Telok Blangah Ridgeview review: Peaceful, with greenery and sea views, but not near MRT

Project:	Telok Blangah Ridgeview
HDB Town	Bukit Merah
Address:	70A-C Telok Blangah Heights
Lease start date:	May 2017
Number of units:	492

Telok Blangah Ridgeview was launched in 2012 together with Depot Heights with Ridgeview having the better accessibility over Depot Heights due to its shorter distance to an MRT — Telok Blangah Hill Station along the Circle Line.

But the excitement is also due to the fact that there were no other BTOs launched in this area until five years prior with the launch of Telok Blangah Towers. Between 2007 to 2012, most BTO launches centred around non-mature estates. About half of the launches during this period went to Punggol, Sengkang and Bukit Panjang.

At that time, BTOs here were going for around mid $300,000+ for a three-room flat, and around $500,000 for a four-room flat.

Today, prices have shot up to $600,000+ for a three-room flat while four-room flats are seeing prices upwards of $800,000.

And there’s little surprise here. New and central HDBs are rare, and with the likes of The Pinnacle@Duxton securing more million-dollar transactions, buyers of Telok Blangah Ridgeview had much to gain from their purchase.

Still, many would consider this to be an exorbitant purchase. After all, if you’re paying this much for an HDB, there are many other HDB options for you out there — perhaps closer to the MRT or a much bigger space. So for those looking at this area, should you consider Telok Blangah Ridgeview?

Let’s find out in our usual HDB tour!

Telok Blangah Ridgeview insider tour

There are two entrances into Telok Blangah Ridgeview — one along Telok Blangah Heights (north side of the development) and another along Telok Blangah Street 32 (west side of the development).

Upon arriving at Telok Blangah Ridgeview, I couldn’t help but notice how much quieter the area is compared to many other HDBs that I have reviewed. For one, this development is situated right next to Telok Blangah Hill Park. Another reason is that apart from the bus plying the road, both roads that line the development are not major with only two lanes per side.

If you’re driving in from either road, you might be wondering why there’s no development name along the roadside which is quite commonplace among new HDBs today. Well, wonder no more because this is because the service road inside also services the older HDBs beside it.

Driving straight in from Telok Blangah Street 32, you’ll find Telok Blangah Ridgeview’s one and only drop-off point.

The drop-off here is a little unique as it caters to two HDB developments with a road that runs through the middle. Now usually if there’s just one drop-off, it would be quite a 'grand' one that can take at least two to three cars at a time. However, the one here is on the smaller side — clearly, only one car can fit here at a time.

This is the usual type of drop-off that the HDB builds to cater to each block. So on that note, it is a little disappointing, but not a big deal of course.

The good thing is that there is a sheltered walkway from here to all the blocks within the development which is what really matters. There’s also a good number of seating here which is always good for those waiting for their pickup, particularly the elderly or expecting parents.

I would usually go on to check out the car park next, but considering the facilities are right by the drop-off here, let’s explore what’s on offer!

To the right of the drop-off point is the one and only sheltered pavilion. The precinct pavilion is of a regular shape, something that I always prefer since it makes planning and seating arrangements a lot more straightforward. There’s also an adequate provision of seating by the side.

Okay first up, I like that the ceiling here is high. It does make it airier and lets more light in — which is better than some others that I’ve visited. There’s also bench seating and the usual electrical points.

But there are downsides too. For one, there is a lack of fans, and the condition of the ceiling leaves much to be desired for a development that is just six years old. It needs a good coat of paint, that’s for sure.

The precinct pavilion is tucked into the corner of the development, with only one stack (stack 537) being next to it. It is considered quite private given that there aren’t any other facilities around it, and while it is next to the road, there is a considerable amount of buffer and landscaping in between — namely this sort of 'community garden' area that isn’t designated any name on the site plan.

While it’s not designated on the site plan, it was part of the initial conception as just a place for people to gather and enjoy the greenery — and I really like what they have done here.

