Good Class Bungalows

Good class bungalows belong to the highest and most prestigious type of landed housing in Singapore because of the planning constraints imposed by the authorities. The term “Good Class Bungalow” is actually an URA planning term. There are approximately 39 residential areas designated as Good Class Bungalow Areas GCBA. Both the size and location criteria need to be fulfilled before a bungalow can be classified as a GCB Good Class Bungalow. Not all properties with a land size of more than 1,400sqm are
actually GCBs Good Class Bungalows. Importantly, we need to verify if the property is in an area designated for GCBs Good Class Bungalows by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). As such, GCBs Good Class Bungalows are at the highest end of the luxury segment in Singapore’s property market.

A bungalow that falls within the boundaries of such Good Class Bungalow Areas GCBA are subject to planning constraints namely, minimum land plot size must be 1,400 sq m (15,070 sq ft) and maximum building height of 2-storeys only. Owners also need to agree not to build a bungalow that consumes more than 40% of the plot size. There also has to be sufficient greenery in between plots of land. Most of all, foreigners are not allowed to own Good Class Bungalows. By imposing stringent constraints, the exclusivity and low-rise character of such neighborhoods are preserved.

Planning Constraints Protects Exclusivity

Good Class Bungalows GCBs in Singapore are the most sought-after landed properties in the city. There are very few Singaporeans who live in landed areas and there are only a few Good Class Bungalows GCBs available in the city-state. This is the reason why bungalows command higher prices than almost any other kinds of living spaces. Good Class Bungalows GCBS can be compared to luxury condominiums regarding how much they cost to buy.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority ( URA ) has opted to gazette Good Class Bungalows GCBS  with 39 areas protected. The explanation for this was to protect the high environmental quality of these established massive bungalow areas from the intrusion of more intensive forms of housing like semi-detached or patio houses.

Walk around chosen Good Class Bungalow Areas GCBA and you may find not only beautiful houses but old trees as well . The URA”s plans to protect these areas come hand in hand with not only saving the houses but the area as well . Designating areas for Good Class Bungalows GCBS make sure that these houses remain under 2 stories and that trees and the overall ambiance of the area will differ from the common busy, crowded and rushed areas in Singapore.

Good Class Bungalow GCB owners have to comply with housing constraints issued by the URA. This includes a minimum plot size 1,400 sq m (15,070 sq ft) and maximum building height not extending to over 2 stories. 

Some 1,000 Singaporeans are said to own the majority of Good Class Bungalows here.

VERY few people live in landed homes in Singapore and even fewer live in Good Class Bungalows (GCBs), which probably explains why they are so desirable. There are about one million or so homes here. These comprise terrace houses, semi-detached houses, bungalows and of course high-rise homes – condominiums, apartments and public housing flats.

Exclusive: While it is not inconceivable that there could be more GCB areas added in the future, given the need to intensify land use in Singapore, the likelihood is slim.

But GCBs Good Class Bungalows stand quite far apart from all of these in that they not only have to sit on land that is of a certain size – not less than 1,400 square metres – but also have to be located in areas that have been specially designated for them. Indeed, there are estimated to be less than 2,800 GCBs in Singapore. Unlike condominiums, GCBs Good Class Bungalows are limited in supply, with only 2800 units out of a total stock of 10,738 detached houses as at end-4Q2015.
About 65 GCBs Good Class Bungalows have been gazetted for conservation. Those earmarked for conservation cannot be torn down and rebuilt. A general guide would be that if what you are interested to buy is an older bungalow with colonial architecture, chances are that it could be ear marked for conservation.

Good Class Bungalow Areas GCBA were officially gazetted in 1980 with 39 areas formally safeguarded as Good Class Bungalows Areas ( GCBA). A spokesman for the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) explained that the purpose of the gazette was to ‘protect the high environmental quality of these established large bungalow areas from the intrusion of more intensive forms of housing such as semi-detached or terrace houses’.

