The Botanic On Lloyd
Overview & Key Facts
The Botanic on Lloyd occupies a low-profile site on Lloyd Road in District 9 — tucked into the quiet residential pocket just south of Orchard Road and east of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Developed by CRL Realty Pte Ltd, the residential arm of CapitaLand, and completed in 2006, this is a boutique freehold development of just 66 units spread across a single 24-storey tower. For a CapitaLand product in the Core Central Region, 66 units is deliberately intimate — a sharp contrast to the sprawling mega-developments the developer is more commonly associated with.
The address says much about the intent. Lloyd Road is a discreet, tree-lined street running parallel to Orchard Road without any of its commercial noise. The surrounding conservation shophouses, embassy compounds, and low-rise landed enclaves give the area a calm that is genuinely rare this close to Orchard Belt. The building itself adopts a restrained contemporary aesthetic — full-height glazing, lush landscaping at the podium level, and a green corridor that references the Botanic Gardens connection embedded in its name.
With an average rental of $10,472 per month and 96 rental transactions against only 7 recorded resale transactions, The Botanic on Lloyd functions overwhelmingly as an expat tenancy product. The buyer profile skews toward long-term hold and rental income rather than speculative capital gain — a characteristic that shapes everything from the unit mix to the management culture of the MCST.
Location & Connectivity
The location is among the strongest in Singapore private residential, full stop. Somerset MRT (North-South Line) is 450 metres away — a genuinely walkable seven-minute stroll. Great World MRT (Thomson-East Coast Line) sits 620 metres out, and Fort Canning MRT (Downtown Line) is 690 metres in the other direction. With three lines accessible on foot, residents are effectively insulated from service disruption on any single line — an underrated resilience advantage for daily commuters.
Orchard Road shopping is a ten-minute walk. Dhoby Ghaut interchange is 720 metres away, connecting the North-South, North-East, and Circle Lines. For drivers, the Central Expressway is accessible in under five minutes, putting the CBD at roughly 10 minutes in off-peak conditions and Changi Airport at around 25 minutes. Clarke Quay, Robertson Quay, and the River Valley dining strip are all within a 10-15 minute walk or a two-stop MRT ride. In practical terms, residents rarely feel the need to own a car — which is reflected in the walkability score of 89/100.
Everyday errands are equally well served. Cold Storage at Valley Point is within walking distance, along with the cluster of restaurants and cafes along Mohamed Sultan Road and River Valley Road. Fairfield Methodist School (Primary) is 350 metres away — the closest school to any CCR condo in this sub-market, and a meaningful advantage for families navigating the Phase 2C ballot. Kheng Cheng School and ACS (Junior) are both under 1 km, and Singapore Management University is 1.15 km for residents with older students.
Schools & Education
3 primary schools within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Fairfield Methodist School (Primary) | primary | Within 1 km |
| Kheng Cheng School | primary | Within 1 km |
| ACS (Junior) | primary | Within 1 km |
| Singapore Management University | tertiary | ~1.2 km |
| Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts | tertiary | ~1.4 km |
| School of the Arts | jc | ~1.5 km |
| St. Anthony's Primary School | primary | ~1.5 km |
| Outram Secondary School | secondary | ~1.5 km |
Facilities
At 66 units, The Botanic on Lloyd offers what might be called a curated facilities package — a 25-metre lap pool, a well-appointed gym, Jacuzzi, BBQ pavilions, and a landscaped sky garden. The podium gardens are lushly planted and benefit from the green corridor that inspired the development’s name. There are no tennis courts, badminton halls, or function rooms — this is not that kind of development. What it offers instead is a high ratio of landscaped common area to resident count: 66 units sharing a generously landscaped 1,742 sqm site means the facilities rarely feel crowded.
“The pool and garden area always feel private — I’ve lived here for three years and never had to queue for a lane. That’s rare for a Singapore condo at this price point.”
