Newest

Overview & Key Facts

NEWest occupies a quiet stretch of West Coast Drive in District 5, a pocket of Singapore that most buyers overlook in favour of the more prominent Queenstown or Buona Vista addresses just a few kilometres to the east. Developed by Oxley Viva Pte. Ltd. — a wholly owned subsidiary of the Singapore Exchange-listed Oxley Holdings — the development obtained its Temporary Occupation Permit in 2017 and introduced a distinctive mixed-use format to this low-rise residential road: 136 residential units stacked above 141 commercial strata units at the podium level.

The development carries one of the most unusual tenure structures in Singapore private residential history: a 956-year leasehold commencing from 1928. This warrants a brief explanation. Singapore’s leasehold system was established under British colonial administration, and some colonial-era land grants were issued for extraordinarily long terms — including 999-year and, less commonly, 956-year tenures. The original 1928 grant predates Singapore’s independence by nearly four decades. With the lease running until approximately 2884, a buyer today is effectively acquiring a title that will outlast every living Singaporean and several generations of their descendants. For all practical, legal, and financial purposes, a 956-year leasehold from 1928 functions identically to freehold: banks treat it as freehold for financing, the CPF board applies no additional restrictions, and no lease-decay discount applies to valuations within any relevant planning horizon. Buyers who understand this have a meaningful edge over those who see “leasehold” and stop reading.

Oxley Holdings has built its reputation on compact, commercially shrewd developments — often in niche locations that are revalued as the surrounding precinct matures. NEWest is characteristic of this playbook: a modest 136-unit quantum on a tight footprint, with a commercial podium designed to generate foot traffic and create a self-contained neighbourhood node. Whether the commercial component fully lives up to that vision is something we examine in detail below. What is beyond dispute is that the underlying land tenure makes NEWest an anomaly — a near-perpetual title in the OCR, at OCR prices.

Location & Connectivity

NEWest sits on West Coast Drive, a tree-lined residential road that connects West Coast Road to the network of low-rise housing estates that fringe Pandan Reservoir and West Coast Park. The immediate neighbourhood is overwhelmingly quiet: landed houses, older walk-up apartments, and low-rise private estates occupy most of the surrounding blocks. The West Coast Park — a 51-hectare seafront park with adventure playgrounds, cycling paths, and direct views of the Jurong shipping channel — is approximately 600 metres on foot. For residents who value open green space over urban density, this is a genuinely rare pairing: walkable access to a major park from a private condo address at OCR pricing.

Transport requires an honest assessment. Clementi MRT (EW23) sits approximately 868 metres from the development — a distance that equates to a 10 to 12 minute walk along West Coast Road in Singapore’s equatorial climate. For MRT-dependent commuters, this is a borderline proposition: manageable if you are young and travel light, less comfortable on rainy mornings with a laptop bag. In practice, many residents use the bus services along West Coast Road (routes 175 and 176) or cycle to Clementi station. Clementi MRT is an important qualifier: it is a major East-West Line node and interchange with the Circle Line extension, providing good connectivity to Jurong, Queenstown, City Hall, and Changi. A West Coast MRT station on the Cross Island Line Phase 2 has been announced for the area, which should materially improve the pedestrian catchment for NEWest residents when it opens.

For drivers, the location is excellent. The Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) is accessible within two minutes via West Coast Road, putting the CBD at approximately 15 minutes in off-peak conditions. The one-north business park, NUS, Science Park I and II, and the Biopolis and Fusionopolis clusters are all within a 10 to 15 minute drive — making this a natural residential choice for tech workers, biomedical researchers, and academics who prefer to avoid the MRT entirely and live near their campuses.

The school catchment is a notable draw. NUS and NUS High School of Mathematics and Science are nearby, and the broader Clementi planning area is served by Clementi Primary, Nan Hua Primary, and New Town Primary — all reputable schools with good track records for Primary 1 balloting. Families with school-age children benefit from the established educational infrastructure in this corridor.

