Dublin Lodge
Overview & Key Facts
Dublin Lodge is one of Singapore’s most discreet addresses: eight freehold strata terrace houses tucked into a private cul-de-sac off Killiney Road in District 9, completed in 1987 and barely changed since. There is no glossy showroom history, no mass-market marketing campaign, and no corporate developer branding — just a compact cluster of two-and-a-half-storey landed homes sitting quietly at the edge of the Orchard Road belt, freehold in perpetuity, in one of Singapore’s most coveted postcodes. The development’s address — 28 to 40 Dublin Road — is practically a whisper compared to the gleaming residential towers that surround it.
Each unit spans roughly 2,562 to 2,583 sq ft of built-up space across two storeys plus an attic, with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a private patio, and a distinctive air well that extends the dining area. The site itself covers 2,510.2 sq m (approximately 27,020 sq ft) — a generous footprint for just eight homes. The development is classified as strata landed by EdgeProp and is therefore eligible for purchase by foreigners on the Approved Condominium List — a rare and commercially significant distinction in the Singapore landed property market. The typical buyer here is not chasing yield optimisation; they are buying into the permanence of CCR freehold land, the landed lifestyle, and the extraordinary Somerset-adjacent location — at a price that, while high in absolute terms, sits well below comparable freehold luxury condominiums on a per-unit basis.
In 2021, all eight owners voted unanimously to launch a collective sale at a reserve price of S$67.55 million — approximately S$2,500 per sq ft of land value — before lowering to S$65 million in a second attempt that closed in January 2022. Both exercises did not find a buyer, a reminder that the en-bloc market can be unforgiving even in prime CCR land. The failed sale has left Dublin Lodge intact as a living community, and the 100% owner consensus tells a story about how the owners themselves view the asset: as something worth cashing out collectively rather than individually, which speaks to the strength of the location proposition.
Location & Connectivity
Location is where Dublin Lodge makes its most emphatic argument. Somerset MRT (NS23) is approximately 350 metres away — a number that translates, in practice, to a three-to-four-minute walk with no road crossings of consequence. That places Dublin Lodge among the most MRT-proximate landed properties in Singapore. Add Dhoby Ghaut MRT interchange (NSL/NEL/CCL triple-line) at 620 metres, and residents have direct access to three MRT lines without a car, covering virtually every major employment node in the city: Raffles Place, Marina Bay, Orchard, Novena, Bishan, Harbourfront, and beyond. Great World MRT (TEL) at 720 metres extends the reach further, connecting to the Thomson-East Coast Line. In a city where MRT access is the single greatest driver of residential premium, Dublin Lodge’s connectivity profile is genuinely exceptional.
The immediate neighbourhood is the River Valley-Somerset corridor — one of Singapore’s most amenity-rich urban precincts. Orchard Road’s retail belt (Ion Orchard, Ngee Ann City, 313@Somerset, Orchard Central) is a short walk or single-stop MRT ride. Robertson Quay and Clarke Quay, home to Singapore’s densest concentration of restaurants, wine bars, and riverside dining, are reachable on foot or by a quick Grab ride. Great World City mall, with its Cold Storage supermarket, restaurants, and cinema, is 720 metres at the TEL station. River Valley Road’s Korean and Japanese restaurant strip, Kim Seng hawker centre, and the Liang Court precinct round out an extraordinarily complete neighbourhood food-and-retail environment. For expatriates — particularly those from Europe, Japan, or Korea — the riverside corridor meets the full spectrum of daily-life needs without a car.
Singapore Botanic Gardens (UNESCO World Heritage Site) is accessible via a short ride or a leisurely 25-minute walk. Fort Canning Park, with its heritage trails and open lawns, is walkable in under 15 minutes. The Singapore River and Pearl’s Hill City Park offer further green relief within easy reach. For drivers, Orchard Road, the CBD via River Valley Road, and the CTE are all accessible within minutes, with the PIE and AYE reachable via Alexandra Road or Zion Road for island-wide connectivity.
Dublin Lodge scores 90 out of 100 on ShiokNest’s walkability index — a rating achieved by fewer than one in ten Singapore properties. Somerset MRT is 350 metres away (near-doorstep by any standard). Dhoby Ghaut triple interchange is 620 metres. Ion Orchard, Cold Storage, Robertson Quay, Fort Canning Park, and a full complement of clinics, pharmacies, and eateries are all reachable on foot. For residents who value walkable urban living above all else, Dublin Lodge’s location is close to irreplicable in the Singapore landed-property market.