I can imagine it being a nice spot to chill and it could be useful for those holding events at the sheltered pavilion — especially those who just want another spot to sit in. There aren’t any litter bins or cigarette buds on the floor, so this is likely not much of a smoking corner either (wonderful).

Nothing beats having a public restroom near the sheltered pavilion though, something I am sure everyone can appreciate!

On the opposite side of the development, you’ll find Telok Blangah Ridgeview’s playground:

What’s curious here is that the site plan shows just one playground, however, you’ll notice that there are two 'towers' that are symmetrical to one another separated by two see-saws. This is because the area that was meant to be an adult fitness area got replaced by a second tower.

I’m not sure why this was the case, but perhaps the residents here felt that this was more important given the number of children. Moreover, it’s located right next to the preschool, so perhaps there was a case that the initial playground wasn’t enough during playtime.

The playground has a bright, colourful tone going for it too!

And while I’m no kid and can’t possibly enjoy playgrounds as I have in my younger days, I can imagine this traditional type of playground to be far more interesting than the various 'art pieces' I found in other new developments, such as the one at SkyPeak@Bukit Batok and Forfar Heights (Block 53).

READ ALSO: 5 HDB flats with unique layouts and where to find them

Next to it is the elderly fitness area. It’s quite well-spaced out and has varied equipment around. Those looking for something more of a challenge such as static equipment could be a little disappointed, though I did notice some static equipment in the elder fitness area too. Perhaps this was a sort of merger between both the adult and elderly fitness area to make room for the playground — I think that’s quite smart!

After all, adults can always work out at home with free weights or bodyweights, but you can’t afford to build a playground at home!

Units that are facing the facility area here would, unfortunately, have to deal with some noise or privacy issues from time to time. As this is the development’s only area with a playground, residents staying on the lower floors of block 70C would have to bear the brunt of noise coming from the playground and the sheltered pavilion, as well as privacy issues from the elderly fitness area.

Now that we’re done with the facilities, let’s head to the multi-storey car park to see what’s in store for us!

The first thing you’ll see on the ground level is the preschool. Our research on ECDA’s website pointed out that there’s no preschool here, which is strange since that is the official website. Nonetheless, we saw a My First Skool here, indicating that parents who have young children can conveniently enrol their children here (if they can get a slot!).

For a small development with just three blocks, I would expect the car park to only have one entrance and exit. However, the multi-storey car park here exceeds this expectation by having two, so we don’t expect any long queues or waits for you to enter or exit at all.

From the outside, you’ll see that this car park is only three storeys which is great for those who stay on the lower floors since fewer units would be directly facing it. It also sports a plain white look — and while I’ve always harped on wanting more greenery to break the concrete facade of a multi-storey car park, this one somehow looks decent without it — probably due to the amount of greenery around.

That being said, some parts of the car park could do with a bit more cleaning/repainting.

Moving inside, you’ll find the car park to be bright and spacious — typical of any multi-storey car park.

There are also air wells that allow more light to pour into the middle of the car park.

And it looks like Telok Blangah Ridgeview has also got some future-proofing going on here with four lots dedicated to EV car-sharing by BlueSG too!

Another thing that I like about this car park is the direct linkage to all three blocks in the development — and it’s not just from one particular level, but all four floors (including the rooftop garden!). This is the ultimate convenience, as even visitors who have to park on the higher floors can just walk straight to the block. I’ve always been a fan of this because of the convenience of not having to take the lift down and back up again.

Now that we’re done with the car park tour, let’s check out the rooftop garden that’s located on the fourth floor!

Stepping out of the lift, you’ll see that the area is filled with greenery — something I’ve come to expect of any decent rooftop garden at this point. The sheer amount of greenery here is also quite impressive:

It looks really well-manicured and thought through, giving residents at certain stacks a pleasant view.

The rooftop garden does not have any facilities in particular such as a playground that some rooftop gardens have (likely due to space constraints on the ground level), but it has a fairly decent path that you can take a stroll along. It’s also quite a big area as it spans the entirety of the car park area — perhaps close to 50 per cent of the land area!

