Ness
Overview & Key Facts
Ness is a 62-unit freehold condominium at 38 Lorong 32 Geylang in District 14, developed by Phoenix Land (Singapore) Pte Ltd and completed in 2015. Rising eight storeys in a single block, Ness is the archetype of Singapore’s city-fringe boutique freehold development: compact in scale, intimate in character, and positioned squarely for the professional investor and owner-occupier who prizes freehold land tenure and urban access over facility extravagance or community scale.
At an average transacted PSF of $1,423 and an implied gross yield of approximately 2.1% against average monthly rent of $2,503, Ness sits at an accessible price tier for freehold D14 product — a meaningful entry point in a city-fringe district that is structurally positioned to benefit from two of Singapore’s most significant medium-term urban transformation catalysts: the Paya Lebar sub-regional centre transformation and the eventual relocation of Paya Lebar Air Base (PAB) from the 2030s onward. The removal of PAB’s height restriction envelope currently limits building heights across a broad swath of D14 and surrounding districts; when the base relocates, height controls will ease, density potential will increase, and en-bloc redevelopment economics for low-rise freehold sites on the fringe of the Paya Lebar sub-regional centre will improve substantially.
Ness is not a lifestyle showcase development. It offers a pool, a gym, car park, and 24-hour security — a functional amenity set suited to the compact 62-unit scale and appropriate for the development’s target demographic of singles, young couples, and investors. The unit mix, spanning compact one-bedroom configurations from 431 sqft through two-bedroom units to penthouses at up to 1,055 sqft, is calibrated for tenants and owner-occupiers who want an efficiently laid-out urban base within quick reach of both the Paya Lebar commercial hub and the MRT network’s East-West Line corridor.
What Ness offers that larger, higher-PSF developments in the district cannot is a combination of freehold permanence, boutique intimacy, and the structural optionality that attaches to a freehold D14 site as the Paya Lebar transformation matures. At 62 units and freehold tenure, the development carries genuine long-term en-bloc optionality as the PAB height restrictions ease and the sub-regional centre densification thesis progresses.
Location & Connectivity
Ness is situated at Lorong 32 Geylang, one of the residential side streets running off the main Geylang Road arterial that connects the Paya Lebar commercial hub to the Kallang and City Fringe corridors. The address places residents in the urban fabric of D14 — a district that carries a mixed reputation in popular perception, but that in property terms represents one of Singapore’s most structurally attractive value propositions: a city-fringe district with multiple MRT interchange access, a major sub-regional commercial centre, one of Singapore’s highest concentrations of freehold residential land, and a medium-term urban transformation catalyst in the form of Paya Lebar Air Base relocation.
MRT connectivity from this address is genuinely strong for a D14 mid-block location. Aljunied MRT (EW9) on the East-West Line is the closest station at an approximately 8–10 minute walk, providing direct access to City Hall (3 stops), Raffles Place (4 stops), and Jurong East on the western corridor. Dakota MRT (CC8) on the Circle Line is similarly accessible on foot, offering connectivity to the Paya Lebar interchange (1 stop on CC, also served by EWL) and the Bishan–Dhoby Ghaut–HarbourFront arc. The dual-line coverage from a single residential address — EWL via Aljunied, Circle Line via Dakota — provides the connectivity redundancy and range that supports both CBD-commuting professionals and investors whose tenants may work anywhere from Changi Business Park to one-north.
The Paya Lebar sub-regional centre is the most significant commercial and urban development catalyst for this address. URA’s Master Plan designates Paya Lebar as one of Singapore’s five sub-regional commercial centres — a policy designation that drives sustained public and private investment into the precinct. Paya Lebar Quarter, anchored by PLQ Mall and three Grade A office towers, has already transformed the direct precinct. The next transformational catalyst is the eventual relocation of Paya Lebar Air Base (PAB) from the 2030s onward: the 800-hectare base footprint will be redeveloped into a new town capable of accommodating approximately 150,000 homes, alongside a major employment node. The removal of PAB’s building height restriction envelope — which currently caps development heights across a broad radius including parts of D14 — will unlock significant densification potential for freehold sites in the corridor.
The Geylang lifestyle environment is an honest mixed picture. Geylang Road carries a well-known reputation for its entertainment district, but the residential side-street Lorong 32 environment is quieter and more residential in character. Within ten minutes on foot or a short bus ride: the hawker density along Geylang Road itself (among the most famous food streets in Singapore), the Paya Lebar Quarter retail and dining precinct, OneKM Mall at Tanjong Katong, and the Dakota Crescent and Old Airport Road food centre corridor. For food-culture residents, the D14 address is one of the most advantaged in Singapore; for residents who prioritise a sanitised, low-density, or upscale commercial environment, the Geylang fabric requires a calibrated expectation.
