Ask anyone to name Singapore’s most exclusive neighbourhood, and Nassim Road will almost always come up first. However, there’s another enclave that belongs exactly in the same conversation, Queen Astrid Park.
Located in District 10 within Bukit Timah, the estate is home to some of Singapore’s most sprawling Good Class Bungalows (GCBs). Over the years, it has also attracted a notable list of GCB homeowners, from tech billionaires to tycoon families.
Here’s a closer look at Queen Astrid Park and the 8 facts that make it one of Singapore’s most exclusive residential enclaves.
Contents
1. It’s named after a real European queen
Image adapted from: Google Maps
The estate takes its name from Princess Astrid of Sweden, who eventually became the Queen of the Belgians. Like many roads in the Bukit Timah area named during Singapore’s colonial era, such as Princess of Wales Road and Empress Road, the estate pays tribute to European royalty.
Today, the neighbourhood is better known as one of Singapore’s most prestigious residential addresses. Located between Holland Road and Sixth Avenue, residents enjoy convenient access to Dempsey Hill, Holland Village, and the CBD, while families are drawn to its location within 1km of the highly sought-after Henry Park Primary School.
2. Its bungalow plots are way bigger than the GCB minimum
Image credit: milimet design via Flickr
With around 30 GCBs, Queen Astrid Park accounts for a tiny slice of the roughly 2,800 found across Singapore. What sets the estate apart is the sheer size of its properties, with many sitting on more than 21,500sqft plots of land, which is considerably larger than the minimum GCB plot size of 15,070sqft.
The expansive land sizes also allow homeowners to create expansive private compounds rather than just a single house. Some properties feature staff quarters and standalone buildings for entertainment and for hosting guests.
To top it off, many homes in Queen Astrid Park sit on 999-year leasehold land dating back to 1876, giving them a tenure that’s widely regarded as effectively freehold.
3. TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi paid $86M for his plot here
@uchify.sg I guess we all contributed to his home here 👀👀✨✨ #goodclassbungalow #gcb #fyp #fypシ #tiktoksg #bougie #freehold #bungalow
Queen Astrid Park made headlines in July 2021 after TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi purchased a GCB site for a whopping $86 million. The property sits on a 31,800sqft plot, with plans to redevelop the existing bungalow into a new home.
Back in 2021, the fair value of GCB land was around $2,000 to $2,100 per sqft. The deal was significantly above market rates at the time, working out to about $2,704 per sqft.
While GCB prices have continued to climb in recent years, Chew’s purchase remains one of the neighbourhood’s most high-profile transactions, cementing the estate’s reputation as one of Singapore’s highly sought-after addresses for the wealthy.
4. It holds Singapore GCBs’ rental record: $200,000 a month
Image credit: EdgeProp Singapore
Renting a home in Queen Astrid Park also comes with an eye-watering price tag. In 2022, a GCB in the estate was reportedly leased for $200,000 a month, setting a new rental record for a GCB in Singapore.
The deal surpassed the previous record of $150,000 a month for a GCB in Dalvey Estate. The contemporary bungalow sits on a 25,439sqft elevated plot, giving its occupants greater privacy from the main road.
The record-breaking rental figure shows that even among Singapore’s 39 GCB enclaves, this estate remains one of the country’s most coveted addresses. For wealthy individuals who prefer not to buy or are ineligible to own a GCB, paying 6 figures in monthly rent can be the next best way to get their foot into this exclusive neighbourhood.
5. One mansion here was listed for $100M
Image adapted from: Google Maps
In 2024, a GCB belonging to Tan Sook Eng, the wife of convicted Hin Leong founder Lim Oon Kuin (OK Lim), was put on the market for $100 million. The listing came just days after the Lim family agreed to pay $4.6 billion to the liquidators of the collapsed oil trading firm.
Sitting on a 29,709sqft plot, the asking price worked out to be around $3,366 per sqft. Tan had purchased the property in 2017 for $46 million, and the property also reportedly underwent a $10 million renovation. The 2-storey residence spans an impressive 20,000sqft of built-up area, making it one of Singapore’s largest private homes.
Even by GCB standards, the scale is hard to wrap your head around: 6 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, a lap pool, and even parking for up to 16 cars alongside a dedicated drivers’ lounge.
6. Minister K Shanmugam’s former home sold for $88M
Image used for illustration purposes only.
Image adapted from: Google Maps
One of Queen Astrid Park’s biggest property deals involved a GCB at 6 Astrid Hill, located within the same GCB enclave. The home was previously owned by Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, who bought it in 2003 for $7.95 million.
In August 2023, the property changed hands for $88 million after it was sold to UBS Trustees, acting as trustee of the Jasmine Villa Settlement.
Sitting on an approximately 34,000sqft plot, the property is among the larger GCB sites in Singapore. Land parcels of this size are rare, even within Singapore’s GCB areas, making transactions like these few and far between.
7. The Nippon Paint family owns a GCB big enough to split into 2
Image adapted from: Google Maps
One of the largest properties in Queen Astrid Park belongs to the family behind Nippon Paint. In 2016, it was reported that the late Nippon Paint billionaire Goh Cheng Liang’s family member purchased a GCB at Queen Astrid Park for about $44.5 million, or about $1,271 per sqft, through an estate sale.
Located at the corner of Queen Astrid Park and Coronation Road West, the single-storey bungalow sits on a 35,011sqft site that’s large enough to be subdivided into two separate GCB sites.
The plot size gives the property significant redevelopment potential, as plots this large are increasingly rare in Singapore’s landed housing market.
Despite its massive land size, the property also enjoys a highly convenient location. It’s within walking distance of Holland Village MRT Station and just minutes from the restaurants and shops in Holland Village, offering homeowners both privacy and easy access to everyday amenities.
8. It costs at least $42M to buy a GCB in Queen Astrid Park today
Image adapted from: PropertyGuru
If all these record-breaking transactions have piqued your interest in the neighbourhood, entry into the enclave doesn’t come cheap. Current listings in Queen Astrid Park start from around $42 million, with some of the estate’s most luxurious GCBs carrying asking prices of up to $100 million.
Renting is a more affordable way to get a foot into the neighbourhood, with landed homes of around 5,500sqft available from about $25,000 a month. However, if you’re looking for the full GCB experience, expect to pay at least $50,000 a month.
Queen Astrid Park’s GCBs
For most of us, owning a home in Queen Astrid Park will remain firmly a dream. Between its record-breaking transactions and sprawling estates, the neighbourhood has cemented its status as one of Singapore’s most exclusive residential addresses.
For more GCB reads:
- All we know about the $55m GCB seized from Aperia Group CEO Alan Wei Zhaolun
- 6 Singapore GCBs involved in high-profile fraud cases
- Haidilao co-founder’s family snaps up second Cluny Hill GCB at $85m
Cover image adapted from: Google Maps, EdgeProp Singapore
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