Touring Windsor Park Estate: Freehold landed living close to crazy rich Asians, nature and amenities, Money News

PUBLISHED ONAugust 15, 2022 7:20 AMByTJ

Windsor Park Estate made the news in 2020 when 2 Good Class Bungalows (GCB) in the estate were sold for over $20 million during the circuit breaker. In fact, one sold for $21.68 million for a house without the buyer even viewing it!

Here’s what is perhaps more interesting to most people: Did you know that there are also terrace houses in the same estate? I only found out through a reader who asked for a tour of Windsor Park Estate (I had not known before I visited).

Look at this lovely driveway, which helps to ensure the house has ample privacy.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

I was quite charmed by Windsor Park, as it is a lovely estate that is not too crowded (fewer parking issues thanks to the GCBs), close to nature, and has many amenities close by. If you’re wondering about the connection between GCBs and parking: GCBs = land large enough to park inside your house = space along the roads for other people to park! (How the GCB residents feel about your parking outside their house, I’m not sure, but there were no white lines drawn on the road.)

Right behind this house, which I presume to be a GCB, is Windsor Nature Park.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

A map of Windsor Park. Despite being so near to the Park, I didn’t see any monkeys or boars when I toured the area (on more than one occasion I might add.) I’m sure the occasional visit from wildlife is all part and parcel of being so close to nature, but it’s good to see the monkeys aren’t throwing frequent parties, unlike at Island Country Villas.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

A major construction project at one of the GCB sites – perhaps one of the houses that sold during the Circuit Breaker?
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

Very interesting architecture, it looks nothing like what most typical houses are in Singapore!
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

And a house that looks like it could be one of those houses you see in LA.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

There are many more gorgeous houses here, but I figure most people prefer to see a tour of the part that they can actually afford, so I’ll have to stop the house porn here. (If you would like a tour of a GCB estate, do let me know in the comments!)

Standing at the very end of the estate (so surrounded by GCBs) and looking back in the direction of the main road (Upper Thomson Road.)
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

The area is a series of small “hills” so some houses are on elevated land and others are in “valleys”. There’s a staircase down to the greenery here.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

This is where it leads.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

And this is what it is – a detention basin.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

On the note of water basins: I didn’t read any reports about flooding in the estate, although some parts of Windsor Nature Park have apparently previously flooded.

Upper Thomson Road has also flooded more than once (2014, 2016, 2017, etc), but I’m not sure whether the floods will still be an issue now that the MRT has finished construction. (For your knowledge, the construction company, Sato Kogyo, carried out “unauthorised works that affected the public drainage there.”)

Look at how green and spacious the estate is. The greenery makes the area feel very private. Can you see the house peeking through the shrubs?
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

Looking back down at the part of the estate in which people can actually afford to stay.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

You can see that, even here, the roads are broad and fairly empty. This was early morning during the weekend, FYI, so most residents would still be at home sleeping. (As opposed to a weekday when everyone, and their cars, would be at work.)
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

A photo of the right of the road above. This is Windsor Park Road, which is the main road leading in and out of the estate. As you can see, another broad road with a dotted white line.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

Love the shade this huge tree provides, and the lanterns hung on the patio of the house!
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

A glimpse into one of the side roads, as you can see, again no parking issues here.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

It’s not just the GCBs that are pretty. Some of the terrace houses have been beautifully redeveloped too.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

Another beautiful house.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

This is about as crowded as it gets on the road (at least on the few occasions that I visited the estate.)
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

Some houses have back doors that lead onto wide pedestrian alleys (These houses are close to Venus Green, a park of sorts within the estate.)
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

As mentioned, the area is a little hilly. This part is flat but, even so, you can see how some houses are on elevated foundations.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

This photo probably gives you a better idea of the rolling nature of the land. See how much higher the yellow house is as compared to its neighbour?
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

Some redevelopment opportunities in the area. There were quite a few single-story houses in the ‘hood.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

One of several renovation projects that were ongoing when I visited.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

Amenities

There are about three shophouses inside the estate (along Venus Road), which house a vet clinic and an AC services company. (No eateries, sadly.)
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A closer look at what the shophouses offer.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

The shophouses are close to Venus Green, a small park at the start of the walking trails of Windsor Nature Park. The National Parks’ website specifically mentions monkeys, so I guess that answers my questions about wildlife.

