Miaplace
Overview & Key Facts
Miaplace is a 27-unit freehold condominium at 116 Arthur Road in District 15 — a quietly positioned boutique completed in 1997 that occupies an address several steps removed from the Katong – Tanjong Katong shophouse corridor yet meaningfully served by the 2024 opening of Katong Park MRT (Thomson-East Coast Line) at just 390 metres. At ten storeys across a single block, the development offers a pool, gym, and barbeque area — an amenity provision modest by large-complex standards but genuine by boutique ones.
The rental data paints a healthy picture: 80 transactions averaging S$3,390 per month (median S$3,200) represent a deep enough sample to underwrite rental assumptions with reasonable confidence. The gap between average and median — average running above median — suggests premium units or larger floor plates are lifting the mean, with a solid floor of demand at S$3,000–3,200 for the base of the stack. Against the leasehold new-launch cohort, Miaplace’s freehold title remains the structural argument: Grand Dunman at S$2,537 psf (99yr), Emerald of Katong at S$2,640 psf (99yr), and The Continuum at S$2,790 psf (FH) all sit at the upper end of the D15 price spectrum, while Amber Park at S$2,540 psf (FH) represents the more direct freehold comparison.
What Arthur Road offers that Tanjong Katong Road and East Coast Road cannot is residential calm. The street is largely residential, with no through-commercial traffic, and it borders Arthur Park and Katong Park — a contiguous green corridor stretching toward the coast. For households that want East Coast Park cycling distance, MRT access opened since 2024, and a freehold title in a mature D15 pocket, Miaplace represents one of the quieter, lower-profile entries in a sub-market increasingly dominated by headline new launches.
Location & Connectivity
Arthur Road runs south from Mountbatten Road through the transitional zone between the Katong heritage belt and the East Coast parkland corridor. The street is residential in character, bounded on its western side by the Singapore Swimming Club and Arthur Park, and within 500 metres of Katong Park and the shoreline greenway that leads south to East Coast Park. It is a pocket of District 15 that retains the spatial generosity of Singapore’s older low-density residential planning — wide road verges, mature tree cover, and detached or semi-detached houses interspersed with small apartment blocks.
The 2024 opening of Katong Park MRT (Thomson-East Coast Line, TE24) at 390 metres transformed Miaplace’s commuter profile. Prior to TEL opening, the nearest rail was Mountbatten CC or Dakota CC at just under 1 km — a distance that pushed most residents toward car dependence. At 390m, Katong Park is now a genuine 5-minute walk, placing Marina Bay and the CBD at approximately 20–25 minutes by TEL. Tanjong Katong TEL (870m) provides a second TEL option and is useful for its interchange connections south of the line. Mountbatten CC (970m) and Dakota CC (1.04km) remain available for Circle Line journeys, giving residents four stations across two lines within approximately 1 km.
Day-to-day amenities require short travel rather than doorstep convenience. i12 Katong and Parkway Parade are within 1.5–2 km. The East Coast Road shophouse belt — where Katong’s food heritage is most concentrated — is 800m–1 km east. The Singapore Swimming Club adjoins the site to the northwest, and the Arthur Park – Katong Park green corridor runs immediately beside and south of the development, providing recreational access without requiring a car. East Coast Park itself is approximately 1.5 km south via a pleasant residential cycling route.
For car owners, the ECP on-ramp at Tanjong Rhu is under five minutes, placing the CBD at 12–15 minutes off-peak and Changi Airport at 20–25 minutes. This dual car – MRT connectivity, increasingly uncommon in more urbanised pockets of D15, is one of Arthur Road’s durable advantages.
Schools & Education
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| One World International School (Mountbatten) | international | ~1.2 km |
| Tanjong Katong Primary School | primary | ~1.3 km |
| Tao Nan School | primary | ~1.5 km |
| Geylang Methodist School (Secondary) | secondary | ~1.5 km |
| Haig Girls' School | primary | ~1.5 km |
| Geylang Methodist School (Primary) | primary | ~1.5 km |
| CHIJ (Katong) Primary | primary | ~1.6 km |
| Broadrick Secondary School | secondary | ~1.7 km |
Facilities
At 27 units, Miaplace occupies an interesting position in Singapore’s boutique segment: large enough to support a basic amenity set, but not so large that residents fund a resort-scale complex of facilities that most households use infrequently. The development provides a swimming pool, gymnasium, and barbeque area — the three functional pillars that most Singapore condominium residents actually use regularly. There is no tennis court, function room, or spa, but the three core amenities are genuine and usable rather than cosmetic.