School proximity is a secondary consideration given the boutique scale and investor-leaning profile of Ness, but the D14 catchment includes Kong Hwa School, Geylang Methodist School (Primary), Macpherson Primary School, and within reachable radius, the international school corridor along the Tanjong Katong belt including Canadian International School’s Tanjong Katong campus and EtonHouse International School.
Schools & Education
2 primary schools within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Geylang Methodist School (Primary) | primary | Within 1 km |
| Geylang Methodist School (Secondary) | secondary | Within 1 km |
| Kong Hwa School | primary | Within 1 km |
| One World International School (Mountbatten) | international | Within 1 km |
| Haig Girls' School | primary | ~1.0 km |
| Tanjong Katong Primary School | primary | ~1.4 km |
| Tao Nan School | primary | ~1.4 km |
| Macpherson Primary School | primary | ~1.5 km |
Facilities
Ness offers the functional amenity set appropriate to a 62-unit boutique development: swimming pool, gymnasium, car park, and 24-hour security. There is no pretence of the multi-tier recreational programming delivered by large-scale developments; the facilities serve their purpose — a pool for leisure and lap swimming, a gym for residents who want convenient on-site fitness access, secure covered parking, and round-the-clock perimeter security — without the maintenance overhead and estate charge burden of a full resort-format amenity deck.
For a development with 62 units, this is the correct facilities calibration. Large-scale amenity decks (multiple pools, tennis courts, function rooms, sky gardens) carry maintenance costs that translate into higher monthly maintenance fees — and in a boutique development, those costs are spread across a smaller resident base, resulting in disproportionately high per-unit charges. Ness’s focused amenity set keeps maintenance fees contained, which is a meaningful consideration for investors managing rental yield arithmetic and for owner-occupiers who prefer lean carrying costs.
The pool and communal deck at Ness serve a meaningful social function in a boutique development: with 62 units, residents have a genuine chance of knowing their neighbours by name, sharing communal space without overcrowding, and experiencing the intimacy of a managed building rather than the anonymity of a large residential tower. This social dynamic is a legitimate lifestyle preference for a specific buyer and tenant profile — typically singles, couples, and small families who find large-scale condominium anonymity unappealing and prefer a more self-contained residential community.
Residents who require more extensive recreational facilities have convenient access to the broader D14 and Paya Lebar amenity base: the Paya Lebar Sports Complex, Tanjong Katong Complex, and the extensive park connector network along Geylang River and Kallang Riverside provide active lifestyle infrastructure within a short commute.
Unit Sizes & Layout
Ness delivers 62 units across a single eight-storey block, with a unit mix that reflects the development’s compact boutique format and city-fringe investor orientation. Units range from one-bedroom configurations starting at approximately 431 sqft through compact two-bedroom layouts at 441–570 sqft, with penthouses at the upper floors extending to approximately 985–1,055 sqft in two-bedroom penthouse format. The overall range — from a 431 sqft one-bedder to a 1,055 sqft penthouse — spans the spectrum from pure investment unit to owner-occupier primary residence.
The 431–441 sqft one- and two-bedroom compact configurations are the development’s investment engine: at $1,423 average PSF, a 431 sqft one-bedroom unit implies a transacted value of approximately $613,000 — a meaningful entry price for a freehold D14 condominium that is accessible to a wider investor universe than larger or higher-PSF comparable developments. The rental arithmetic against $2,503 average monthly rent produces a gross yield of approximately 2.1% for the overall portfolio, with tighter yields on the larger penthouse units and somewhat better yields achievable on the compact configurations given their lower capital cost.
The penthouse configurations at 985–1,055 sqft represent the development’s owner-occupier proposition: a two-bedroom penthouse in a freehold boutique development, with pool and city views from the upper floors, at a transacted price implied by $1,423 PSF of approximately $1.4–$1.5 million. For an owner-occupier who values the intimacy of a boutique development, freehold permanence, and city-fringe MRT connectivity, this is a competitive price point relative to comparable two-bedroom configurations in larger leasehold developments in the same district.
The freehold tenure is the most durable unit quality for all configurations at Ness. Freehold title means zero lease-decay risk, no CPF usage restrictions on remaining lease, and full eligibility for bank financing without lease-related LTV or tenure constraints — in perpetuity. For a D14 city-fringe development positioned in the PAB transformation corridor, freehold tenure also preserves full en-bloc optionality: as PAB height restrictions ease and the sub-regional centre densification thesis plays out, a 62-unit freehold block on a site within the Paya Lebar corridor becomes an increasingly attractive collective sale candidate.
| Bedrooms | Transactions | Avg PSF | Avg Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 BR | 18 | $1,473 | $642,772 |
| 1 BR | 6 | $1,334 | $752,833 |
| 3 BR | 1 | $1,062 | $1,120,000 |
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 25 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $505,000 to $1,120,000, averaging $688,276 (~$1,579 psf).