Great area to bring your dogs for a walk!
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

Some houses are right next to the green.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

There is also a large playground at Jupiter Road/Capricorn Drive.

That’s the playground right ahead.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

It is located above the houses on this road.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

But below the houses here (the playground is on the left.)
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

There is also a pavilion for adults to watch the kids (in the background, on the left) and a few pieces of outdoor gym equipment next to the kids’ playground.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

Nature

As mentioned, one of the attractions of this area is the surrounding lush greenery of the 75-hectare Windsor Park, which was opened in 2017. The forest is, alas, not protected as it is zoned residential on the URA Master Plan. A group of monkeys lives in the Park, although I didn’t see any despite visiting the estate several times.

Note: Even after Windsor Park is developed, there will still be MacRitchie Reservoir and Lower Peirce Reservoir nearby.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

Windsor Park is also near Singapore Island Country Club (SICC), although do note that the SICC Thomson’s lease ends in 2040.

Despite being next to a Nature Park, Windsor Park Estate is still close to shops and other amenities. It is a short 10 minutes walk to Thomson Plaza, 16 minutes to Upper Thomson MRT, and about 20 minutes to the shophouses along Upper Thomson Road, which include famous eateries such as Pepperoni Pizza, Esarn Thai, and Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant. There is a Sheng Shiong here too. (Bright Hill MRT is also about a 20 minutes walk away.)

For parents, there is a Montessori Kindergarten in the estate and Ai Tong Primary is within 1 km of some of the houses. Catholic High is also relatively close by.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

If you need something urgently and can’t walk to Thomson Plaza, there’s an Esso right by the entrance of the estate.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

On the note of Thomson Plaza, here’s some information about potential changes to this area: In 2019, Thomson Plaza, which has a direct link to the MRT, was zoned for full commercial use. It has a plot ratio of 3.0 and could potentially include a hotel in the future. Marigold Mews, a collection of 19 townhouses connected to Thomson Plaza with about 53 years left on the lease, was also recently launched for bulk sale last month (July 13) at $158 million.

I like how Esso is before the entrance into Windsor Park, so people can fill their tanks before heading home (instead of having to drive further ahead and U-Turn back.) However, personally, it’s a bit too close to the residences for my liking. The red on the left is the petrol station, and the grey on the right is the residential buildings already.)
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

I’m not 100 per cent sure as I couldn’t enter the condo, but I think those grey buildings opposite Esso belong to The Windsor, a full facilities, freehold condo which was built In 1987. It has 159 units, some of which are maisonettes and townhouses. (None for sale at the time of writing. Sales at this condo are relatively few and far between: for example, only 2-3 townhouses at The Windsor have been sold in the last decade!)
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

As you can see, there is a lot to like about this estate. In fact, it’s one of my favourites, amongst the many that I’ve toured! However, no area is perfect, and here are some issues that people may balk at.

Firstly, there is only one entrance and exit for cars.

The estate isn’t super congested, so having only one vehicular exit and entrance may be okay. However, Upper Thomson Road is very heavily utilised. This is early morning on the weekends so not even peak hour! I’ve toured quite a few landed enclaves in the area, and Upper Thomson Road is almost always jammed.

Closer view of the traffic. If you’re wondering about the line of cars, that’s where you have to U-turn to drive back into town.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

In addition, prices have come up significantly, perhaps helped by the recent “upgrades” to the area, such as the launch of Windsor Park and the opening of Upper Thomson MRT last year. According to the sales data online, the sales of the terrace houses between Nov 2020 – May 2022 were all between $1,112- $1,688 psf. However, the last terrace house sale in June 22 was at $2,032 psf!

Last look at the estate: looking out of the estate to the main road.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes

You’ll see that the area across Upper Thomson has several high-rise condos. I believe one of them, Thomson Impressions, has just made its 4th or 5th try to en-bloc. (Mentioning it as a large construction project may cause even worse jams on Upper Thomson Road.)

Now that we’ve finished visiting Windsor Park, how did you find the area? Do you like it as much as I did?

This article was first published in Stackedhomes.

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