Schools & Education
3 primary schools within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Fairfield Methodist School (Primary) | primary | Within 1 km |
| Kheng Cheng School | primary | Within 1 km |
| ACS (Junior) | primary | Within 1 km |
| Singapore Management University | tertiary | ~1.1 km |
| Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts | tertiary | ~1.4 km |
| St. Anthony's Primary School | primary | ~1.4 km |
| School of the Arts | jc | ~1.4 km |
| Outram Secondary School | secondary | ~1.6 km |
Facilities
Dublin Lodge is not a facilities-led development — and it makes no pretence of being one. As a cluster of eight private strata terraces built in 1987, shared amenities are modest by the standards of contemporary condominiums: landscaped grounds within the gated cul-de-sac, covered carparking for residents, and the shared private road that gives the development its sheltered, enclave character. There is no swimming pool, no gymnasium, and no function room — what Dublin Lodge offers instead is the landed lifestyle itself: a private patio opening off the living room, an air well that draws natural ventilation through the dining area, and two-and-a-half storeys of internal volume that most high-rise condominiums simply cannot replicate. The attic level provides flexible use as a study, hobby room, or additional sleeping space.
What residents of Dublin Lodge buy into, in lieu of resort-style facilities, is the broader neighbourhood as their amenity layer. The Somerset-River Valley precinct serves as an extended lifestyle campus: Orchard Road’s gyms, spas, and luxury retail; Robertson Quay’s dining and fitness studios; Great World City’s daily retail needs; and Fort Canning Park’s running and yoga trails — all within walking distance. For the typical Dublin Lodge buyer — a high-net-worth professional or expatriate household that places high value on privacy, space, and neighbourhood quality over shared-amenity headcount — this trade-off is entirely intentional.
“You don’t buy Dublin Lodge for the pool. You buy it because Somerset MRT is around the corner, Robertson Quay is a ten-minute walk, and you have 2,500 square feet to yourself on freehold land in District 9. The neighbourhood is the facility.”
— Resident perspective via 99.co
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 3 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $6,100,000 to $6,700,000, averaging $6,500,000.
Rents range from $8,500 to $11,000 per month across 7 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 1.6%.
Price Appreciation
From 2022 to 2025, the average PSF has declined by 9% (from $2,604 to $2,371 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
Within D9, Dublin Lodge competes in a very different register from the glass-and-steel new launches. The Avenir (freehold, $3,190 psf) is the most direct comparable on tenure — both are freehold CCR — but The Avenir is a conventional high-rise condominium with full luxury facilities, newer finishes, and a meaningfully higher psf. Dublin Lodge’s last transacted level (~S$2,604 psf) represents an approximately 18% discount to The Avenir on a per-square-foot basis, but delivers landed floor plates of 2,500+ sq ft versus The Avenir’s more typical 500–1,300 sq ft condominiums. Buyers choosing between the two are essentially choosing between landed privacy and condominium amenities — both freehold, both D9.
Against leasehold peers: Irwell Hill Residences (99yr, $2,728 psf) and River Green (99yr, $3,135 psf) both command higher psf than Dublin Lodge while offering none of its tenure permanence or floor-plate generosity. Kopar at Newton (99yr, $2,512 psf) is slightly cheaper but again leasehold. The landed-versus-leasehold comparison is stark: Dublin Lodge buyers are acquiring freehold land in CCR at a psf that is competitive with, or below, several 99-year neighbouring developments — a dynamic that reflects the renovation cost discount baked into the older terrace, and one that patient, renovation-willing buyers may find compelling.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUBLIN LODGE | Freehold | — | — | — |
| IRWELL HILL RESIDENCES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2020 | 2021 | 540 | $2,728 |
| RIVER GREEN | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2024 | 2025 | 524 | $3,135 |
| RIVER MODERN | 99 years leasehold | — | — | $3,238 |
| THE AVENIR | Freehold | 2021 | 376 | $3,190 |
| KOPAR AT NEWTON | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2019 | 2021 | 378 | $2,512 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates DUBLIN LODGE across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“The quiet cul-de-sac feel is unlike anything else in D9. You’re genuinely shielded from Killiney Road noise, yet Somerset MRT is a four-minute walk. That combination doesn’t exist anywhere else at this price point in Singapore.”
