Lushan Garden
Overview & Key Facts
Lushan Garden is a rare freehold strata landed enclave at How Sun Drive in District 19, comprising 13 semi-detached houses and detached bungalows completed in 1977. Unlike the high-rise condominiums that now define much of Serangoon and Bartley, Lushan Garden offers something increasingly scarce in Singapore’s property market: private, landed living with genuine freehold title and no lease clock, in a quiet residential precinct just 0.22 km from Bartley MRT (CC12) on the Circle Line.
The development occupies a stretch of How Sun Drive within the low-rise Bartley private estate — one of Singapore’s more tranquil landed enclaves bounded by Bartley Road to the north, Upper Paya Lebar Road to the west, and Quemoy Road to the south. The scale is intimate by design: with only 13 units and a mix of semi-detached and detached configurations, Lushan Garden functions as a tight-knit owner-occupier community rather than a transient rental address. Zero recorded rental transactions in the ShiokNest dataset confirm this character — buyers here hold, they do not let.
At an average transacted price of S$5.80 million (median S$5.40 million) and a PSF trajectory from S$1,239 to S$1,957 across the data window, Lushan Garden sits firmly in the upper tier of District 19 strata landed pricing. The combination of freehold tenure, proximity to Bartley MRT, good school catchments, and How Sun Drive’s distinctive old-Singapore character makes this a property for a specific, long-horizon buyer — and one that rarely comes to market given the owner-occupier ethos of the enclave.
Location & Connectivity
How Sun Drive is a quiet residential street in the Bartley private estate, Serangoon, sitting in a low-rise pocket of District 19 that has remained largely shielded from the densification sweeping adjacent areas. The street is characterised by broad, sparsely trafficked roads with mature greenery from established gardens — the Stacked Homes tour of How Sun Drive describes “alleyways between some of the rows of properties” and avid gardeners contributing to a distinctly verdant streetscape, with what visitors consistently describe as an “old-Singapore-ish” atmosphere. This is a neighbourhood where neighbours have lived for decades, and it shows.
Bartley MRT (CC12, Circle Line) is the closest rail access at 0.22 km — effectively a doorstep walk across the estate. Bartley is an underground station on the Circle Line only, opened in May 2009; it is not currently served by the Downtown Line. From Bartley, residents can reach Serangoon MRT interchange (CC13 / NE12) in a single stop — putting both the Circle Line and the North-East Line within a two-minute rail journey. That single hop gives Lushan Garden residents access to three combined line directions: CCL east toward Paya Lebar and Marina Bay, CCL west toward Caldecott and Harbourfront, and NEL both north toward Punggol and south toward Dhoby Ghaut and HarbourFront. In practice, with Serangoon interchange reachable in under 10 minutes door-to-platform, this address delivers genuinely multi-line rail connectivity from an otherwise serene residential enclave.
Beyond rail, the How Sun Drive precinct benefits from bus services along Upper Paya Lebar Road that connect southward to Paya Lebar Quarter and Paya Lebar MRT (EWL interchange), broadening the transit web further. Woodleigh MRT (NE11) on the North-East Line is 1.13 km away, providing another NEL access point for residents who prefer to avoid the Serangoon interchange at peak hours. Tai Seng MRT (CC11 / DT32) at 1.33 km adds the Downtown Line option — so while Bartley station itself is CCL only, the broader 1.5 km catchment of How Sun Drive places residents within reach of four MRT lines (CCL, NEL, EWL, DTL) without a car.
Day-to-day retail and dining needs are served via Upper Paya Lebar Road shophouses within walking distance, where cafes, eateries, and a supermarket are accessible on foot. NEX — the largest mall in north-east Singapore, anchored by NTUC FairPrice Xtra and major F&B chains — is one MRT stop away at Serangoon. NEX and Serangoon Central cover virtually all grocery, dining, retail, and leisure requirements. The How Sun Linear Park provides a green corridor connecting into the broader Serangoon park network, and Bidadari Park — the landmark 10-hectare heritage park developed on the former Bidadari cemetery site — is accessible via a short MRT ride. The neighbourhood’s own greenery, contributed by the landed residents’ extensive gardens, gives How Sun Drive a park-like character without needing to leave the street.
Schools & Education
1 primary school within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bartley Secondary School | secondary | Within 1 km |
| Red Swastika School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Zhonghua Secondary School | secondary | ~1.2 km |
| Zhonghua Primary School | primary | ~1.2 km |
| Cedar Girls' Secondary School | secondary | ~1.3 km |
| Cedar Primary School | primary | ~1.4 km |
| Montfort Junior School | primary | ~1.5 km |
| Montfort Secondary School | secondary | ~1.7 km |
Facilities
Lushan Garden is a strata landed development — 13 semi-detached and detached bungalow units on individual lots within a common estate — rather than a condominium with shared resort amenities. Buyers should approach facilities expectations accordingly: this is a private landed enclave, not a development with a clubhouse, lap pool, or gymnasium. The premium at Lushan Garden is paid for freehold land, individual residential character, and MRT proximity, not for shared facilities. Each house has its own private outdoor space — garden, driveway, and potential outdoor living areas typical of semi-detached and detached configurations of the 1977 era, with generous land areas relative to the built-up footprint.