This is really perfect for those with young children because it’s a safe place for them to run around in. There are also seating areas for those who just wish to chill with friends or family, though I can imagine this to be quite uncomfortable during the day.

You can also find some nooks that seem suitable for more private conversations.

As with any rooftop garden, those stacks that face them would invariably face some privacy issues too. Some units have a direct facing to the garden itself, however, I did find that the distance between the garden to the unit is fairly decent. Since there are no facilities here, I don’t anticipate much noise or privacy issues as much as on the ground level where the preschool, playground, fitness area and sheltered pavilion are.

Next, let’s check out what the common corridor here looks like!

There are two lifts per floor that serve three to eight units, depending on the block. Overall, the lift is quite decent and well-maintained as far as I can tell.

Heading up, you’ll find that the corridors here are bright and airy with the unit doors quite far apart from one another. This is ideal since it increases privacy and also leaves more common space outside to put your shoe rack.

One nifty thing to note about the blocks here is that blocks 70A and 70B are connected from levels two through 12! There are two four-room units that run along these corridors and they do offer quite a good view of the park opposite.

As with most long corridors, some units will have their service yards facing the corridor directly, so those buying a unit with such a facing should take note of this.

Overall, the corridors are quite well-maintained, and beats my expectations too. From what I heard, the area around Telok Blangah is more humid than other HDBs and it’s also one of the reasons why one owner whose house we featured even installed a humidity counter.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60tH8S6BKn4[/embed]

Perhaps this is something you should take note of if you’re looking to purchase a flat here!

READ ALSO: A $48k HDB renovation breakdown: A couple in their 30s shares their journey

Telok Blangah Ridgeview location review

I would describe the area around Telok Blangah Ridgeview to be fairly peaceful. While it is fronting two roads, they are not major, unlike Henderson Road which wraps around City Vue @ Henderson (noise wasn’t even an issue there!).

Moreover, Telok Blangah Ridgeview is directly opposite Telok Blangah Hill Park. From here, you can see the treat that residents facing north have!

As such, those looking for lots of peace, quiet and nature in a rather central area can consider this place. In fact, the Southern Ridges is located here and is often visited by both locals and tourists alike.

There’s also Mount Faber Park, Hort Park and Kent Ridge Park if you’re willing to walk that far! Nonetheless, they are all connected which could make for an interesting (but long) day of walking.

In terms of amenities, Telok Blangah Mall is just about a four- to six-minute walk away and it has a food centre/market.

And if that’s not close enough, there’s even a coffee shop and some shops at the opposite block nearby.

So while Telok Blangah Ridgeview does not have its own commercial block or shops, it is close enough to amenities to make living here relatively convenient while still having the peace and quiet of staying in the area.

For those who are looking at shopping options, you’ll know that the megamall Vivocity and Harbourfront Centre is just one MRT stop away!

One last point I’d like to touch on: While Telok Blangah Ridgeview is close to nature, it’s not directly connected to the Park Connector Network. You’ll need to head out to Henderson Road or Alexandra Road to get there. The journey to Alexandra Road is longer and you’ll need to take the major road along the West Coast Highway, so it’s better to go to Henderson Road. The good thing is that the distance is relatively short though!

Public Transport

Bus station	Buses serviced	Distance from HDB (and estimated walking time)
Blk 70A	120, 124, 273	1-minute (50m)
Opp Blk 70B	120, 124	1-minute (50m)

Closest MRT: Telok Blangah MRT, about an 11-minute walk.

While Telok Blangah is a central area, Telok Blangah Ridgeview itself is not quite a convenient place to stay in if you rely heavily on public transport. Not only is the walk more than 10 minutes, but it is also an upslope plus a mostly unsheltered walk from the MRT!

The problem with the uphill trek even made it to the National papers which forced the LTA to review feeder bus options here.

The good news is that shortly afterwards, bus service 120 was introduced which then connected residents directly to Telok Bangah MRT. The ride is just four minutes over three stops, so you can reach home in about 10 minutes including the walk and possible wait for the bus. Having the option to take the bus is quite useful indeed.