Schools & Education

3 primary schools within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.

Facilities

NEWest is a compact 136-unit development, and its facilities reflect that scale honestly. The amenity set is functional rather than resort-grade: an extended lap pool running between the blocks of triplex townhouses, a wading pool, a Jacuzzi, a gymnasium, an outdoor pavilion, and al fresco seating areas. Notably, every triplex unit on the fourth storey has either direct pool access or a private terrace — a feature that distinguishes this development from standard mid-rise condo formats. The pool deck orientation captures afternoon breezes from the west and offers a pleasantly private setting, given the low-rise density of the surrounding neighbourhood. Residents consistently note that the small unit count means amenities are rarely crowded and booking is straightforward.

The commercial podium — 141 strata retail and F&B units across the ground floor — was designed to function as a neighbourhood lifestyle hub. In practice, the results have been mixed. Early occupancy was uneven, with anchor tenants slow to commit. A full-sized supermarket (approximately 3,477 sqft) is part of the commercial offering, alongside a range of F&B, retail, and kiosk spaces. Critics have noted that strata retail tends to attract independent operators rather than national chains, which can result in inconsistent trading patterns. For residents, the ground-floor activation provides convenience for everyday errands without relying on a car — a genuine quality-of-life asset if the tenant mix remains healthy.

“Pool is very clean and almost never crowded given the small number of units. The gym is compact but well-equipped for a 136-unit development. The triplex units are a unique concept you rarely see in Singapore condos.”

— Resident review via EdgeProp

Unit Sizes & Layout

NEWest offers one of the most varied unit mix configurations in District 5 at this scale. The residential component comprises 59 conventional apartment units (1-bedroom at 463–581 sqft, 2-bedroom at 635–689 sqft, 2-bedroom penthouse at 893–958 sqft, and 3-bedroom penthouse at 1,195–1,346 sqft) and 77 triplex townhouse units at the fourth storey (2,400–2,971 sqft). The triplex format is highly unusual in Singapore condominiums: three-storey stacked units with private pool or terrace access, configured as landed-style homes within a strata development. For buyers who want the lifestyle of landed housing with the security and common facility infrastructure of a condo — and, critically, a near-perpetual tenure title — the triplex units occupy a distinct market niche. Floor plans are available on SRX.

The apartment units reflect Oxley’s characteristically efficient approach to space planning. One-bedrooms at 463 sqft are compact by any standard and will suit singles, investors optimising for rental yield, or couples who spend limited time at home. Two-bedrooms at 635–689 sqft are tight but functional, with the 2017 build quality and finishings representing a step up from the mid-2000s developments they compete against in resale comparisons. The 2017 completion means the development still looks and feels relatively modern: fittings, fixtures, and common area finishings have not yet reached the dated threshold that affects comparable late-2000s developments in the precinct. The near-perpetual 956-year tenure eliminates one of the key objections to smaller OCR units — lease decay — and means a buyer today can hold, rent, or resell without the progressive psf discount that accumulates on a standard 99-year leasehold as it ages.

Pricing & Market Position

Based on 38 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $745,000 to $2,800,000, averaging $1,932,506 (~$1,386 psf).

Rents range from $1,900 to $7,500 per month across 210 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 1.5%.

Price Appreciation

From 2021 to 2026, the average PSF has appreciated by 69.9% (from $928 to $1,576 psf).

Neighbourhood Comparison

The most direct comparisons in District 5 are The Clement Canopy (launched 2017, 505 units, 99-year leasehold, ~S$1,450–1,600 psf, strong MRT proximity at Clementi), Parc Clematis (2020, 1,468 units, 99-year leasehold at ~S$1,600–1,800 psf, a short walk from Clementi MRT), and Clementi Woods (older development, 99-year, significantly lower psf). Against these peers, NEWest’s tenure advantage is the decisive differentiator: the 956-year title from 1928 means buyers are not committing to a depreciating asset, whereas every comparable 99-year leasehold development in the precinct is actively accumulating lease decay. At approximately S$200–400 psf below Parc Clematis and S$150–350 below The Clement Canopy, NEWest offers OCR pricing with structural tenure protection that its peers cannot match. The trade-off is the 868m MRT gap, which Parc Clematis and The Clement Canopy both address more effectively.