At 49 years old (1977 completion), the houses in Lushan Garden will reflect their vintage in structural and interior condition. Buyers should budget accordingly for comprehensive renovation — typically S$150,000–300,000 for a full overhaul of a semi-detached house of this era — covering plumbing, electrical, wet areas, kitchen, and joinery. The upside of a 1977 build is spatial generosity: rooms, corridors, and ceiling heights in older Singapore semi-detached houses frequently exceed modern equivalents, and land area per unit is meaningful given how constrained plot sizes have become in post-2000 developments. Common estate maintenance (driveway access, boundary walls, shared services) is managed through the strata corporation; buyers should request the Management Corporation Strata Title (MCST) accounts to assess sinking fund and any pending works.
“How Sun Drive has a very different pace from the rest of D19. You’re 200 metres from an MRT station but it feels like you’re deep in a landed estate. The houses here are proper homes — gardens, space, a sense of permanence that you simply can’t replicate in a high-rise.”
— Area observer on the How Sun Drive character via Stacked Homes neighbourhood tour
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 4 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $4,600,000 to $8,000,000, averaging $5,797,000.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2024, the average PSF has appreciated by 57.9% (from $1,239 to $1,957 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
Within District 19, Lushan Garden’s freehold strata landed character places it in a different category from the competing 99-year leasehold condominiums that dominate the Bartley/Serangoon submarket. The most relevant D19 comparison set includes:
- Chuan Park — S$2,596 psf, 99yr, 916 units: large-scale new-launch condo at Lorong Chuan MRT, modern full facilities, deep liquidity, but leasehold and high density.
- The Florence Residences — S$1,745 psf, 99yr, 1,410 units: mega-development at Hougang, full resort amenities, but 99-year lease and very high density.
- Riverfront Residences — S$1,588 psf, 99yr, 1,451 units: large waterfront condo at Hougang, 99-year lease.
- Affinity at Serangoon — S$1,698 psf, 99yr, 1,012 units: integrated development with strata landed cluster terrace component, but still 99-year leasehold.
- Lushan Garden — ~S$1,957 psf (Year 1 high), freehold, 13 units: private landed houses, no shared condo amenities, zero rental activity, owner-occupier enclave with Bartley MRT at doorstep.
The comparison makes the trade-off stark: all four major D19 condo comparators offer significantly more facilities, unit count (liquidity), and lower absolute price thresholds — at the cost of 99-year depreciating leases. Lushan Garden demands a higher per-unit quantum but delivers freehold land ownership and the privacy of individual landed living that no condominium product can replicate. For buyers whose primary objective is a multi-generational freehold home adjacent to MRT in D19 — rather than investment yield or modern condo amenities — Lushan Garden is unmatched within its Bartley precinct. The landed alternative comparators (Serangoon Gardens Estate, Kovan terrace houses) are all significantly further from any MRT station, making the How Sun Drive address the highest-connectivity freehold landed option in the district.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LUSHAN GARDEN | Freehold | — | — | — |
| CHUAN PARK | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2024 | 2024 | 916 | $2,596 |
| THE FLORENCE RESIDENCES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 1,410 | $1,745 |
| RIVERFRONT RESIDENCES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 1,451 | $1,588 |
| AFFINITY AT SERANGOON | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 1,012 | $1,698 |
| SERANGOON GARDEN ESTATE | Freehold | 2021 | — | $1,736 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates LUSHAN GARDEN across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“We considered Serangoon Gardens Estate and Kovan freehold terrace before settling on How Sun Drive. The deciding factor was Bartley MRT — you can walk there in three minutes. In Serangoon Gardens, you’re still driving or cycling everywhere. Here, we genuinely use the MRT daily. The freehold title was non-negotiable for us as a family. We plan to pass this on.”
— Owner-occupier family on the MRT-plus-freehold rationale at How Sun Drive via Stacked Homes community discussion
“The street itself is the amenity. How Sun Drive in the mornings is genuinely quiet — you’d never guess you were 200 metres from a main road and an MRT. The neighbours’ gardens overflow onto the pavements, there’s proper shade from mature trees, and the old letterboxes and alleyways give it a character that no new development can manufacture. You buy here because this cannot be built again.”
— Long-term How Sun Drive resident on neighbourhood character via 99.co listings community
“One stop on the Circle Line to Serangoon, and you’re at NEX with everything you need. Paya Lebar Quarter is three stops the other way. For a landed property, the access is exceptional. My children take the MRT to school independently — I couldn’t do that from Serangoon Gardens or Kovan without a car pick-up. That independence for the kids is worth a lot to us.”