Don’t take this for granted! Some HDBs only have walking as an option as the roads are either going just one direction or the nearest bus stop that goes to the MRT is just too far away, making it even more inconvenient to take the bus than to just walk.

Residents will be pleased to know that the walk to the bus stop outside is fully sheltered from the block, so there’s no issue during wet weather.

That’s all good when it concerns the journey back home, but if you’re heading out, then you’ll need to cross to the opposite bus stop which is unsheltered at the crossing.

The overall bus network here is not very impressive too, but that is to be expected of this sort of sleepy neighbourhood. There are just 3 buses with the furthest going out to Whampoa. You’ll likely need to change bus at Henderson Road to get more decent coverage.

Private transport

Key destinations	Distance from HDB (and estimated peak hour drive time)
Raffles Place	6.1 km (11 mins drive)
Orchard Road	5.3 km (10 mins drive)
Suntec City	7.3 km (14 mins drive)
Changi Airport	24.9 km (31 mins drive)
Tuas Port	31.8 km (49 mins drive)
Paya Lebar Quarter	11.6 km (21 mins drive)
Mediapolis	5.3 km (11 mins drive)
Mapletree Business City	2.2 km (7 mins drive)
Tuas Checkpoint	29.2 km (41 mins drive)
Woodlands Checkpoint	26 km (39 mins)
Harbourfront Cluster	2.4 km (5 mins)
Punggol Cluster	22.8 km (35 mins)

Source: OneMap. Driving times are based on peak hour traffic.

Immediate road exit:
Telok Blangah Heights and Telok Blangah Street 32

Summary:
Being in the central area, drivers can quickly hop onto the CTE to get to the CBD in just 11 minutes. Otherwise, it’s also close to the AYE and MCE/ECP allowing drivers to head west or eastwards quickly.

Groceries

Name of grocery shop	Distance from HDB (and estimated time)
NTUC Fairprice	400m (5-min walk)

Schools

Educational tier	Number of institutes
Preschool	3
Primary School (Within 1km)	1
Secondary School	3
Junior College	1
Other Tertiary Institutes	5

• My First Skool — 0.17 km (3 min walk)
• Moe Kindergarten @ Blangah Rise — 0.23 km (3 min walk)
• E Bridge Preschool Pte Ltd — 0.34 km (4 min walk)
• Blangah Rise Primary School — 0.3 km (3 min walk)
• CHIJ St. Theresa’s Convent — 1.9 km (15 min via bus)
• Bukit Merah Secondary School — 2.6 km (22 min via bus)
• Gan Eng Seng School — 2.8 km (21 min via bus)
• Anglo Chinese School (Independent) — 6.4 km (36 min via bus)
• Anglo-Chinese Junior College — 6.2 km (34 min via bus)

Telok Blangah Ridgeview additional pointers

Greater Southern Waterfront

The announcement of the Greater Southern Waterfront, and more recently the 9,000 housing units to be built there is notable news to be wary about. First is that the supply of flats would go up, so those looking to stay in this area would have a lot more options.

Of course, the new flats would likely be under the Prime Location Public Housing model which could serve a more specific target audience, but it’ll undoubtedly affect the competition for buyers.

It’s hard to say what the effects of the PLH model would be exactly, but it could also be entirely positive, as the restrictions could push resale HDB buyers to look at HDB developments just outside the radius of these PLH developments. Prices could thus be pushed up as well.

Next, many of the flats facing south would no longer have as nice of a sea view since the open golf course would be replaced with a more urban cityscape. While this is still some way to go, it’s good to take note of this now as the view may no longer be as much of a selling point in the future. For those who don’t value the sea view as much, perhaps the park view is a better option since that’s likely to continue staying for a long time to come.

Only one primary school within 1km

For families with young children, do take note that Telok Blangah Ridgeview has only one primary school within the 1km radius — Blangah Rise Primary School. This is usually a cause of concern for most other HDBs. However, the area around Telok Blangah isn’t very dense considering the parks surrounding it. Thus, competition would only take the form of residents around — of which there aren’t that many at the moment.

