BTO analysis: Which unit to choose for Champions Bliss and UrbanVille @ Woodlands

There were two BTOs launched in Woodlands during the August 2020 BTO sales exercise: Champions Bliss and UrbanVille @ Woodlands.

This analysis will briefly compare both sites while also looking at which are the best units to choose from either BTOs.

Site overview: Champions Bliss vs UrbanVille @ Woodlands

We visited both sites on a weekday morning, and found Champions Bliss to be a quieter part of Woodlands.

Nestled amidst other residential clusters and several schools, it’s located right beside Woodlands South MRT on the Thomson-East Coast Line. The bus stop servicing the area only has feeder services.

Along Woodlands Ave 1. A relatively quiet road, although it will likely get busier when the area becomes more developed.

Amenities-wise, it’s a 7-min walk to Vista Point, a two-storey neighbourhood centre which houses a wet market, food court and a Giant supermarket. There’s also a Fairprice supermarket at Champions Court BTO, a 5-min walk from Champions Bliss.

The upcoming Champions Green BTO, which sits right next to Champions Bliss, will also house a few retail options within the site.

The future Woodlands Integrated Healthcare Campus is located just down the road from Champions Bliss, situated behind Woodlands South MRT station.

It is slated for completion only in 2022 and will likely create a livelier area around the precinct once built.

Champions Bliss also sits relatively close to the Sembawang Air Base (the east of the site). So you might experience some aviation noise; something you need to be aware of if you choose to get a unit here.

UrbanVille @ Woodlands is a much busier area. Located next to Woodlands Regional Centre and shopping mall Causeway Point, it is adjacent to a busy traffic junction and an industrial cluster that caters to several biomedical and pharmaceutical businesses among others.

The area surrounding UrbanVille will also be a site of exciting changes in the future with a mix of commercial and residential buildings coming up. The “white development” listed on the HDB map for instance will likely be reserved for a mixed-use development.

The site that UrbanVille sits on will eventually be connected to the upcoming Woodlands North Coast area (envisioned to be a waterfront, mixed-use precinct for clean and light manufacturing companies) through a new linkway stretching across Admiralty Park.

Within UrbanVille, there will also be a 2-storey building housing several retail options, an eating house and a supermarket.

Woodlands MRT station is close by, although it will take approximately 8 to 10 mins to reach the station by foot from UrbanVille.

When the amenities come up, there might be a shorter route to the station. The station is an interchange for both the new Thomson-East Coast Line as well as the existing North-South Line.

For a shorter waiting time, Champions Bliss comes up top with an estimated completion date set for 3Q2024, compared to UrbanVille’s 2Q2026. But if amenities and extra convenience are what you’re after, then UrbanVille @ Woodlands is the obvious choice.

Unit analysis for Champions Bliss and UrbanVille @ Woodlands

Champions Bliss

West sun

In Singapore, the west sun comes from two directions: north-west and south-west, depending on the time of the year. If you want to come home to a cooler flat in the evening, these are the stacks in Champions Bliss to look out for:

562A : 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120
562B : 126, 128, 142, 144
562C : 146, 148, 150, 152, 158, 160, 162, 164, 166

Privacy

Value your privacy and don’t want to neighbours poking their heads into your flat when they walk by? Choose corner units like these:

562A : 106, 120, 122
562B : 130, 140, 142
562C : 152, 166

Other considerations:

• There are several stacks located near and facing a future bus bay towards the south of the site. You may wish to avoid stacks 100, 102, 122, and 124 as it can get quite noisy or dusty with buses moving in and out.

UrbanVille @ Woodlands

West sun

Similarly for UrbanVille @ Woodlands, if you want cooler flats away from the hot afternoon sun, look out for stacks that don’t have the main rooms facing the north-west or south-west directions:

907B : 123, 125, 127, 129, 131
907C : 147, 149, 151, 153, 155, 157, 159, 161
908A : 175, 177, 179, 181, 183, 185
908B : 199, 201
909A : 325, 327
909B : 337, 339

Privacy

If you don’t want your neighbours looking into your home while walking by, look out for these stacks:

907A : 101, 111, 115, 117
907B : 133, 137, 139
907C : 143, 145, 147, 161, 169
908A : 173, 185, 187, 193
908B : 195, 201, 203
909A : 301, 315, 321, 325
909B : 329
909C : 345, 347, 353

Other considerations:

• Note that all the blocks at UrbanVille @ Woodlands are staggered. As such, it’s best to see the 3D modelling provided by HDB to get a more accurate assessment of your unit’s condition. 
• For instance, a unit on a high floor might still get the hot afternoon sun even though it’s not north-west or south-west facing if the stack next to it is a shorter one than the stack the unit is on.
• Avoid stacks facing the roads directly to reduce the impact of traffic pollution. Our site visit found both Woodlands Ave 5 and Woodlands Ave 2 to be very busy roads, with a number of heavier vehicles passing through.
• The rest of the roads surrounding UrbanVille aren’t constructed yet so we can’t know for sure. However, judging by the future density of commercial buildings in the area, they will most likely be busy roads as well.

This article was first published in Renonation.