— Resident perspective via PropertyGuru
“The air well and patio are what sold us. We came from a high-floor condo in Novena and couldn’t get used to never having proper outdoor space. Here the ground-floor living feels different — more like a real home. The renovation was significant, but worth every dollar.”
— Owner, sourced via EdgeProp
“Don’t come here expecting a pool or gym. Come here expecting your own front door, 2,500 square feet, freehold in D9, and Somerset MRT in the same breath. That’s the deal — and for the right buyer it’s an extraordinary deal.”
— Resident review via 99.co
The consistent thread across resident and buyer perspectives is the trade-off clarity: those who understand what Dublin Lodge offers (space, privacy, location, permanence) and what it does not (shared amenities, new-build finishes) report extremely high satisfaction. Dissatisfaction is rare precisely because the development self-selects for buyers with a clear-eyed view of the proposition. The small community of eight households tends toward established families or long-term expatriate couples — an unusually cohesive management dynamic for a strata development.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Somerset MRT (NSL) at 350m — near-doorstep access to the North-South Line
- Dhoby Ghaut triple interchange (NSL/NEL/CCL) at 620m — three lines within walking distance
- Freehold tenure in D9 CCR — maximum land permanence, no lease decay
- Foreigner-eligible (approved strata landed) — rare in Singapore freehold landed market
- Private cul-de-sac setting — quiet, gated, sheltered from Killiney Road traffic
- Generous 2,562–2,583 sq ft floor plates — true landed lifestyle space
- Private patio and air well — outdoor living impossible to replicate in high-rise condominiums
- Orchard Road retail, Robertson Quay dining, and River Valley amenities all walkable
- Failed en-bloc (2021–22) removes near-term collective sale disruption risk
- PSF (~S$2,604) below freehold neighbour The Avenir (~S$3,190) — relative value for CCR FH land
- No shared swimming pool, gymnasium, or standard condominium facilities
- Built 1987 — full renovation required; expect S$250k–$400k+ refurbishment cost
- Only 3 sales in transaction record — thin liquidity, wide bid-ask spreads possible
- Gross yield 1.61% — below CCR average; unsuitable for yield-first investors
- Historic en-bloc attempts signal owner exit intent — collective sale risk may re-emerge
- Site zoned 2-storey mixed landed — redevelopment upside constrained for developers
- Small community of 8 households — management disputes can be disproportionately disruptive
- PSF trend shows slight dip ($2,604 → $2,371) — though very thin data limits conclusions
Verdict
Dublin Lodge is a highly specialist proposition, and it is best understood as such. This is not a development for buyers seeking resort amenities, contemporary finishings, or a large pool of neighbours to form a management committee with. It is, instead, one of the rarest things available in Singapore real estate: freehold strata landed living in D9, within 350 metres of an MRT station, with a floor plate large enough for a genuine family lifestyle, eligible for foreign purchase, and — for buyers who can absorb renovation spend — customisable to an exceptionally high standard. The CCR freehold land scarcity story is as real here as anywhere in Singapore, and the Somerset adjacency is simply irreplaceable.
The buyer profile is narrow but well-defined. High-net-worth expatriates on long-term employment passes who want a private, non-high-rise life in central Singapore — without the citizenship prerequisite of conventional landed purchase — will find Dublin Lodge close to ideal. Singapore permanent residents or citizens considering a transition from condominium to landed living, who prioritise the CCR address and walkability above new-build facilities, are equally well served. Rental investors should note that seven rental transactions averaging S$9,571 per month suggest healthy leasing demand from high-income expatriate tenants, even if the gross yield of 1.61% is characteristically modest for CCR prime-district assets. Yield is not the story here; capital preservation on irreplaceable freehold land is.
The failed en-bloc attempts in 2021–2022 at S$65–67.55 million are worth contextualising: the collective sale market was choppy in that period, and the S$2,500 psf land valuation was asking a developer to pay a meaningful premium for a site zoned two-storey mixed landed — limiting redevelopment upside compared to a higher-plot-ratio site. For individual buyers, this is reassuring: Dublin Lodge’s character is likely to persist, and the failed en-bloc removes near-term collective-sale disruption risk. Compare to The Avenir (FH, $3,190 psf) or Kopar at Newton (99yr, $2,512 psf) — Dublin Lodge’s last transacted PSF of approximately S$2,604 looks compelling for freehold D9 landed, even accounting for renovation spend.