We currently live in strangely unprecedented times with most of Singapore cooped up at home due to the state-imposed circuit breaker to curb the spread of COVID-19. The economy is reeling from the lack of economic activity and the Singapore government has had to dip into its past reserves to fund stimulus packages to help keep job losses to a minimum. Developers were given a slight reprieve when the Ministry of National Development announced the temporary relief measures for developers where the project completion period for residential, commercial and industrial development was increased by six months. The start and completion period of residential developments and for the sale of housing units in relation to the Additional Buyers’ Stamp Duty (ABSD) remission was also increased by six months. This perhaps shows that the Singapore government is keeping a keen eye on the property market and its potential fallout from the pandemic. Post circuit breaker should see the general resumption of a slightly more normal property market in phase two of the reopening of the economy as some form of viewings and showflat activity should resume. One of the projects to be launched post circuit breaker is Clavon along Clementi Avenue 1.
Details about the development
Clavon is a 99-year leasehold development along Clementi Avenue 1. Back in July 2019, two subsidiaries of UOL Group, namely UOL Venture Investments and UIC Homes, submitted the top bid of SGD$491.3 million for the 178,064 square foot (sq ft) plot in a Government Land Sales (GLS) exercise. This translates to about SGD788 per square foot per plot ratio (psf ppr). The maximum gross floor area (GFA) is 623,229.8 sq ft. This top bid from UOL Group beat four other bidders with the next highest bid from MCL Land coming in at SGD$471 million. UOL announced that it plans to develop a 40-storey development with 640 units and the development is expected to obtain its temporary occupation permit (T.O.P.) in 2024. More details of the unit mix will be updated at a later date.
Where is the development located?
Clavon is located along Clementi Avenue 1, next to The Clement Canopy and just opposite Nan Hua High School. The nearest MRT station is Clementi MRT Station and NUS High School, The Clementi Mall, Clementi Stadium, Clementi Swimming Complex, Clementi Sports Hall, Singapore Polytechnic and NUS are all around the vicinity.
Clavon Location Map
According to Google Maps, the walk to Clementi MRT Station will take about 14 minutes and the distance covered will be about 1.1 kilometers. The walk is relatively sheltered if you do choose to walk under the blocks of flats. You could cut across the HDB flats next to Clavon which are currently not completed but are due to complete before Clavon does. You will be walking through the HDB shophouses next to The Clementi Mall as well.
The walk from Clavon to Clementi MRT Station
Alternatively, you could choose to walk to Dover MRT station which would take about 19 minutes and cover about 1.5 kilometers. This walk is rather unsheltered though.
The walk from Clavon to Dover MRT Station
The train journey from Clementi MRT station to City Hall MRT Station will take approximately 23 minutes over 9 stations and will cost $1.56. Raffles Place MRT Station is on the same East-West MRT Line as Clementi MRT Station. You can also get to Outram Park, Tanjong Pagar and City Hall pretty quickly from Clementi MRT Station.
Clementi MRT to City Hall MRT
The train ride to Orchard MRT Station would take an estimated 20 minutes and cost $1.52. The LTA transport app had me switching lines three times. You could probably just switch to the North-South MRT Line at Raffles Place or City Hall MRT Station and that will be just a solitary switch.
Clementi MRT to Orchard MRT
The drive from Clevon to Raffles Place will take approximately 14 minutes and cover a distance of 12.6 kilometres. Do note that this Google Maps query was done during the circuit breaker period in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and thus understandably the traffic is extremely light. Do expect typical rush hour traffic when things do get back to normal and I would think that by the time Clevon is completed, traffic conditions would not be as light as they are currently.
The drive from Clevon to Raffles Place
The drive to Orchard Road will take 15 minutes and cover a distance of about 12.6 kilometres. Once again, current traffic conditions are optimal. Do factor in additional time especially during the typical peak hours.
The drive from Clevon to Orchard Road
The selling points of the development
To me, UOL as a developer is a huge plus. I’ve favoured UOL developments previously due to their attention to detail and quality of their finishes and design. UOL developments typically do not feel mass market and usually feel more premium than the competing developments around the area. The development next door, The Clement Canopy, was a joint development by UOL and Singland and thus UOL does have expertise developing in this area. They should be able to better understand what buyers would want and need and perhaps cater to this in their design and unit mix in Clavon.
Another selling point would be that this area is littered with educational institutions of higher learning. Just around the corner is University town which houses the Yale-NUS College among a host of colleges. The National University of Singapore campus is also very close by and so is Singapore Polytechnic and to a more limited extent, Ngee Ann Polytechnic. There are also many primary and secondary schools in the area. When investing in a development, you do want there to be demand for housing in the area. With these educational institutions around, staff from these institutions will demand for housing nearby and developments like Clevon will stand to benefit.
