Place-8
Overview & Key Facts
Place-8 occupies a quiet stretch of Paya Lebar Crescent in District 19, developed by Le Premier Development Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Logistics Investment Pte. Ltd. Completed in 2018, it is not a conventional condominium but a boutique strata terrace cluster development — eight freehold, three-storey houses with basement parking and private roof terraces, arranged around a shared water feature. The name is quite literal: eight exclusive addresses, each standing as its own home within a gated enclave.
At roughly 3,175 to 3,390 square feet per unit, Place-8 offers the spatial generosity of landed living combined with the convenience of strata ownership — no individual land title to manage, shared perimeter security, and the freehold tenure that most Singaporeans would associate with a standalone terrace house. Each unit includes four bedrooms, a private roof terrace with a spa pool, and a basement car park. The water feature runs through the shared grounds, giving the development a considered, hotel-courtyard aesthetic.
With only three recorded sales transactions in URA’s database and a single rental record, Place-8 sits firmly in the “ultra-thin market” category. The average transacted price of around S$3.08 million (approximately S$940–984 psf on built area) reflects a very small sample. Prospective buyers should treat published price benchmarks with appropriate caution and commission an independent appraisal before transacting.
Location & Connectivity
Paya Lebar Crescent is a low-traffic residential street that threads between the Bartley and Serangoon MRT catchments in the mature north-east estate. Place-8 is 0.86 km from Bartley MRT (Circle Line) and 0.90 km from Serangoon MRT — the latter being a significant dual-line interchange serving both the Circle Line and the North-East Line. At roughly 10–12 minutes on foot, neither station qualifies as truly walkable in Singapore’s climate, but both are genuinely accessible by bicycle, scooter, or a short Grab ride.
The strategic value of Serangoon interchange is easy to underestimate. From Serangoon, commuters can reach Dhoby Ghaut in eight stops on the NEL, Harbourfront in ten, or loop via the CCL to Paya Lebar, Bishan, and Botanic Gardens without a transfer. Bartley CCL adds a direct western arc toward Caldecott, MacPherson, and Esplanade. For dual-income households where each partner commutes to a different part of the island, the two-line access from Serangoon is a genuine practical advantage.
For drivers, the Central Expressway (CTE) and Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) are both within easy reach, placing Orchard Road at roughly 15 minutes and the CBD at under 20 minutes in off-peak conditions. NEX shopping mall at Serangoon — with a FairPrice Xtra, Serangoon Public Library, and cinema — is under 1.5 km away. The Kovan and Serangoon shophouse belts offer a strong food and lifestyle scene within a short drive.
The school cluster surrounding Place-8 is one of the strongest in D19. Zhonghua Primary and Secondary are 0.48–0.55 km away, making the development highly competitive for primary school Phase 2C balloting within the 1 km priority radius. Cedar Girls’ Secondary (0.87 km), Cedar Primary (0.94 km), Montfort Junior (0.85 km), and Montfort Secondary (0.96 km) reinforce this as one of the most education-dense pockets in the north-east. Families with school-age children will find the location disproportionately well-served.
Schools & Education
3 primary schools within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Zhonghua Secondary School | secondary | Within 1 km |
| Zhonghua Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Montfort Junior School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Cedar Girls' Secondary School | secondary | Within 1 km |
| Cedar Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Montfort Secondary School | secondary | Within 1 km |
| Bartley Secondary School | secondary | ~1.0 km |
| Xinmin Secondary School | secondary | ~1.4 km |
Facilities
As a boutique cluster development of eight units, Place-8’s shared facilities are deliberately intimate rather than resort-style. The common areas centre on a water feature that flows through the courtyard grounds — each unit faces it, creating a sense of verdant enclosure. Perimeter gating and a shared driveway leading to individual basement car parks round out the communal infrastructure. There is no shared lap pool, gym, or function room; the philosophy here is that each home provides its own private resort experience via the roof terrace spa pool, rather than asking residents to share a large amenity podium with dozens of neighbours.
The private roof terrace with spa pool on every unit is the headline amenity. At 3,175–3,390 sqft of built area across three storeys plus a basement, each house has more internal volume than most Singapore apartment-dwellers will ever occupy. The trade-off is that buyers accustomed to shared gym facilities, a swimming complex, or tennis courts will need to manage those needs off-site — at nearby private clubs, public pools, or co-working gym facilities.
“Eight gorgeous 3-storey units with basement parking and private roof terraces — every home faces a water feature.”
— Le Premier Development marketing material, via COS.sg
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 3 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $2,970,000 to $3,188,888, averaging $3,082,963.
