Ping Yi Court BTO Review: New Chai Chee BTO launching in October 2025 sales exercise

Before we look at Ping Yi Court BTO, I was looking into the history of this Kampong Chai Chee in particular and it was quite interesting. The development of the Chai Chee began in the late 1960s. The area’s name, “Chai Chee,” which means “vegetable market” (菜市) in Hokkien, hints at its history as a village with a bustling market. The HDB estate was built on what was once a rural area with farmlands and rolling hills.

Chai Chee HDB History

It was a significant milestone as it was the first HDB estate to be built in the eastern part of Singapore. The initial development consisted of about 40 blocks of flats, primarily comprising rental units

The oldest flats in the area were built in the late 1960s and early 1970s. For example, some blocks on Chai Chee Road were completed in 1972.You can also find flats on Chai Chee Street with completion dates around 1980 and 1985. These flats are now over 40 years old.

Over the years, new HDB blocks have been built. For instance, some blocks on Chai Chee Road were completed in 1992, and others in 2001. The most recent addition to the housing stock is the Chai Chee Green BTO project, which was launched in December 2023. These are the newest flats in the area.

Now that you know the history of HDBs in Chai Chee, you will then understand that the upcoming Ping Yi Court Chai Chee October 2025 BTO project is a pretty rare launch, and well-positioned in a mature estate, offering good connectivity. While it’s not directly next to an MRT station, it’s a short bus ride away from key transport hubs.

Also, this plot of land used to be the site of Ping Yi Secondary School - hence the BTO’s name.

Location

The nearest MRT stations are Bedok North MRT (1.9km, 20 minutes’ walk) and Bedok MRT (1.2km, 15 minutes’ walk). The new estate is about a few bus stops away from Bedok North MRT station, and a slightly longer bus ride to Bedok MRT station and the Bedok Integrated Transport Hub.

The area is well-served by a network of bus routes, providing easy access to various parts of the estate and beyond.

• Bus Service 26: This route connects to Bedok and Toa Payoh, providing access to two different transport hubs.
• Bus Service 222 and 222B: These are feeder services that primarily circulate within the Bedok and Chai Chee estate, providing convenient travel to the Bedok Bus Interchange and Bedok MRT station.
• Bus Service 229: This is another local bus service that connects the Chai Chee area to the Bedok Bus Interchange and other parts of Bedok.

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East Coast Town Council

I walked around the neighbouring estates just to see how life would be like here - and how well-maintained you can expect your estate to be. There were many posters of activities for residents, though most were clearly targeted at the elderly.

The immediate vicinity’s HDB blocks do look quite run down and unkempt (though there is a HDB bock painting exercise going on).

There’s an intensive rodent curbing exercise ongoing, and posters of the upcoming BTO development are up.

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Food

Living between Chai Chee Drive and Chai Chee Street provides residents with a wealth of food options, from famous hawker centres to modern food courts and quaint cafes. The area is a well-known food haven in the east.

Arguably the most famous food destination in the area, Bedok 85 Fengshan Food Centre (officially at 85 Bedok North Street 4) is a must-visit. It’s known as a popular supper spot and is famous for its Bak Chor Mee, specifically from rival stalls like Seng Hiang and Xing Ji, as well as other local delights like Satay Bee Hoon and BBQ chicken wings.

Another food centre located near the Bedok MRT station and bus interchange, the bustling Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre is home to a variety of well-loved stalls. Notable mentions include Hock Hai (Hong Lim) Curry Chicken Noodle and Pin Xiang Chicken Rice.

Lesser know, there is another hawker centre at 216 Bedok North Street 1. It is another great option, with popular stalls serving up dishes like Kway Chap and Fried Carrot Cake.

There are numerous smaller kopitiams and cafes scattered throughout the Chai Chee and Bedok HDB estates, offering convenient access to affordable local fare like chicken rice, prawn noodles, and vegetarian food:

• ESR BizPark @ Chai Chee (formerly Viva Business Park): This business park has a number of food options, including a food court called Centuries Foodcourt and other eateries like D’Penyetz and Nom Nom Monster.
• Kimly Coffeeshop (Chai Chee 29 Foodhouse): Located at 29B Chai Chee Avenue, this spacious coffeeshop offers a variety of local food choices, including mixed rice and Western food stalls.
• Percolate Cafe: A well-known heartland cafe that serves specialty coffee and brunch items.
• Refuel Cafe: Located near Bedok Reservoir, this cafe is a good option for those looking for a laid-back spot to have a meal.

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Halal Food

As one of Singapore’s earliest HDB towns, Bedok has a well-established Malay community, with a reportedly higher-than-average percentage of Malay residents. The Chai Chee area, in particular, has a strong Malay presence. After Kampong Gam, Bugis, and Geylang Serai, Bedok also has the third highest concentration of halal food stalls and restaurants. If you’re a Muslim resident new to Chai Chee and Bedok in general, there are plenty halal food options for you:

• ESR BizPark @ Chai Chee (formerly Viva Business Park): This is a great spot with a number of halal-certified restaurants and food court stalls. You can find places like Andes by Astons, D’Penyetz, Muk-Bang Korean Restaurant.
• Bedok Corner Food Centre: Located at Upper East Coast Road, this food centre is known for its many halal stalls. You can find popular choices like: Green Sky Char Kway Teow, TFF Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice, Nur Indah Kitchen (famous for its Ayam Penyet).
• Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre: While it has many non-halal stalls, there are some halal-certified and Muslim-owned options, such as Minhad, which serves Malay food.
• New Hawa Restaurant: Located on Chai Chee Drive, this eatery offers a variety of halal Chinese and Thai dishes.
• Enak Enak: A popular halal restaurant chain with an outlet in Simpang Bedok. It offers a wide menu of local and Western dishes, including chili crab and handmade dim sum.
• Saffrons: Known for its Indian food, particularly biryani.
• Khan Saab Restaurant: Also on Chai Chee Drive, this is a Muslim-owned restaurant.

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Primary Schools

The Ministry of Education’s (MOE) “Home-School Distance” is an important factor for Primary 1 registration, and you can verify the exact distance for a specific address using the MOE’s School Finder tool or the Singapore Land Authority’s (SLA) OneMap School Query Service. Here are the primary schools that are likely to be within a 1km radius of a residential estate between Chai Chee Drive and Chai Chee Street:

• Fengshan Primary School: Located at 307 Bedok North Road, this school is a key option for residents in the Chai Chee and Bedok North area.
• Opera Estate Primary School: Found at 48 Fidelio Street, this is another school that is often within the 1km zone for many parts of the Chai Chee area.
• Damai Primary School: Located at 52 Bedok Reservoir Crescent, Damai Primary is another school that could fall within the 1km radius. It is important to be aware that Damai Primary School is relocating to the Tampines North area and will not be admitting students for a few years starting from 2025. It will only admit its first batch of Primary 1 students at its new location in 2029 via the 2028 P1 Registration Exercise.
• St. Stephen’s School: Located at 20 Siglap View, this school might be within or just outside the 1km radius, depending on the specific location of the new estate.

Secondary and Tertiary Schools: Secondary schools like Ping Yi Secondary School and institutions like Temasek Polytechnic and Temasek Junior College are also in the vicinity.

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