Possible bad points of the development
The walk to Clementi MRT Station is not exactly near. However, if you are looking for a condominium that is very close to Clementi MRT Station, there isn’t one. The other condominiums in the area, The Trilinq, Parc Clematis and The Clement Canopy are perhaps either about the same distance or further than Clevon to Clementi MRT Station.
The next possible bad point would be that the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) flanks one side of the development. Buyers can avoid units with possible expressway noise when selecting a unit.
My thoughts about the development
UOL is one of the developers that I do take notice of. I think that their developments are very well thought out and their developments are all unique in their own way. They are not the type of developer that does developments which look mass-produced. Their recent developments include Avenue South Residence and The Tre Ver. Since there are early days, I am looking forward to see the artist’s impression and layouts of the development.
For the past 1-year, there were four transactions at The Clement Canopy and they range from $1,471 psf to $1,731 psf with the more recent transactions gravitating towards the lower end of this price range.
Past 12-months transactions for The Clement Canopy
The past 1-year transactions at The Trilinq have seen 6 transactions with prices ranging from $1,080 psf to $1,672 psf. All of these transactions were concluded in 2019.
Past 12-months transactions for The Trilinq
The past 6-months transactions for Parc Clematis range from $1,333 to $1,715 psf. I am disregarding the first transaction in this list as it seems like an outlier with an exceptionally large area. I did a 6-month search as 12-months would have thrown up too large a number of transactions.
Past 6-months transactions for Parc Clematis
At the point of writing this article, the pricing for Clavon had yet to be released. I shall revisit and update this article when the pricing is confirmed.
Clavon
Pricing (To be confirmed)
Location 3.5/5
Clementi is a very matured estate with a whole host of amenities. Clavon is also located in the midst of an array of educational institutions. This should serve as a huge draw to a lot of buyers and there is always going to be a healthy number of tenants looking for accommodation in the area. The only downside to this would be that Clavon is not close to Clementi MRT Station. However, there are no condominiums close to Clementi MRT Station and the demand at The Clement Canopy could serve as a good indication of buying demand as well as potential rental pricing in Clavon. If buyers and tenants want a condominium development in Clementi, Clavon, The Clement Canopy, The Trilinq and Parc Clematis are their only options and they are all about equidistant to Clementi MRT Station. In fact, I may veer slightly towards choosing to live along Clementi Avenue 1 than Jalan Lempeng, where The Trilinq and Parc Clematis are located. Clementi Avenue 1 is closer to schools, polytechnics and universities and if you are driving, has easier access to the expressway and the city. For motorists coming from Jalan Lempeng heading to the AYE, a u-turn must be navigated to get onto the correct lane to enter the expressway.
Quality 4.5/5
As mentioned previously in my review of The Tre Ver, I really like UOL projects. Being in the real estate industry for a significant period of time, I would say that UOL developments are one of the better developments out there in terms of quality and finishing.
I would like to see the pricing and layouts of Clavon before coming to a firmer conclusion as to whether this development is worth considering for those looking for a new project launch.
Yours Sincerely,
Daryl Lum
p.s. Disclaimer: I am a licensed real estate salesperson at the point of writing this review. My reason for writing this review is to share my personal view about the developments not as a real estate salesperson but in the neutral context of a buyer and hopefully share some insight to help buyers make a more informed buying decision.
My other Singapore Property Reviews
My review of Normanton Park by Kingsford Development
My review of Penrose by CDL and Hong Leong Holdings
My review of Forett at Bukit Timah by Qingjian Realty
My review of Clavon by UOL Group
My review of The M by Wingtai Asia
My review of Kopar at Newton by CEL Development
My review of The Avenir by Hong Leong Holdings and GuocoLand
My review of One Holland Village Residences by Far East Organisation
My review of Neu at Novena and Fyve Derbyshire by Roxy Pacific Holdings
My review of Midwood by Hong Leong Holdings
My review of Royalgreen and Juniper Hill by Allgreen Properties
My review of Sky Everton by Sustained Land
My review of Sengkang Grand Residences by Capitaland and City Developments Limited
My review of One Pearl Bank by Capitaland
My review of The Antares by FSKH Development
My review of Parc Clematis by SingHaiyi Group
My review of Piermont Grand by City Developments Limited
My review of Parc Komo by CEL development
My review of Riviere by Frasers Property
My review of Avenue South Residence
My review of 1953 by Oxley Holdings
My review of Uptown @ Farrer
My review of The Florence Residences
My review of Treasure at Tampines
My review of Fourth Avenue Residences
My review of The Woodleigh Residences
My review of Kent Ridge Hill Residences
My review of Arena Residences
My review of Whistler Grand and Twin Vew
My review of Mayfair Gardens and Daintree Residence
My review of Parc Esta
My review of Jui Residences
My review of The Jovell
My review of JadeScape
My review of Stirling Residences and Margaret Ville
My review of The Tre Ver and Riverfront Residences
My review of Park Colonial
My review of Affinity at Serangoon and The Garden Residences
