Normanton Park

Back in 2017, Kingsford Development acquired the former Normanton Park condominium via an en-bloc sale for a whopping $830.1 million.

Okay, I am going to very upfront and honest here.

Before the new Normanton Park condo, I never really liked any of the previous projects developed by the Chinese property developer, Kingsford Development.

Even before their 2 previous projects, Kingsford Waterbay and Kingsford Hillview Peak were completed, I had some serious concerns.

I was having doubts about the quality of the homes that they are able to deliver to their prospects just by visit their appalling show flats.

To be fair, those projects were good for money based on their locations. However, they weren’t great in terms of value due to their built quality.

As a result and true enough, the government hit Kingsford Development with a no-sale license for the new Normanton Park condo back in 2019.

The reason was that some parts of the Kingsford Waterbay condo didn’t comply with the construction requirements. These requirements were based on the Building Control Act and Regulations set by the authorities.

You can read the full article from Business Times here.

The no-sale license means Kingsford Development can proceed with the construction works of Normanton Park. However, it is prohibited from selling any of its units off-plan without approval from the Controller of Housing (CoH).

Now all’s done and dust. Normanton Park has been officially launched for sale since January 2021.

So, is Normanton Park condo a good buy? Is it worth taking a ‘risk’?

Let us go through some of the details and I will share with you my thoughts & personal review at the end of this post.

Normanton Park Project Overview

Here’s an overview of the project information for the Normanton Park condo for a start.

Project Name	Normanton Park
Address	1 – 63 Normanton Park
Type	Residential
Developer	Kingsford Huray Development Pte Ltd
Architect	P&T Consultants Pte Ltd
Tenure	99-year Leasehold
Site area	684,523 sq ft
Total number of units	1,862 (inclusive of 22 strata terrace houses)
Total number of carpark lots	1,862 (inclusive 22 private parking lots for terrace houses & 3 lots for commercial shops)
Number of blocks	9
Number of storey	24-storey (9 blocks) and 2-storey (22 terrace houses)
Expected TOP date	June 2023

Normanton Park Developer

The developer of Normanton Park condominium is Kingsford Development (鑫丰地产), the property arm of China-based firm, Kingsford Group.

This new launch at Normanton Park is only the 3rd private residential development in Singapore under its portfolio – since incorporation in 2011.

Kingsford Group made its debut in the real estate market in Shenyang, China in 2001 with Kingsford Garden.

Subsequently, over the last 2 decades, it has developed numerous residential and commercial projects back in China and overseas.

As mentioned earlier, the other 2 residential projects developed by Kingsford Development were Kingsford Waterbay and Kingsford Hillview Peak.

Normanton Park Location

Normanton Park condominium is located along Normanton Park and the Science Park Drive enclave. That is to say, Normanton Park is zoned under District 5 in Singapore.

It is situated on a vast site that is right next to the undulating greens of Kent Ridge Park.

Looking at the map, you will also realize that there aren’t many high-rise buildings around – or practically none.

Hence, certain units within the condominium will get to enjoy the surrounding scenic views right from the comfort of their own homes.

On top of that, there are other things worthy to take note of for the location of this new launch condo at Normanton Park.

Greater Southern Waterfront

This is definitely not something new. As a matter of fact, it’s been widely mentioned and discussed over the last couple of years.

The Greater Southern Waterfront is probably the Singapore government’s biggest redevelopment plan at this point.

6 times the size of Marina Bay!

This massive 2,000-hectare site has been envisioned to be the ‘Waterfront City of the Future’ by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) of Singapore.

As a result, what can we expect? New skylines, a brand new entertainment hub, and themed attractions.

This could well be another prominent attraction in Singapore, and living at the location of where Normanton Park is will allow you better and easier access to this new landmark.

In addition, to makes things even better, there will be a new road constructed from Portsdown Road connecting to South Buona Vista Road.

That is to say, not only it reduces traveling time and distance, but it will also offer residents at Normanton Park convenient and direct access to the Greater Southern Waterfront City.

Likewise, this is also why homebuyers are drawn to other nearby new launch condos such as Avenue South Residence and Kent Ridge Hill Residences.

Within the heart of key business nodes

Normanton Park is strategically positioned within the heart of many key business nodes in Singapore.

Here’s a simple illustration to showcase its location attributes.

You can see that it is within close proximity to the 2 major business zones – The Central Business District and Jurong Lake District.

In addition, it is even closer to other key business clusters such as the International Business Park, Alexandra Business Cluster, Buona Vista Business Cluster, and one-North Business Park.