Rents range from $8,000 to $8,000 per month across 1 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 3.1%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2024, the average PSF has appreciated by 8.8% (from $905 to $984 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
Direct PSF comparisons between Place-8 and standard D19 condominiums are misleading because strata cluster houses are a different asset class. On built-area PSF, Place-8’s S$940–984 looks dramatically cheaper than Chuan Park (S$2,596 psf) or Affinity at Serangoon (S$1,698 psf) — but those developments offer different unit profiles (apartments from ~500 sqft upward), share large amenity podiums, and target a broader buyer and rental pool. A more meaningful comparison is against other freehold cluster houses or semi-detached properties in D19, where S$3–3.5 million for 3,200 sqft freehold strata represents competitive value.
Buyers considering Place-8 against a conventional D19 condo should honestly assess their lifestyle needs: if a shared gym, swimming complex, and easy rental exit matter, a larger development like The Florence Residences or Riverfront Residences (leasehold, but far more liquid) may be the rational choice. If the priority is space, privacy, freehold tenure, and school catchment proximity, Place-8 stands largely without competition in its immediate sub-market — because there are simply very few freehold strata cluster enclaves of this quality in the Bartley–Serangoon belt.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE-8 | 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 PLACE-8 across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“Very private and exclusive living — feels more like a landed house than a condo. The roof terrace and basement parking make a real difference to daily life.”
— Owner-occupier feedback, Paya Lebar Crescent enclave
Given only eight units, public review data for Place-8 is sparse. Anecdotal feedback from the Bartley-area landed and cluster house community consistently highlights the value of private parking, terrace access, and the absence of shared-amenity crowding that affects larger developments. Residents of nearby Paya Lebar Crescent describe the street as quiet even on weekday evenings, with primary school traffic the main source of noise during school term.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure — permanent ownership, no lease decay risk
- Landed-style living: 3-storey house, ~3,200 sqft, basement parking, roof terrace
- Private spa pool on every unit's roof terrace
- Ultra-boutique enclave of 8 — exceptional privacy vs typical condominiums
- Dual MRT access: Bartley CCL (0.86km) + Serangoon CCL/NEL interchange (0.90km)
- Outstanding school catchment: Zhonghua Pri/Sec, Cedar Pri/Girls', Montfort Pri/Sec
- Mature, quiet residential street with low traffic and stable neighbourhood character
- Freehold strata — no individual land title maintenance vs true landed
- Implied gross yield of ~3.11% reasonable for freehold D19 at this price point
- Competitive psf vs freehold landed alternatives in the Bartley-Serangoon belt
- Extremely thin market — only 3 recorded sales, 1 rental; price discovery is difficult
- No shared gym, lap pool, or clubhouse — amenity-seekers must go off-site
- MRT not truly walkable (~10–12 min on foot in tropical heat)
- ShiokNest score and automated metrics unreliable due to data scarcity
- Narrow buyer and tenant pool — strata cluster houses attract fewer active searchers than apartments
- Longer expected time-on-market when reselling vs mainstream condominiums
- No published recent 12-month PSF benchmark — valuation risk for buyers and banks
- Higher quantum (~S$3M+) limits pool of eligible buyers and renters
- Limited developer track record information — Le Premier Development is a single-project entity
Verdict
Place-8 occupies an unusual niche in the Singapore residential market: freehold, boutique, landed-adjacent living in a D19 location that offers genuine dual-MRT access and one of the strongest school clusters in the north-east. At roughly S$3.08 million per unit, buyers are acquiring approximately 3,200 sqft of freehold strata house in a gated enclave of eight — a proposition that compares favourably on a per-sqft basis with new-build freehold apartments in the same district, and offers a category of privacy and space that standard condominiums cannot replicate.
The case against is primarily one of liquidity. With only three sales on record and a very narrow buyer pool for large strata cluster houses, sellers should expect longer marketing periods and limited price discovery. The PSF of approximately S$940–984 sits well below the D19 condominium market (Chuan Park at S$2,596 psf, Affinity at Serangoon at S$1,698 psf) — partly because cluster houses are appraised differently, and partly because the thin market makes it difficult to establish a firm value floor. Investors seeking liquid, benchmark-trackable assets should look elsewhere. Owner-occupiers who value space, privacy, and freehold permanence over trading flexibility will find Place-8 far more compelling.
The Bartley–Serangoon triangle is a settled, mature residential zone that is unlikely to see the kind of disruptive density change that can revalue OCR properties overnight. The Paya Lebar commercial hub and the Serangoon interchange upgrade have already been priced in over the past decade. What remains is a quiet street of low-rise housing, schools, and park greenery — exactly the conditions that attract long-hold, family-oriented buyers. Place-8 is best understood as a forever home for the right household, not a five-year trade.