Walk or drive around these Good Class Bungalow Areas GCBA and often you will notice not only stately houses but stately trees as well with many protected for posterity. There are two zones in Singapore under the National Parks Board’s Tree Conservation Areas with the main zone covering central Singapore where most of the GCBs Good Class Bungalows are located.
To control development in these areas, URA set certain guidelines for planning purposes. For instance, the minimum plot size for any newly created bungalow within the 39 GCB areas must be at least 1,400 sq m. For this reason, a GCB Good Class Bungalow plot cannot be developed to accommodate more intensive forms of housing. And unless it is at least 2,800 sq m in size, it cannot be sub-divided into two GCB Good Class Bungalow plots either.

Of the Good Class Bungalow Areas GCBA, the best known are the Nassim, Cluny, Bishopsgate and White House Park estates. While it is not inconceivable that there could be more Good Class Bungalow Areas GCBA added in the future, given the need to intensify land use in Singapore, the likelihood is slim.

URA’s spokesman said: ‘In drawing up our land use plans for Singapore, we aim to provide a variety of housing options for Singaporeans, from waterfront housing to garden living to city living. This includes low-density and landed housing, such as those found within existing Good Class Bungalow Areas GCBA. The detailed housing form for future landed housing areas will be determined when the area is ready to be developed.’

URA said that there are currently no plans to release new sites or designate new areas as Good Class Bungalow Areas GCBA. ‘Nevertheless, there is scope for the number of GCB Good Class Bungalow plots within existing Good Class Bungalow Areas GCBA to increase, for example through sub-division of larger GCB Good Class Bungalow plots into several GCB plots, so long as each bungalow plot meets the minimum land size of 1,400 sq m,’ URA added.

Big GCB Good Class Bungalow plots do not come by often. In 1994, a plum site in the White House Park Good Class Bungalow Areas GCBA came up for sale by public tender. The 194,000 sq ft parcel was the official residence of the Australian high commissioner at White House Park/Dalvey Road Good Class Bungalow Areas GCBA. Property valuers had estimated that the site could fetch as much as $70 million, or around $400 per square foot (psf). The site eventually sold for $98 million or $505 psf.

In 1997, developer Wharf Group sold five units of the 11-unit development of GCBs Good Class Bungalows at an average of $14.1 million each. Ten years later, in 2007, a GCB Good Class Bungalow in this development sold for $28.8 million. There have been other public tenders of large sites.

In 2000, Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) sold a 201,782 sq ft freehold bungalow site it owned since the 1960s in Jervois Road for $60 million, or slightly over $330 psf. Then in 2003, HSBC sold a 276,112 sq ft site at Bishopsgate for $69.8 million. Together, all three sites would have yielded less than 40 new GCBs Good Class Bungalows.

Occasionally, individual GCB Good Class Bungalow sites will come up for auction. In 2008, the Singapore Land Authority auctioned a site at Ridout Road which saw 34 bids lodged by three prospective buyers. The winning bid came in at $8.96 million or $579.55 psf. This was 22.6 per cent above the opening bid of $7.31 million or $473 psf. Being fresh government land sale sites, however, it came with a 99-year lease.

SLA also said that recently, three parcels of land have been sold under the Sale of Infill Sites programme on 99-year leases. ‘The owners have to comply with URA’s GCB guidelines as the land parcels are within Good Class Bungalow Areas GCBA,’ it added.

Because the environment is an important factor in Good Class Bungalow Areas GCBA, there are guidelines that control how big the house can be. For instance, the house cannot cover more than 40 per cent of the site. This is to ensure that there are adequate green buffers between each house.

There are also more prosaic restraints – childcare centres are not allowed in Good Class Bungalow Areas GCBA for instance. But perhaps the most important constraint on GCB ownership to note is that foreigners are not allowed to own these, only Singapore citizens are allowed to buy Good Class Bungalows GCBs.

Some 1,000 Singaporeans are said to own the majority of GCBs Good Class Bungalows here and are mostly intent on holding on to them as long-term investments. Land scarcity, a high population density, growing household
wealth and limited supply are the primary reasons that make Good Class Bungalows (GCBs) a coveted asset in Singapore. Good Class Bungalows (GCBs) represent the apex of the landed segment. With a finite supply of GCBs available in the market, owners
of GCBs are seemingly of an unparalleled status of prestige among home owners in Singapore.  If you have bought one through the open market, you can count yourself lucky indeed.

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Best Regards,
Serene Chua : (+ 65)98-199-199
B.Sc(NUS)Hons / CEHA-Certified
Email : topserene@yahoo.com.sg