READ ALSO: What to look out for at a resale HDB viewing: A step-by-step walkthrough

Telok Blangah Ridgeview HDB site review

As mentioned, there are a total of three blocks comprising 492 units with a mix of three and four-room flats.

They range from 12 to 25 storeys high with about 80 per cent of units being four-room flats here. The development sports a pale white colour with signs of discolouring and age so it is due for some repainting works.

While the development is small, the area as a whole does feel quite open. The playground area is next to the multi-storey car park, so you don’t feel too close to living quarters. The rooftop garden is also quite big and most of the area isn’t sandwiched between two blocks.

However, there is a section where the two blocks measure just around 30m in distance between each other, which is rather short. This was the only place where it could feel a little less open than I would’ve liked.

One thing I really wished this development has is a sky garden. I can imagine views from 20+ storeys high to be quite decent on both ends! It would surely be a treat for those who want to enjoy the views that they do not have, since you either have the park or sea view — not both.

Where landscaping is concerned, I think Telok Blangah Ridgeview has done quite well both on the ground level and on the rooftop garden. Residents would find the development’s landscaping to be quite congruent with the park opposite!

Unit mix

Block number	Number of storeys	3-room	4-room	Total
70A	12/25	48	122	170
70B	12/25	48	122	170
70C	25		152	152
Total		96	396	492

Source: HDB

Telok Blangah Ridgeview stack analysis

New: I’ve decided to add the areas where burning bins are spotted. These are not provided officially and are simply observed when we did the review. While they are mostly used during the Hungry Ghost period, there are also random periods where people burn things here and depending on the wind direction, it can enter the home quite often.

The best stacks would really depend on which view you are gunning for. Stacks facing the north would be treated to views of Telok Blangah Hill Park:

Stacks towards the south face the sea:

Personally, I would prefer the views towards the park for two reasons. One — I think that while a sea view is nice, it’s a tad bit too far for my liking. Two — the greenery view is here to stay whereas the sea view would, later on, be blocked by housing in the Greater Southern Waterfront.

The inner-facing stacks are the least desirable, particularly stacks 533, 535, 59 and 507. These are only around 30 metres apart, putting them too close for comfort.

Layout analysis

3-room flat (68sqm)

Pros	Cons
Good size kitchen area	Tight living and dining area
Decent size bedrooms

4-room flat (93sqm)

Pros	Cons
Spacious living, dining, and kitchen area	None
Separate Living and Dining area
No wasted bedroom walkway

Pros and cons (4-Room flat at Telok Blangah Ridgeview)

Telok Blangah Ridgeview pricing

Project	Lease Start Date	2-room	3-room	4-room	5-room	Executive
44 — 49 Telok Blangah Dr	1976	$238,800 ($493psf)	$324,000 ($452psf)		$630,000 ($476psf)
85 — 88 Telok Blangah Hts	2003			$620,000 ($650psf)	$808,000 ($682psf)
Blangah Garden / Blangah View	1978		$383,750 ($492psf)	$500,000 ($498psf)	$655,000 ($516psf)	$887,000 ($506psf)
Telok Blangah Ridgeview	2017		$618,000 ($844psf)	$815,800 ($815psf)
Telok Blangah Towers	2013		$646,000 ($896psf)	$817,500 ($817psf)

Source: HDB. Median prices from April 2021 to April 2022 (incomplete).

Despite being the youngest HDB that has reached its MOP (Telok Blangah Parcview has no pricing information yet), Telok Blangah Ridgeview is not the most expensive HDB in the area. That ‘award’ goes to Telok Blangah Towers.

There are several reasons why. First is the location — it is closer to Telok Blangah MRT. It’s an eight-minute walk from the block to exit A of the station, while the walk is about 10 minutes for Ridgeview. The second reason is due to higher floors in Telok Blangah Towers. For the three-room flat, there were two recorded transactions in the past year that were between floors 34 to 36.

