1 King Albert Park

Overview & Key Facts

1 King Albert Park is a low-rise freehold condominium tucked into the leafy residential enclave of Upper Bukit Timah in District 21. Completed in 1997 and developed by Waterbank Properties (S) Pte Ltd — a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro — the 101-unit development occupies a generous 89,534 sq ft (8,324 sqm) land area along the street that shares its name, placing it squarely in one of Singapore’s most prestigious and land-scarce residential corridors.

The development is deliberately compact and low-density. Seven storeys across a single block, with just 101 apartments, produces a community feel that is increasingly rare in Singapore’s condominium landscape. Unit configurations span a wide range — from 2-bedroom layouts to large family-oriented 4- and 5-bedroom formats — with sizes that reflect the generous planning norms of the 1990s. Floor areas of 1,200–1,500 sqft for 3-bedroom units are common, a dimension that would command a substantial premium above comparable new-launch equivalents in today’s land-constrained market.

EdgeProp transaction records show the development averaging approximately S$1,751 psf over the last 12 months, with a median price around S$2,080,000. The freehold title in a Bukit Timah address with a short walk to an MRT station gives 1 King Albert Park a durable capital-value proposition that goes beyond the immediate yield picture.

Location & Connectivity

The address alone communicates something important: King Albert Park sits within the Bukit Timah corridor, one of Singapore’s most sought-after residential belts, surrounded by Good Class Bungalow zones, elite schools, and the city-fringe greenery of the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. For a District 21 freehold property, this is an address with genuine scarcity value — new land for development in this corridor is essentially exhausted.

MRT connectivity arrived meaningfully with the Downtown Line. King Albert Park MRT (DT6) is approximately 350 metres away — a comfortable 4–5 minute walk — giving residents a one-transfer route to Marina Bay in about 30 minutes and access to the CBD without needing a car. Beauty World MRT (DT5) is 680 metres away, adding the Beauty World Centre F&B and retail cluster to the daily-use radius. PropertyGuru consistently highlights the dual-MRT proximity as a key valuation driver relative to earlier transaction cycles when King Albert Park had no rail access at all.

For drivers, the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) and Pan Island Expressway (PIE) are within easy reach, and Orchard Road is approximately 15 minutes by car in off-peak conditions. Nearby retail hubs include KAP Mall (King Albert Park Mall, immediately adjacent), Bukit Timah Plaza, and Beauty World Plaza — all within a 10-minute walk. Cold Storage and FairPrice Finest supermarkets are within the same radius. For weekend green time, the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Rail Corridor trailheads are a short drive away.

Schools & Education

1 primary school within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.

Facilities

For a 101-unit development completed in 1997, 1 King Albert Park offers a well-rounded facilities suite. The compound includes a swimming pool, wading pool, clubhouse, sauna, gym, tennis court, squash court, fitness track, playground, and BBQ area — backed by 24-hour security and basement carpark with storage lockers. The first car parking space is included with each unit, with additional spaces available at a charge. The range is broader than many contemporaries of similar scale and reflects the developer’s ambition for the site.

That said, calibration matters. With 101 units sharing a facilities podium, this is not the resort-scale mega-amenities experience of newer 500+ unit developments. Pool times during weekend mornings can be competitive, and the gym is a functional complement to the surrounding environment rather than a full wellness destination. What the development does deliver is the full scope of active and leisure facilities appropriate to a low-density landed-adjacent neighbourhood — one where residents can jog to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and use the on-site facilities as a quiet complement, rather than the primary lifestyle proposition.

“Low density, spacious units, and the facilities are well-maintained for the age of the development. The squash court and tennis court are a real bonus — hard to find in condos this size.”

— Resident review via SingaporeExpats Condo Directory, 2024

Unit Sizes & Layout

1 King Albert Park’s 101 units span a wide configuration range — from compact 2-bedroom layouts (approximately 900–1,050 sqft) through to expansive 4- and 5-bedroom formats exceeding 2,000 sqft. The largest cohort sits in the 1,200–1,500 sqft band, which accounts for roughly 60% of the stock. That means a 3-bedroom unit at 1 King Albert Park is likely to be 300–400 sqft larger than a comparable 3-bedroom in a new launch in the same district — a meaningful floor-area premium that buyers upgrading from HDB or compact condos will immediately notice. SquareFoot Research shows a historical high of S$2,056 psf achieved in November 2022 for a 1,012-sqft unit, with current average psf around S$1,809.

Interior specifications reflect the development’s vintage. Original bathrooms and kitchens in un-renovated units feel dated against 2025 market expectations; however, many units in the resale market have been refreshed. The pricing differential between refurbished and original-condition units is real — budget approximately S$50,000–$80,000 for a mid-range renovation of an un-renovated 3-bedroom unit if purchasing at the lower end of the psf range. Stack selection also matters: units facing Bukit Timah Road benefit from mature tree-screening and address prominence, while inward-facing stacks are quieter but have more subdued outlooks. Higher floors above the tree canopy offer meaningfully improved breezes and natural light.