The Vision and The Infiniti represent older District 5 comparables on the leasehold side, while The Trilinq (99-year, Clementi) offers a newer benchmark. Singapore Expats ratings place NEWest comfortably in the mid-to-upper range for District 5 residential, with location scores reflecting the park proximity and low-density neighbourhood rather than transit connectivity. For buyers whose primary comparison is “similar money, similar timing”, NEWest wins clearly on tenure and loses narrowly on MRT walk. For buyers who weight MRT access above all else, Parc Clematis or The Clement Canopy are the rational alternatives despite the PSF premium.

Lease Decay Analysis

The 99-year lease runs from 1928, meaning approximately 98 years have already been consumed. Roughly 1 years remain.

ShiokNest Scores

Our proprietary scoring system evaluates NEWEST across multiple dimensions.

What Residents Say

“The 956-year tenure really does make a difference when you explain it to buyers. It’s basically freehold but without the freehold premium. Our unit has appreciated well since we bought in pre-TOP, and the rental demand from NUS and one-north workers is steady.”

— Owner review via PropertyGuru

“West Coast Park is just a short walk away, and the area is genuinely peaceful. The downside is the MRT walk — 10-plus minutes to Clementi in the heat is not for everyone. We drive, so it hasn’t been an issue.”

— Resident review via EdgeProp

“The commercial shops downstairs have been inconsistent — some good F&B, but the tenant mix keeps changing. The supermarket is useful. Overall, the residential side is great; the retail concept has not fully delivered on its promise.”

— Resident review via 99.co

Strengths & Weaknesses

Verdict

NEWest’s clearest buyer segment is the one-north and science park professional: someone who drives to work at NUS, Biopolis, Fusionopolis, Science Park, or a Jurong technology firm, and who values proximity to West Coast Park and a quieter address over MRT adjacency. At approximately S$1,257 psf for recent OCR transactions, the pricing positions NEWest below comparable 2017-vintage condos in the Queenstown corridor while offering superior tenure. Gross rental yields at approximately 4.4% (based on S$3,812 average monthly rent) are respectable for District 5 and reflect the steady demand from the tech and biomedical workforce in the surrounding precinct.

The investment case turns on three structural arguments. First, the 956-year tenure from 1928 is a permanent differentiator: as Singapore’s broader housing stock ages and 99-year leasehold condos from the 1990s and 2000s begin crossing the 40-year threshold that triggers financing and CPF restrictions, NEWest will face no equivalent headwinds. Second, the Cross Island Line Phase 2 West Coast station represents genuine medium-term upside that is not priced into current OCR valuations. Third, the mixed-use podium — even with its tenant mix challenges — provides a ground-floor activation that adds convenience value that pure residential schemes in the area cannot match. The risk is that commercial strata assets are harder to manage than pure residential MCST structures, and tenant vacancies on the podium reduce the lifestyle proposition that underpins pricing.

Buyers should enter with realistic expectations on two fronts. The Clementi MRT walk at 868 metres is a genuine limitation for car-free households — manageable but not comfortable as a daily commute in all weather. And Oxley’s compact-format residential units (particularly the apartment tier, not the triplexes) are optimised for investment yield rather than generous living space. For families requiring 3-bedroom configurations at meaningful floor areas, the triplex format is the right answer within NEWest — but these command a significant premium over the apartment units. For a buyer who can work with the format, appreciates the park and West Coast lifestyle, and understands why a 956-year tenure from 1928 is structurally different from a 99-year lease from 2005, NEWest represents one of the more intelligently positioned assets in the OCR at current price points.