— Tenant review via PropertyGuru, 2024
For the typical resident profile — expat professional or senior executive on a two to three year lease — the facilities are adequate and well-maintained. Buyers should be clear-eyed that this is not a mega-condo with resort amenities; it is a high-location, high-specification residential tower where the primary amenity is the address itself. Management fees are commensurate with a well-run boutique building, and the MCST has maintained a consistent standard of upkeep since TOP.
Unit Sizes & Layout
The Botanic on Lloyd is configured primarily around large three and four-bedroom layouts, with unit sizes typically ranging from approximately 1,800 sqft to 3,200 sqft for the larger configurations, and a handful of two-bedroom units in the 1,200–1,400 sqft range. This is a CapitaLand signature from the mid-2000s era: generously proportioned floor plates, higher ceiling heights than contemporary builds, and dedicated utility and wet kitchen areas that have largely disappeared from post-2015 construction. Buyers accustomed to the sub-800 sqft two-bedrooms that dominate today’s market will find these units feel like a different product category.
Stack selection matters at this address. Units facing Lloyd Road benefit from the tree canopy and the low-rise character of the neighbourhood; units oriented toward the development’s interior courtyard capture the pool and garden views without road-level exposure. Higher floors command unobstructed sightlines across the conservation bungalows and embassy compounds — views that are effectively protected given the landed character of the immediate surroundings. There is some ambient street activity from the Lloyd Road bar and restaurant cluster in the evening; buyers who are light sleepers should enquire about unit orientation before committing.
| Bedrooms | Transactions | Avg PSF | Avg Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 BR | 2 | $2,331 | $3,600,000 |
| 5 BR | 5 | $2,174 | $6,140,000 |
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 7 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $3,500,000 to $7,480,000, averaging $5,414,286 (~$2,262 psf).
Rents range from $6,000 to $18,000 per month across 96 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 2.3%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2026, the average PSF has appreciated by 7.4% (from $1,996 to $2,145 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
The four closest competitors in D9 frame the trade-offs clearly. The Avenir ($3,190 psf, freehold, 376 units, 2023 TOP) is the most direct premium comparison — significantly newer finishings, a full facilities suite, and higher unit count, but at a 41% PSF premium over The Botanic on Lloyd and with a 99-year leasehold component in some stacks. River Green ($3,135 psf, 99-year leasehold) and Irwell Hill Residences ($2,726 psf, 99-year leasehold) both offer newer builds and larger facilities, but carry leasehold tenure that forfeits The Botanic on Lloyd’s primary competitive advantage. Kopar at Newton ($2,512 psf, 99-year leasehold) is the closest on psf but sits in a slightly less convenient transit position and lacks the freehold status.
For a buyer whose primary criteria is freehold CCR at the lowest available entry psf with walkable MRT access, The Botanic on Lloyd occupies a largely uncontested niche in the current D9 market. Buyers willing to accept 99-year leasehold gain access to better facilities and newer builds at River Green and Irwell Hill; buyers who need the newest finishings and are lease-agnostic should look at The Avenir and accept the price. The key honest trade-off: The Botanic on Lloyd gives you freehold and location at a discount, but asks you to accept thin resale liquidity, a dated facilities package, and a 2006 construction vintage. For long-term holders, that is a reasonable bargain; for buyers with a five-year horizon, the illiquid exit risk warrants careful consideration.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE BOTANIC ON LLOYD | Freehold | 2006 | 66 | $2,262 |
| IRWELL HILL RESIDENCES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2020 | 2021 | 540 | $2,726 |
| RIVER GREEN | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2024 | 2025 | 524 | $3,135 |
| RIVER MODERN | 99 years leasehold | — | — | $3,237 |
| THE AVENIR | Freehold | 2021 | 376 | $3,190 |
| KOPAR AT NEWTON | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2019 | 2021 | 378 | $2,512 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates THE BOTANIC ON LLOYD across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“Lloyd Road is genuinely quiet for being so close to Orchard. I can walk to Somerset in eight minutes, the pool is never crowded, and the management is responsive. My only gripe is that the gym equipment needs an upgrade — it hasn’t changed since I moved in five years ago.”