Rents range from $1,650 to $4,200 per month across 131 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 4.4%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2025, the average PSF has appreciated by 16% (from $1,362 to $1,579 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
Within the D14 boutique freehold development segment, the most structurally comparable development to Ness is Centra Studios — a similarly compact freehold development in the Aljunied–Geylang corridor with a comparable unit mix of studios and one-bedroom configurations targeting the investment and young-professional segment. Centra Studios has transacted at broadly similar PSF levels, confirming that the $1,400–$1,600 PSF range represents the market-clearing price band for sub-100-unit freehold boutique product in this part of D14. The comparison is useful because it illustrates that Ness’s pricing is not anomalous — it reflects the district-wide benchmark for this asset class rather than a premium or discount to type.
Sims Urban Oasis (District 14, 1,024 units, 99-year leasehold, 2017 TOP, by GuocoLand) provides the large-scale leasehold comparison point. Sims Urban Oasis has transacted at approximately $1,400–$1,700 PSF in recent years — a PSF range broadly overlapping with Ness — but on a 99-year leasehold tenure commencing 2014 with approximately 88 years remaining. The comparison illustrates a core structural dynamic in the D14 market: freehold boutique product (Ness) and large-scale leasehold product (Sims Urban Oasis) trade at similar PSF levels, but the underlying tenure permanence and en-bloc optionality of the freehold asset represent a qualitatively different proposition for long-hold investors. Buyers who view the PAB transformation as a decade-plus catalyst should apply a freehold premium in their valuation framework that pure PSF comparison does not capture.
The Antares (D14, 265 units, 99-year leasehold, 2023 TOP, by FSKH Development) is the newer leasehold benchmark for the Mattar–MacPherson corridor of D14, having transacted at approximately $1,700–$1,900 PSF at launch and settling in the $1,600–$1,750 PSF range in recent resale transactions. The Antares’ higher PSF relative to Ness reflects its newer vintage, more comprehensive facilities, and proximity to MacPherson MRT on the Circle and Downtown Lines rather than Aljunied EWL. The comparison shows that Ness, at $1,423 PSF freehold, is priced at a meaningful discount to the newer 99-year leasehold benchmark in the same district — a freehold-vs-leasehold inversion that reflects Ness’s older vintage, smaller scale, and more limited facilities rather than any fundamental devaluation of the freehold premium.
Buyers evaluating Ness against non-D14 alternatives should consider Geylang’s structural advantages: higher freehold land density than most comparable city-fringe districts, dual MRT line access from a single residential corridor, established sub-regional commercial centre status at Paya Lebar, and the PAB transformation catalyst — a combination that is difficult to replicate in D12, D13, or the outer D15 eastern districts at the same PSF.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NESS | Freehold | 2015 | 62 | $1,579 |
| PARC ESTA | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 1,399 | $2,184 |
| SIMS URBAN OASIS | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2014 | 2020 | 1,024 | $1,762 |
| PENROSE | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2019 | 2021 | 566 | $1,928 |
| EUHABITAT | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2010 | 2016 | 697 | $1,326 |
| THE ANTARES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 265 | $1,833 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates NESS across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“Very convenient location — Aljunied MRT is about 10 minutes on foot and you can also take a short bus ride to Paya Lebar interchange. The development is quiet for Geylang, and the pool area is well-maintained despite the small size. Good value for freehold.”
— Owner review via PropertyGuru
“I rented here for two years. The unit was well-laid-out for the size and the building management was responsive. Being near the Geylang food belt is a huge plus — the variety and value of eating options within walking distance is hard to beat anywhere else in Singapore.”
— Tenant review via 99.co
“Bought as an investment. Freehold D14 at under $1,500 PSF with dual MRT access is a solid long-term hold. The PAB relocation story is a medium-term catalyst and en-bloc potential should improve as the precinct densifies. Not a yield story right now but the capital appreciation thesis is real.”
— Investor comment via EdgeProp
“The boutique scale is genuinely nice — you know the security staff, the pool is rarely crowded, and it does not feel like a dormitory block. For a single professional the size and location is ideal. Maintenance fees are low too, which matters.”