— Parent-owner at How Sun Drive on public-transport independence for children via EdgeProp listing discussion
Across community commentary, the recurring theme for How Sun Drive and Lushan Garden is the contrast between the estate’s decidedly landed, old-Singapore character and the exceptional public transport proximity that is atypical for this asset class. Owner-occupiers consistently cite freehold tenure and MRT walkability as the twin purchase drivers; the 1977 vintage and renovation investment are accepted as the cost of entry to an enclave that cannot be replicated. The zero-rental record underscores the community ethos — this is a neighbourhood of long-term homeowners, not a short-hold investment product.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure — no lease clock; maximum capital preservation for multi-generational family hold
- Bartley MRT (CC12, Circle Line) at 0.22 km — doorstep walk to rail for a strata landed address; exceptional for this asset class
- Serangoon MRT interchange (CCL + NEL) one stop from Bartley — dual-line access within a 2-minute rail journey
- Broader 1.5 km rail catchment covers CCL, NEL, EWL (via bus to Paya Lebar), and DTL at Tai Seng — one of the best multi-line landed positions in Singapore
- Private landed living — individual semi-detached or detached bungalow configuration with private land, garden, and outdoor space
- Bartley Secondary School 0.33 km; multiple quality secondary schools within 1.65 km (Zhonghua Secondary, Cedar Girls', Montfort Secondary)
- How Sun Drive neighbourhood character — broad, quiet roads, old-Singapore ambience, established gardens; cannot be replicated by new development
- Intimate 13-unit enclave — settled, owner-occupier community with long-term neighbours
- NEX (largest NE Singapore mall) one MRT stop away at Serangoon — full retail, dining, and grocery coverage without a car
- How Sun Linear Park and Bidadari Park provide green recreation within the immediate precinct
- Zero rental transactions — unmeasurable gross yield; not suitable for rental income investors
- Very thin sales data (4 transactions) — all PSF and pricing metrics are indicative only; independent valuation essential
- 1977 vintage — comprehensive renovation budget of S$150,000–300,000 required; plumbing, electrical, wet areas all at or past expected service life
- High absolute price quantum (S$5.4–5.8M median/avg) — limits buyer pool and resale liquidity to narrow, well-capitalised segment
- No shared condo-style facilities (pool, gym, clubhouse) — strata landed character means private land only, no resort amenities
- En-bloc potential very low (score 17/100) — freehold tenure removes the lease-decay motivation that drives most collective-sale exercises
- Investment score 31/100 — validates the owner-occupier, not investor, thesis; not a yield or momentum play
- Bartley MRT serves CCL only (not DTL) — Downtown Line access requires Tai Seng at 1.33 km or bus connection
- ShiokNest composite 26/100 reflects narrow applicable buyer universe — price discovery is slow given the small transaction base
Verdict
Lushan Garden’s investment case is anchored by three compounding advantages that are individually scarce and collectively exceptional: freehold tenure, strata landed configuration (private land, individual houses), and 0.22 km walk to Bartley MRT (CC12) with Serangoon interchange (CCL+NEL) one stop away. In Singapore’s property landscape, freehold landed properties adjacent to MRT stations are among the most structurally defensible asset classes available to private buyers — they combine the land ownership permanence that is the bedrock of Singaporean wealth-building with the transport connectivity that underpins long-term capital appreciation. The combination at How Sun Drive is rare in District 19.
The constraints are equally clear. Zero rental transactions in the dataset confirms this is an owner-occupier enclave — investors seeking rental income will find no meaningful yield signal, and the implied gross yield is effectively unmeasurable. The thin 4-transaction sales base means all PSF and pricing metrics are indicative only, and buyers must obtain independent professional valuations rather than relying on system-derived figures. The 1977 vintage requires renovation investment before the property meets contemporary living standards. At S$5.4–5.8 million average/median pricing, the absolute quantum limits the buyer pool to a narrow, well-capitalised segment. En-bloc potential is low (score 17/100) for a freehold strata landed enclave — the principal route to capital realisation is individual resale to another owner-occupier buyer, who will be drawn from the same narrow pool.
The ShiokNest composite score of 26/100 reflects the specialised applicability of this asset: the score rewards freehold tenure (rating 10.0/10 — maximum), strong MRT access (9.0/10 — Bartley at 220m with Serangoon interchange one stop away), and solid neighbourhood quality (7.5/10 — How Sun Drive’s distinctive old-Singapore character, school catchment, greenery). Unit layout ratings (8.5/10) reflect the generous spatial standards of 1977 semi-detached and detached configurations. Value (7.0/10) acknowledges the meaningful renovation overhang at 1977 vintage. Facilities (6.0/10) reflects the absence of shared condo-style amenities — appropriate for a strata landed enclave. The composite is pulled down by the narrow buyer universe, unmeasurable yield, and very thin transaction liquidity. For the right buyer — a freehold-landed-seeking family with a multi-decade hold horizon and an MRT-connectivity requirement — Lushan Garden is among the most compelling propositions available in Bartley’s immediate precinct.