— Long-term tenant review via EdgeProp, 2024
“Excellent location — three MRT lines all within walking distance. The units are large by current Singapore standards and the building is well-maintained. The boutique scale means you actually know your neighbours, which is very different from the 300-unit towers nearby.”
— Owner-occupier review via PropertyGuru, 2023
“Good condo, good location, but the facilities are basic for the price. No tennis court, the gym is dated, and the BBQ area is small. If facilities are important to you, look elsewhere in D9. If you just want a quiet, well-located freehold unit with proper room sizes, it works.”
— Resident review via 99.co, 2023
The pattern across review platforms is consistent: residents value the location quality, low-density feel, and building management, but flag the facilities as modest relative to the rental price point. For an expat tenancy market accustomed to comparable budgets at newer, amenity-rich towers, managing expectations around the facilities package is important during leasing. Those who prioritise space, address, and quiet over resort amenities consistently rate the development highly; those seeking a full lifestyle amenity suite should look at larger D9 developments nearby.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure — permanent ownership in prime D9 CCR
- Somerset MRT (NSL) 450 m — genuinely walkable commute
- Three MRT lines within 720 m (NSL, TEL, DTL) — exceptional redundancy
- Fairfield Methodist Primary 350 m — strongest P1 ballot advantage in the sub-market
- 29–41% PSF discount vs new CCR launches (The Avenir, River Green)
- Generously proportioned 3–4BR units (1,800–3,200 sqft) vs shrunken new-build equivalents
- Boutique 66-unit scale — pool and facilities never crowded
- Quiet tree-lined Lloyd Road address, conservation neighbourhood character
- Deep, consistent expat rental demand — 96 rentals vs 7 sales confirms stable tenancy market
- CapitaLand-quality construction with robust MCST management since TOP
- Exceptionally thin resale liquidity — only 7 transactions in 19 years; exit may be slow
- PSF dipped from $2,378 (2023) to $2,145 (2024) — below recent peak
- Facilities package is modest for rental price point (no tennis, dated gym)
- Gross yield of 2.31% is below prime district average; income return is modest
- 2006 construction vintage — bathrooms and kitchen finishings need renovation budget
- Some evening street activity from Lloyd Road F&B cluster (lower floors)
- Small unit count limits building reserves and MCST financial buffer
- No car park visitor spaces — guests face street parking challenges
Verdict
The Botanic on Lloyd makes an unusually clean case for itself: freehold tenure on Lloyd Road at $2,262 psf, with Somerset MRT 450 metres away and Fairfield Methodist within walking distance. Against newer CCR launches — The Avenir at $3,190 psf, River Green at $3,135 psf — the headline discount is 29 to 41 percent. For buyers who need a freehold CCR asset and are not chasing the newest finishings, the value proposition is hard to dismiss.
The most important caveat is liquidity. Seven resale transactions over the development’s 19-year life is an exceptionally thin traded history for a 66-unit building. This is not necessarily a sign of a troubled asset — it more likely reflects a cohort of owner-investors who bought for yield, are satisfied with the rental performance, and have not needed to sell. But thin liquidity creates real risk at the exit: a buyer who needs to sell in a compressed timeframe may find price discovery slow and buyer pool shallow. The 2024 PSF dip to $2,145 from a 2023 peak of $2,378 also warrants acknowledgement — while not catastrophic, it suggests that price momentum here is a function of the broader CCR cycle rather than any development-specific demand driver.
The right buyer for The Botanic on Lloyd is patient, income-oriented, and prioritises freehold tenure and location quality over resale velocity. The rental yield of 2.31% gross is below prime district norms, but the depth of the expat tenancy market (96 rental transactions vs 7 sales) confirms that demand is consistent. For owner-occupiers who prize proximity to Orchard Road, multi-line MRT access, and the quiet dignity of a low-density CCR address, this development offers a quality of daily life that newer launches at significantly higher prices do not materially improve on.