houses, in my opinion. (This one leads to Corporation Road.) PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesWhen you walk to the pavement, you'll see that the houses are slightly elevated here. PHOTO: StackedhomesThis might give you a better idea of the height difference. PHOTO: StackedhomesPass a post box along the way — handy if you still send old-fashioned letters. (I do!) PHOTO: StackedhomesWalk a few meters and you reach the park connector along Jurong River. (I'll be honest, I thought it was a big drain till I looked at Google!) The park connector is so close, you can actually see it from the post box in the previous photo. PHOTO: StackedhomesYou can enter the park connector here. PHOTO: StackedhomesHere's the map. PHOTO: StackedhomesWould be a lovely walk, if it wasn't for the horrendous weather. PHOTO: StackedhomesThere are some houses lining the park connector. Those might have their privacy and noise levels compromised by the people who use the park connector. (I walked it close to mid-day, in full sun, and there were already students talking and laughing loudly along it!) PHOTO: StackedhomesOutdoor gym here. PHOTO: StackedhomesFrom the connector, you can see into the houses' backyards. PHOTO: StackedhomesClose-up of the exercise equipment. PHOTO: StackedhomesYep, there's a sign asking people to keep their noise levels down here. PHOTO: StackedhomesAs well as another entrance into the landed enclave! PHOTO: Stackedhomes(Looking back at the river) Looks quite nice, doesn't it? PHOTO: StackedhomesThis is where you end up in the estate. PHOTO: StackedhomesI was pleasantly surprised by the murals — it adds some colour to the estate! PHOTO: StackedhomesWe'll end today's tour by heading out the way we came. PHOTO: StackedhomesAt the Primary school, don't turn into the HDB estate but continue walking to the main road and you'll reach Corporation Drive. PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesThere you'll find a Sports Hall for hire. PHOTO: StackedhomesAnd a bus stop. There's another bus stop after the park connector, also served by these three buses, and one more (178.) Alternatively, it's approximately a 12 minute walk to Lakeside MRT. PHOTO: Stackedhomes