For those who are working or commuting to these areas day in day out, then this would be an absolute plus point.

If you were to look at it from an investment point of view, Normanton Park could easily be one of the top choices for tenants who are working in these areas.

And that’s a huge pool of potential tenants.

Just by looking at the one-North Business cluster, which is the closest among all. It is already home to more than many multinational corporations (MNCs), local companies, and public research institutes.

Even globally-renowned companies, such as Razer are setting up a new Southeast Asia headquarters within the one-North Business cluster.

Normanton Park actually reminds me a little bit of The Interlace condo (which is not very far away). I’ve personally visited it before and there seems to be a large pool of expatriates renting over there.

Anyway, I’ll touch on the rental demand with some numbers later on in this post.

Close to top education institutions

For parents who are looking to get their young ones enrolled in a renowned primary school, there aren’t really any primary schools within the 1-km radius of Normanton Park condominium.

The only primary schools that are still within the 2-km radius are Fairfield Methodist School (Primary), Queenstown Primary School, and New Town Primary School.

But if you looking out for tertiary institutes, schools such as the Singapore Polytechnic, and the National University of Singapore (NUS) are all within close proximity.

Not forgetting INSEAD, which is one of the world’s largest and finest business schools.

As for those who are looking to send their kids to an international school, the Tanglin Trust School is just a mere 5-minute drive away.

Normanton Park Condo Facilities

With a land size of more than 600,00 sq ft and housing 1,862 residential units, you can be almost sure that there will be an abundance of facilities for residents to choose from.

Unlike most full condominium projects, Normanton Park not only offers conventional facilities, but there are more than 100 different lifestyle facilities within the compound.

For instance, you will find a wide range of water-based and aquatic facilities for individuals or families.

By night, water features within the project will also help create that serene and calming environment for the residents.

In order to give you a better view of the condo facilities available, you can take a look at the following site plan with the facilities marked out.

Normanton Park Floor Plan and Unit Types

Normanton Park consists of 1,862 private residential units in total, with 22 strata terrace houses.

The units are distributed across 9 residential blocks and it is expected to TOP by June 2023.

Here is the Normanton Park floor plan for each unit type available for sale:

• 1-Bedroom (484 to 657 sq ft)

• 1-Bedroom + Study (560 to 700 sq ft)

• 2-Bedroom Compact (635 to 797 sq ft)

• 2-Bedroom Premium (657 to 893 sq ft)

• 2-Bedroom + Study (829 to 980 sq ft)

• 3-Bedroom Compact (904 to 1,109 sq ft)

• 3-Bedroom Premium (1,066 to 1,249 sq ft)

• 4-Bedroom Compact + Study (1,195 to 1,346 sq ft)

• 4-Bedroom Premium (1,313 to 1,496 sq ft)

• 5-Bedroom (1,615 to 1,798 sq ft)

• Terrace House (2,110 sq ft)

• Commercial Shop

Normanton Park Showflat Location

The Normanton Park showflat is located right next to the actual site of the development. As you approach the condominium’s site, you will see directions leading you to the showflat.

Based on the latest update, the showflat will be opened for viewing from 11 am to 7 pm daily. However, the opening hours may be subjected to changes.

At the time of writing this post,  it would be necessary to make a viewing appointment due to the COVID-19 situation.

Therefore, if you are keen to view Normanton Park condo, feel free to send me an inquiry using the form below. Otherwise, you can also contact me via WhatsApp at (+65) 9786-3707 for more information.

Normanton Park Price Guide

Here’s a quick look at the Normanton Park price indication for each individual unit type, based on availability (as of 11 October 2021).

Unit Type	Size	Starting Pricing	PSF Price
1-Bedroom	517 to 657 sq ft	$974,000	$1,848
1-Bedroom + Study	560 to 700 sq ft	$1,07m	$1,877
2-Bedroom Compact	646 to 797 sq ft	$1.377m	$1,752
2-Bedroom Premium	721 to 893 sq ft	$1.517m	$1,762
2-Bedroom + Study	829 to 980 sq ft	$1.521m	$1,835
3-Bedroom Compact	904 to 1,109 sq ft	$1.594m	$1,763
3-Bedroom Premium	1,066 to 1,249 sq ft	$1.91m	$1,792
4-Bedroom Compact + Study	1,195 to 1,346 sq ft	$2.144m	$1,794
4-Bedroom Premium	1,313 to 1,496 sq ft	$2.328m	$1,773
5-Bedroom	1,615 to 1,798 sq ft	$2.863m	$1,773
Terrace House	2,110 sq ft	$3,15m	$1,493

But do note that these prices are all subjected to changes in the future.

