Crawford Heights BTO Review: HDB’s first white flats with no partition walls

Crawford Heights is one of three new HDB BTO projects launched in Kallang/Whampoa in October 2024.

Consisting of just one 40-storey block housing 312 3-room and 4-room flats, Crawford Heights enjoys an impressively central location bounded by North Bridge Road and Crawford Street. It is within walking distance of popular destinations like Kampong Glam and Golden Mile Food Centre.

Due to its location in the city core, Crawford Heights is classified as Prime by the HDB, and thus has stricter resale conditions, including a longer 10-year Minimum Occupation Period (MOP).

Another interesting feature of Crawford Heights is that it offers the first batch of buyers the chance to opt for the HDB’s first open-concept “white flats”, built without partition walls, enabling them to customise their homes more easily. 3-room white flats will cost $6,000 less, while 4-room white flats will cost $8,600 less. Buyers can also opt for the standard flat layouts with partition walls.

Crawford Heights BTO Review (Summary Table)

*Information from 99.co, PropertyGuru, and other property listing websites is accurate as of time of writing.

Crawford Heights BTO Price

At the October 2024, launch, Crawford Heights BTO prices for 3-room flats was $390,000 to $523,000, while that for 4-room flats was $568,000 to $759,000.

Let’s compare this with resale prices of nearby flats.

Most of the resale flats in the area are older flats. For instance, at nearby 1 Beach Road, 3-room flats that received their Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) in 1979 are being put up for sale on PropertyGuru for $450,000 to $540,000.

These prices seem low compared to Crawford Heights’ BTO prices, but it is important to note that the Beach Road resale flats are 46 years old. Crawford Heights is likely to command decent resale prices due to its central location, but the effects of the longer 10-year MOP on demand remain to be seen.

Crawford Heights BTO Site Plan

You can find the Crawford Heights site plan here.

You can see where the BTO site is located on the map. The flats will be built at the confluence of Crawford Street and North Bridge Road. As you can see, some residents will enjoy unblocked waterfront views!

Crawford Heights BTO Location

Crawford Heights is bounded by North Bridge Road and Crawford Street to the east.

The BTO site’s location is highly central, with Kampong Glam located just a 10-minute walk away. There is no shortage of food options, including North Bridge Road Market, which is a three-minute walk away, and the famous Golden Mile Food Centre, a five-minute walk away.

Shopping amenities are also abundant, with numerous malls such as Bugis Village and Bugis Junction located within walking distance.

Public transport connectivity is excellent, with Lavender MRT station on the East-West Line a six-minute walk away, Bugis MRT station on the East-West and Downtown Lines a 14-minute walk away, and Nicoll Highway MRT station on the Circle Line located a seven-minute walk away.

The CBD can also be reached very quickly by bus, private transport or even bicycle via North Bridge Road.

One drawback for households with children is that there are no schools within walking distance. Kids will have to travel to the Bendemeer area to gain access to the nearest schools.

Crawford Heights BTO Floor Plan

You can find the Crawford Heights floor plans here.

All Crawford Heights BTO buyers can opt for a white flat layout. White flat layouts do not come with partition walls separating the bedroom and living spaces. This means that owners have more flexibility when designing the layout of the flat, and can go for an open concept flat, or erect partition walls wherever they wish.

The Crawford Heights 3-room flats measure 66 sqm, inclusive of air con ledge. The regular layout features the two bedrooms positioned side by side. But the “white flat” layout enables owners to merge the two bedrooms to create one large master bedroom, merge the living room and one bedroom to create a big living/dining area and home office, or even create a completely open concept flat.

The 4-room flats measure 90 sqm, inclusive of air con ledge. The regular flat layout is quite typical, with the three bedrooms lined up side by side. However, those opting for a white flat will be able to customise the space however they want, such as by merging the three bedrooms to create one giant bedroom, or expanding the living and dining area by sacrificing one or two bedrooms.

Crawford Heights BTO Rent Price

Crawford Heights is classified as a Prime project. Owners will thus not be allowed to rent out the entire unit, even after the 10-year MOP is over.

Crawford Heights BTO Review

Crawford Heights enjoys a highly central location, and is thus a dream come true for those who wish to live in the city centre of Singapore at a relatively reasonable price, as well as those who work in the CBD.

As it is a Prime HDB project, buyers will have to be content with a longer, 10-year MOP, which could possibly dampen investment gains—we don’t yet know what the effects will be like. So, I would say that Crawford Heights is for those looking for a home rather than an investment.

The main drawback for families with kids is that there are no schools within walking distance. But I get the feeling that Crawford Heights, with its white flat option, will appeal more to buyers without children, who can opt to enlarge the master bedroom or living area by reducing the number of bedrooms.