The 1997 vintage means the pool and gym are unlikely to have received a full overhaul since completion. Buyers and tenants should inspect the current condition of pool tiling, plant room equipment, and gym fit-out directly. A well-maintained 1997 installation in a 27-unit building (with correspondingly limited throughput wear) may be in better condition than a neglected 2005 facility in a 300-unit complex; the reverse is also possible. A current site visit is essential.
Monthly maintenance contributions at Miaplace should be lower than at large-complex condominiums. A 27-unit pool-and-gym development typically generates MCST contributions in the range of S$250–450 per month, compared with S$500–800 at facility-heavy developments of 200+ units. For tenants, this translates to marginally lower total housing costs at any given rent level; for owner-occupiers, the contribution is a real carrying cost to factor into yield calculations.
Neighbourhood Comparison
The most instructive comparisons for Miaplace sit at two levels: the freehold resale market and the 99-year new-launch cohort. On the freehold side, Amber Park (S$2,540 psf, FH, 592 units, completed 2023) is the modern benchmark — a fully facilitated large-complex freehold in the Amber Road corridor. It offers the full contemporary amenity set (50m lap pool, multiple courts, large gym, sky gardens) and modern unit finishes, at a premium that reflects those advantages. For buyers who need current-generation fitout and do not want renovation exposure, Amber Park’s psf premium versus a realistic Miaplace entry price is the cost of that comfort. The Continuum (S$2,790 psf, FH, 816 units, 2023) makes a similar case further along the freehold premium spectrum.
Against 99-year peers: Grand Dunman (S$2,537 psf, 99yr, 1,008 units, 2022) and Emerald of Katong (S$2,640 psf, 99yr, 846 units, 2023) sit at significantly higher psf on leasehold tenures. The purely mechanical argument for Miaplace over Grand Dunman or Emerald of Katong is freehold lease at lower psf entry — the lease delta widens over a 30-40 year hold as the 99-year product loses years. Buyers who intend to hold for one generation should model the residual value differential carefully.
A more immediate peer comparison is with other small-to-medium freehold boutiques in the Arthur Road – Mountbatten Road pocket. Côte d’Azur (99yr, 240 units) and nearby leasehold strata blocks sit at the scale end of the spectrum. True freehold boutiques of comparable vintage in this specific street cluster are rare — which is part of why Miaplace’s 80-transaction rental record is a meaningful signal of demand persistence rather than a one-cycle artefact.
The honest comparative framing: Miaplace suits buyers who have positively chosen freehold D15 over new-launch leasehold, are comfortable with renovation exposure, want park-adjacent residential calm rather than retail street frontage, and consider TEL access at 390m sufficient for their commuter needs. For buyers who need modern finishes, large pools, or more than three on-site amenities, the S$2,537–2,790 psf new-launch cohort — despite the leasehold title — may be the more rational fit.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIAPLACE | — | 27 | — | |
| GRAND DUNMAN | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2022 | 2023 | 1,008 | $2,537 |
| EMERALD OF KATONG | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2023 | 2024 | 846 | $2,640 |
| THE CONTINUUM | Freehold | 2023 | 816 | $2,790 |
| TEMBUSU GRAND | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2022 | 2023 | 638 | $2,462 |
| AMBER PARK | Freehold | 2021 | 592 | $2,540 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates MIAPLACE across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“The MRT opening changed everything for us on Arthur Road. We used to drive everywhere. Now my partner takes the TEL to Marina Bay every morning and we’ve dropped to a one-car household. The rent we were paying made a lot more sense once the station opened.”
— Tenant perspective on Katong Park TEL impact via Condo Singapore community forums
“What we love about Arthur Road is the quiet. We looked at condos on East Coast Road and Tanjong Katong Road — beautiful neighbourhood but the traffic noise never stops. Here it feels like a private estate. The park is right outside. You forget you’re three kilometres from the CBD.”
— Owner-occupier reflection on Arthur Road residential calm via PropertyGuru community discussion
“The pool is small but we use it. The gym is basic but it has what you need. For a 27-unit block, they’ve managed it well — I’ve never had to queue for a lane or a treadmill. That’s not something you can say about the 400-unit complexes down the road.”