Pricing & Market Position

Across 14 recorded transactions (all-time), sale prices range from $1,450,000 to $3,135,000, averaging $2,177,071.

Over the last 12 months, transactions averaged $1,894 psf.

Rents range from $2,000 to $18,000 per month across 138 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 2.4%.

Rental Yield by Bedroom Type

Blended yield hides the spread between unit sizes — smaller units at 1 KING ALBERT PARK typically rent harder per dollar of purchase price. The final column shows monthly rent per $100,000 invested, so unit sizes compare on equal capital:

Price Appreciation

From 2021 to 2026, the average PSF has appreciated by 12.4% (from $1,715 to $1,928 psf).

Neighbourhood Comparison

Within District 21, 1 King Albert Park’s S$1,751 psf average sits materially below the new leasehold benchmark: The Reserve Residences trades at S$2,494 psf (99-year, 2021), Pinetree Hill at S$2,485 psf (99-year, 2022), and Nava Grove at S$2,487 psf (99-year, 2024). Ki Residences at Brookvale, a 999-year leasehold development, trades at S$1,953 psf. The psf gap of S$700–$750 versus new launches means buyers at 1 King Albert Park are acquiring larger units, freehold title, and an established neighbourhood at a significant cost saving — the trade-off being interior vintage and smaller facilities footprint.

The more nuanced comparison is against Ki Residences at Brookvale (S$1,953 psf, 999-year). Ki Residences offers near-equivalent tenure strength, a larger 660-unit facilities scale, and newer specifications — but at a 11% psf premium and with smaller individual unit sizes. For buyers where the specific King Albert Park address, school catchment, and proximity to KAP MRT are priorities, 1 King Albert Park’s lower entry psf and genuinely spacious layouts make a credible case despite the age differential.

ShiokNest Scores

Our proprietary scoring system evaluates 1 KING ALBERT PARK across multiple dimensions.

What Residents Say

“Excellent location with access to King Albert Park MRT. The neighbourhood is quiet and surrounded by good schools — exactly what we were looking for with young children.”

— Resident review via SingaporeExpats Condo Directory

“Low-density feel, you know your neighbours. The units are genuinely spacious compared to anything built in the last ten years. Older finishing, but that’s what renovation budgets are for.”

— Owner feedback via EdgeProp, 2025

“Freehold in this part of Bukit Timah is hard to find at this price. We compared against several 99-year leasehold new launches and ultimately decided the tenure difference justifies the older fittings.”

— Buyer commentary via PropertyGuru, 2025

Across review platforms, the consistent themes are: appreciation for the address quality and school proximity, recognition of the size advantage versus new launches, acceptance of dated interiors as a renovation opportunity, and satisfaction with the low-density community dynamic. The development attracts a high proportion of owner-occupiers (82% private, 18% HDB upgraders per SquareFoot Research buyer profiles), which contributes to the quiet, owner-managed atmosphere.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Verdict

1 King Albert Park occupies a genuinely distinctive niche: a freehold condominium in one of Singapore’s most prestigious residential corridors, within easy walking distance of an MRT station, surrounded by elite schools, and priced well below the headline Bukit Timah freehold premium commanded by newer or larger neighbours. For buyers who prioritise address pedigree, freehold tenure, and spacious unit sizes over resort-scale facilities and fresh-build specifications, it represents a coherent long-term hold in a corridor with structural land scarcity.

The case weakens for buyers who place heavy weight on facilities quantity, prestige new-development aesthetics, or immediate rental yield maximisation. At S$4,264 average rent and S$2,036,727 average price, the 2.42% gross yield is modest — meaningfully below the 3–3.5% that comparably priced developments with stronger tenant demand (proximity to tech campuses, hospitals, or expressway nodes) can achieve. Rental demand here is steady but not exceptional: 126 rental transactions in the database reflects a development that tenants choose for the neighbourhood and school catchment, not for price-point convenience.

The most direct comparison is between 1 King Albert Park and the newer 99-year leasehold heavyweights in the same district — The Reserve Residences (S$2,494 psf, 892 units) and Pinetree Hill (S$2,485 psf, 520 units). Those developments offer dramatically larger facilities footprints, newer specifications, and better lease longevity in headline terms. But they also cost roughly 40% more per square foot and carry leasehold titles in a district where freehold land is now essentially non-reproducible. For a buyer with a 15-year-plus horizon and school-catchment priorities, 1 King Albert Park’s combination of address, freehold title, and spacious layouts is an argument that compounds quietly over time.