So feel free to contact me for an update on availability and the latest price for each unit type.

Balance Units

As of 30 May 2022, the number of Normanton Park balance units is as follows.

To date, there are only 27 units left for sale.

Unit Type	Total No. of Units	Available Units for Sale
1-Bedroom	414	0
1-Bedroom + Study	138	0
2-Bedroom Compact	276	0
2-Bedroom Premium	230	0
2-Bedroom + Study	92	0
3-Bedroom Compact	345	1
3-Bedroom Premium	184	26
4-Bedroom Compact + Study	25	0
4-Bedroom Premium	92	0
5-Bedroom	46	0
Terrace House	24	0

Normanton Park Review

Earlier on in this post, I mentioned the bad track record that developer Kingsford Development had.

And based on my last 10 years in this trade, it was the first time I have ever seen a developer in Singapore being hit with a no-sale license due to its failure to comply with construction (and even safety) standards.

It was all over the news and it’s almost impossible to hide them from prospective homebuyers of Normanton Park.

However, it’s also because of this, homebuyers or investors are getting extra assurance that they will be getting a quality home.

All units to go through BCA’s Quality Mark assessment

Unlike most other condo launches, the sale license of Normanton Park has a mandatory condition stating that all of its units must pass the Quality Mark assessment by the Build Control Authority (BCA).

You can refer to the BCA’s website for more information on its Quality Mark assessment.

The Quality Mark assessment supposed to be a voluntary scheme, meaning developers don’t necessarily have to go through it. But for Kingsford Huray’s Normanton Park condo, it is a MUST.

In short, homebuyers and investors will be able to have peace of mind when buying a property at Normanton Park as all units are being watched and assessed closely by the authority.

So there’s really nothing to worry about in terms of quality despite the developer’s bad track record at this point.

And even if Normanton Park turns out to be as bad as the developer’s last 2 projects – Kingsford Waterbay and Kingsford Hillview Peak, does it mean that you are buying a bad property?

Strategic location with more to come

One of the most important deciding factors when deciding to buy a particular property has always been location.

If you look at the current location of Normanton Park, honestly, there isn’t much to get excited about at this point.

No MRT, no malls nearby, no good schools, etc.

But if you were to explore the URA Master Plan 2019 (as mentioned earlier) and look at its location from a wider point of view, you will see that it has immense potential.

Being located in between the 2 biggest business districts in Singapore and close proximity to other key business clusters, it’s obvious and necessary for the government to start planning for more homes.

Thus, there will be more residential developments planned in the pipeline along Portsdown Avenue. It’s just across the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) from Normanton Park condo.

When more residential sites are released for sale by the government, it would mean that there is an ongoing demand for housing in the area. And this is usually the catalyst for home prices and value to increase.

There’s actually quite a lot to analyze for Normanton Park and I don’t wish to clutter all the numbers and stats here.

If you are keen to find out more, feel free to reach out and I will be more than willing to share my analysis with you.

Bad quality homes = no value?

Let us come back to address the fact that Kingsford Development doesn’t have a good track record.

The question is, does it really matter in terms of value.

Logically, anyone would think that if the property is of bad quality, it’s not worth buying or invest as its value will be affected by that.

Here’s a quick look at some of the transactions at Kingsford Waterbay and Kingsford Hillview Peak condos.

As you can see, the quality doesn’t seem to affect buying interest – even from homebuyers/investors who actually saw the ‘finished product’.

Ultimately, there will be other more important factors that really determine the value of any property.

So is Normanton Park worth buying?

There’s actually a lot to like about Normanton Park and if you go to the actual site to have a look, you will see that it is so iconic. Any passerby will find it hard to miss or not take a second glance at it.

The entire development looks simply majestic and I simply can’t find anything to complain about except for the inconvenience factor.

But for anyone that is already familiar with the precinct and travels by car most of the time, the Normanton Park condo does look like a good buy based on its price point (at an average of $1,750 to $1,850 PSF), the added ‘confidence’ given by BCA, and its future upside.

Many would think that my words are less credible due to the fact that the real estate agency that I am attached to is marketing this property.

However, I’ve always tried to put myself in a consumer’s standpoint and look at any new launch condo objectively – based on facts and numbers.

There’s actually quite a lot to analyze for Normanton Park and I don’t wish to clutter all the numbers and stats here. Especially in terms of price comparison, it’s really extensive.

If you are keen to find out more, feel free to reach out and I will be more than willing to share my analysis with you.

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Splendid!

• Location
• Transport Links
• Amenities
• Interior
• Value