— Resident view on Miaplace facilities via EdgeProp community insights
The recurring theme across community discussions for the Arthur Road pocket is the contrast between the quietness of the address and its proximity to everything Katong has to offer. Residents note that East Coast Road’s food and lifestyle strip — Bengawan Solo, Chin Mee Chin, the Katong laksa corridor — is a short drive or a 10-minute walk east, while the Singapore Swimming Club and Arthur Park provide green space on the doorstep. The TEL opening is consistently cited as the most impactful recent change: several rental forum threads from 2024–2025 reference the station specifically as the reason tenants renewed leases or chose Arthur Road over competing streets.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure — permanent title at entry price below the D15 new-launch leasehold cohort
- Katong Park MRT (TEL, TE24) at 390m — walkable in 5 minutes, opened June 2024, connects to Marina Bay and Orchard
- Four MRT stations within 1.05km: Katong Park TEL (390m), Tanjong Katong TEL (870m), Mountbatten CC (970m), Dakota CC (1.04km)
- Three usable on-site amenities: swimming pool, gymnasium, barbeque area — genuine provision for a 27-unit boutique
- Arthur Park and Katong Park immediately adjacent — green corridor without maintenance cost or car journey
- East Coast Park approximately 1.5km south via residential cycling route
- Singapore Swimming Club adjoining to the northwest — informal proximity benefit
- Quiet residential street — no through-commercial traffic, no noise from shophouse or F&B corridor
- Robust rental data: 80 transactions confirming S$3,200 median demand — deep sample for yield underwriting
- Average rent S$3,390 above median — larger/upper units commanding premium, signals floor quality at the base
- One World International School Mountbatten at 1.23km, Tanjong Katong Primary at 1.31km — family schooling options accessible
- ECP access under 5 minutes for car owners — CBD 12-15 mins, Changi Airport 20-25 mins off-peak
- Low-throughput pool and gym — 27 units means no queuing, unlike 300+ unit complexes
- Vintage 1997 — renovation budget of S$80,000–120,000+ required to reach contemporary rental or resale standard
- Thin resale caveat history — limited URA price-discovery data; independent valuation essential before committing
- Walkability score 55/100 — primary retail (i12 Katong, Parkway Parade, East Coast Road F&B) is 800m–2km away
- No gourmet supermarket or large mall within easy walking distance
- Modest facilities by large-complex standards — no tennis court, function room, or full clubhouse
- Pool and gym from 1997 vintage — condition depends on MCST maintenance history; inspect before assuming usable standard
- ShiokNest score 57/100 — balanced by TEL uplift but offset by renovation exposure and walkability limitations
- No developer warranty or defects-liability period — buy-as-seen older stock condition applies
- Rental average above median — requires unit-specific diligence; upper-floor premium may not be achievable across all units
- One World International School at 1.23km — international school proximity but no MOE mainstream primary within 1km
Verdict
Miaplace is a freehold boutique in the right place at the right moment. The opening of Katong Park MRT (TEL) in 2024 was the structural catalyst that resolved the development’s most material legacy weakness — distance from rail. At 390 metres, Katong Park MRT transforms Arthur Road from a car-dependent lifestyle address to a genuinely multi-modal one, and that shift is now locked into the address permanently. Buyers who purchased before or at TEL opening on a location thesis have already seen that thesis validate; the question for new buyers is how much of it is now priced in.
The case for is clear: freehold title, three usable on-site amenities, 80 rental transactions confirming S$3,200+ median demand, park-adjacent setting, and a competitive psf entry against the leasehold new launches that dominate D15 headlines. The case against is equally clear: 1997 vintage requiring renovation investment, limited resale caveat data (a thin price-discovery record for URA benchmarking), a walkability score of 55/100 that reflects the gap between the development and primary retail, and modest unit size in an era when buyers increasingly benchmark against larger-format boutiques.
Compared with the closest freehold competitor at this price point, Amber Park at S$2,540 psf offers modern freehold D15 product with superior facilities — at a significant premium. The Continuum at S$2,790 psf (FH) and Emerald of Katong at S$2,640 psf (99yr) similarly offer contemporary finishes, larger facilities, and new-launch developer warranty but sit at 40–60%+ above what a realistic entry price into Miaplace should look like. For buyers who cannot stretch to those price points or who affirmatively prefer freehold, renovation-comfortable older stock, Miaplace’s combination of freehold title and TEL proximity in an uncrowded residential street is a coherent value thesis.
The ideal buyer profile is narrow: a freehold-prioritising purchaser, comfortable funding S$80,000–120,000+ in renovation, who values a parkland-adjacent address over retail frontage, intends to hold for 7–10+ years, and wants genuine TEL commutability to Marina Bay or Orchard for a household member. A secondary profile — perhaps equally important in D15 — is the expat tenant household: the S$3,200–3,400 rent range for 2–3 bedrooms, near East Coast Park, with MRT now walkable, sits at a comfortable entry level for the professional expat segment that defines much of D15’s rental demand.