Project	Flat type	Floor	Price
Telok Blangah Towers	3-room	34 to 36	$680,000
Telok Blangah Towers	3-room	34 to 36	$658,000
Telok Blangah Towers	3-room	10 to 12	$646,000
Telok Blangah Towers	3-room	13 to 15	$646,000
Telok Blangah Towers	3-room	16 to 18	$615,000
Telok Blangah Towers	3-room	04 to 06	$572,000
Telok Blangah Towers	3-room	04 to 06	$565,000
Telok Blangah Towers	4-room	31 to 33	$975,000
Telok Blangah Towers	4-room	22 to 24	$870,000
Telok Blangah Towers	4-room	19 to 21	$820,000
Telok Blangah Towers	4-room	10 to 12	$815,000
Telok Blangah Towers	4-room	16 to 18	$800,000
Telok Blangah Towers	4-room	04 to 06	$765,000

Source: HDB. Prices from April 2021 to 2022 (incomplete).

Third is that it has a better view of the sea and so it commands that sea view premium which would be higher than those at Ridgeview. It’s for these reasons that it can still edge Ridgeview in terms of pricing despite being four years older.

At this price point, however, Telok Blangah Towers does seem more convincing due to its added convenience to amenities (it’s right next to Telok Blangah Mall) and closer distance to the MRT. Throw the better view in, and honestly, I’m sold over Ridgeview.

The only difficulty is the supply. As Telok Blangah Towers reached its first MOP a while back, it recorded only 13 three and four-room flat transactions in the past year. This is in contrast to the 72 transactions that Ridgeview had.

For those who are considering something older, the estate offers one whose lease started in 2003 and another around the mid-1970s. These flats are truly priced for their age, and I can imagine if five-room flats were built here, they would be in excess of a million dollars today.

I think it’s clear that resale buyers here would have to be paying top-notch dollars for a flat here. Here’s what the histogram of the three-room flat price in this development looks like among other HDBs whose lease started in 2015 based on the past one year’s worth of data:

And here’s what it looks like for four-room flats:

For these prices, you could more or less purchase a pretty desirable HDB unit in every other estate — so do consider that you’ll be a 10-minute walk from the MRT despite doing so!

Finally, do note that Telok Blangah Parcview is about to hit its MOP (it TOP-ed in 2017). As such, you might want to catch the wave of fresh MOP-ed flats that are going to hit the market soon! Though I can imagine prices to be slightly higher than those at Ridgeview.

Our take

Overall, I can see the appeal of staying at Telok Blangah Ridgeview. It’s within walking distance to a neighbourhood mall and is surrounded by nature while actually still being in a central area. It’s also just one MRT stop away from arguably one of the best malls in Singapore — Vivocity.

The landscaping within the development is aesthetically pleasing, and the development is only up to 25 storeys high spread across three blocks — so it wouldn’t feel very dense too unlike taller developments like Telok Blangah Heights or much bigger ones like Telok Blangah Parcview.

It’s right opposite Telok Blangah Hill Park which is also home to the Southern Ridges, and it’s a short cycle away from the Park Connector that easily connects you to Alexandra Canal.

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And for those looking at central HDBs close to the CBD such as The Pinnacle @ Duxton, you’ll know that the transacted prices for flats there are in the $900,000 — over $1 million. As such, this $800,000 price tag seems quite attractive for its locale — plus it’s a lot newer than Duxton.

The downside is that it’s about a 10-minute walk to the MRT — not the best of attributes if you depend a lot on public transportation, especially if you are paying north of $800,000 for an HDB flat. By bus, the total journey should take around 10 minutes too, including the wait for the bus and walk from the block to the bus stop.

There’s also only one primary school within 1km, so those looking for school options may find this to be limiting. If this doesn’t bother you, and you are someone willing to pay top dollar to be close to nature in a rather central area, then the Telok Blangah area (and Telok Blangah Ridgeview) could be right for you.

Otherwise, for this budget, you could go for a much bigger flat or somewhere closer to the MRT — but you’ll need to forgo this peaceful enclave that’s relatively central.

Personally, I think this development is quite an attractive one given the greenery, peace and quiet and the relatively central location.

This article was first published in Stackedhomes.