— Resident comment via SRX
The consistent themes from resident and investor feedback at Ness are: appreciation of the boutique intimacy, recognition of the MRT and food-culture lifestyle advantages of the D14 location, and investor confidence in the medium-term PAB transformation thesis as a capital appreciation catalyst. Tenant feedback centres on the value-for-money proposition of a freehold city-fringe address, the food and lifestyle richness of the Geylang corridor, and the practical MRT connectivity to the broader Singapore employment base. Investor buyers focus on the durability of freehold tenure in a district with significant redevelopment optionality as the PAB height restrictions eventually lift.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure — full permanence, no lease decay, no CPF usage restrictions, no bank financing lease-related constraints; en-bloc optionality preserved in perpetuity
- Dual MRT line coverage: Aljunied (EW9) on the East-West Line and Dakota (CC8) on the Circle Line both accessible on foot — connecting residents to CBD, Paya Lebar interchange, and the full MRT network arc
- Paya Lebar Air Base relocation catalyst (2030s onward) — PAB height restriction removal will unlock densification potential and improve en-bloc economics for low-rise freehold sites in the D14 corridor
- Accessible price entry for freehold D14: average $1,423 PSF with compact unit entry prices from approximately $600,000–$700,000 for one-bedroom configurations — lower capital cost than comparable new-launch 99-year leasehold product
- Boutique 62-unit scale — intimate community character, lower maintenance fee burden, no overcrowded amenity facilities, responsive building management in a self-contained residential environment
- Paya Lebar sub-regional centre proximity — one MRT stop to Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ), Grade A office employment node, and one of Singapore’s most actively developed mixed-use precincts
- Geylang food culture — one of Singapore’s most celebrated food streets within walking distance; Old Airport Road and Geylang hawker precincts represent a genuine lifestyle asset for food-culture residents
- Functional amenity set (pool, gym, parking, 24-hour security) without the maintenance cost overhead of resort-format facilities — keeps monthly carrying costs lean for investors managing yield arithmetic
- City-fringe connectivity to CBD (Raffles Place 4 stops on EWL from Aljunied) and Changi Business Park corridor via EWL — serves a broad tenant base of CBD and eastern Singapore employment zone professionals
- Compact unit sizes (431–570 sqft for 1- and 2-bedroom configurations) — best suited to singles, couples, and investment tenants; limited appeal for families or buyers who prioritise generous living space
- Gross yield ~2.1% at $2,503/month average rent — rental income typically does not cover financing costs for leveraged buyers; investment thesis must centre on capital appreciation rather than positive carry
- Geylang Road reputation — while Lorong 32 is a quieter residential side-street, the district carries an entertainment-area association that affects resale liquidity and tenant profile for some buyer segments
- Limited facilities for a condominium development — no tennis court, function room, sky garden, or resort-format amenity deck; residents requiring comprehensive recreational programming will need to look beyond the development
- Older vintage (2015 TOP) — at 10+ years old, common areas and fittings will show age relative to newer launches; buyers should assess maintenance standards at the development before committing
- PAB transformation is a medium-term catalyst (2030s) — buyers seeking near-term capital catalysts will need to exercise patience; the thesis is structural and long-hold, not a 2–3 year trade
- Single block, 8-storey format limits view premium — upper-floor units have better outlook but the building height is insufficient to clear surrounding urban fabric for panoramic city or sea views
Verdict
Ness is a focused proposition: a freehold boutique city-fringe development at an accessible price point, in a district with genuine medium-term transformation upside, for buyers whose investment or lifestyle priorities align with the D14 value thesis. It is not a development that competes on facilities, scale, or brand prestige — it competes on freehold tenure durability, city-fringe connectivity, and the structural optionality of a 62-unit freehold block in the Paya Lebar transformation corridor.
The financial metrics are honest: $1,423 PSF is a reasonable city-fringe freehold entry point for D14; 2.1% gross yield is serviceable but not compelling as a pure yield play — at $2,503 average monthly rent against a $600,000–$700,000 compact unit price, financing costs for a leveraged acquisition will typically exceed rental income. The investment thesis for Ness is not yield-driven; it is freehold capital preservation with PAB transformation upside over a 10–15 year horizon.
Ness is the right answer for buyers who want durable freehold title in a city-fringe district with genuine long-term transformation catalysts, at an accessible entry price, with the intimacy of boutique scale — and who understand that the return thesis is capital appreciation in a precinct that will structurally improve as Paya Lebar Air Base relocates and height restrictions lift, rather than immediate rental yield optimisation.
The Paya Lebar Air Base relocation — confirmed for the 2030s — is the most significant medium-term catalyst for D14 freehold property. When PAB relocates, the current building height restriction envelope, which currently caps development across a broad swathe of D14 and surrounding areas, will be removed. This will immediately unlock higher density development potential for freehold sites in the corridor, improving en-bloc economics and driving redevelopment interest. A 62-unit freehold block on a site within realistic radius of the PAB footprint and the Paya Lebar sub-regional centre is a genuine beneficiary of this structural change — not as an immediate liquid return, but as a long-hold asset whose redevelopment optionality increases as the transformation progresses.
For owner-occupiers, Ness offers a low-maintenance boutique freehold urban base with good MRT access, the lifestyle richness of the D14 food and culture environment, and the intrinsic appeal of a small, well-managed residential community at a price point that is meaningfully below comparable new-launch leasehold product in the district. The compact unit sizes require buyers to calibrate their space expectations, but for singles, couples, and small households who prioritise location over living area, the proposition is coherent and competitively priced.