Canberra Crescent Residences
Sembawang / Canberra · Kheng Leong Co + Low Keng Huat
Singapore's lowest new-launch PSF in 2026 at S$1,974, and the 85% sellout rate confirms that north-region HDB upgraders are real buyers, not just footnotes.
Location & neighbourhood
Canberra sub-zone: the new north.
Canberra Crescent sits in Singapore's Canberra sub-zone, an area that has undergone meaningful transformation in the past decade, anchored by the Canberra MRT station (NSL) and the Bukit Canberra integrated hub. The immediate neighbourhood is a mix of HDB heartland, newer ECs, and the Watergardens at Canberra (same JV developer). It's accessible but not aspirational, this is a genuine upgrader neighbourhood, not a prestige address.
Bukit Canberra, an integrated hub with a polyclinic, sports complex, hawker centre, and ActiveSG facilities, opened in phases and directly serves this precinct. That removes one of the usual OCR objections (lack of daily convenience) from the equation.
MRT & transport
- , Canberra MRT (NS12, NSL), ~738m / ~5-min walk
- , NSL direct to Orchard in ~8 stops, City Hall ~10 stops
- , Nearest interchange: Yishun (1 stop south) or Sembawang (1 stop north)
- , SLE and BKE accessible by car for Woodlands/Causeway commute
The developer
Kheng Leong + Low Keng Huat: a clean JV with a direct reference point next door.
Kheng Leong Co (founded 1949) has delivered a portfolio spanning ultra-luxury (The Nassim, MeyerHouse) to the Canberra sub-zone itself (Watergardens at Canberra, a JV with UOL/SingLand that fully sold out by March 2023 at S$1,446 psf average). That's the most directly relevant reference: same developer, same sub-precinct, prior project delivered well. Low Keng Huat (SGX-listed since 2007) adds institutional governance and a track record that includes Klimt Cairnhill (D9 freehold luxury), Dalvey Haus, and The Minton (D19, 1,145 units).
No documented BCA enforcement actions, no headline defect controversies on either developer's recent work. This JV carries significantly less developer risk than some 2026 competitors.
Named SG track record
- , Watergardens at Canberra (KL JV, same sub-precinct)
- , The Nassim, MeyerHouse (KL)
- , 32 Gilstead (KL boutique)
- , Klimt Cairnhill, Dalvey Haus (LKH)
- , The Minton (LKH, 1,145 units)
Unit mix & layouts
75% 3BR + 4BR, this is a family product, not an investor play.
The 1BR and 2BR allocation (just 94 units combined, roughly 25%) was the first to sell. The remaining ~55 units as of Q1 2026 are primarily 3BR Premium and some 4BR stacks, the larger family-oriented product. That mix tells you exactly what this project was built to do: absorb the HDB upgrader wave in the north who needs at least three bedrooms.
Indicative pricing & PSF context
Lowest new-launch PSF in 2026, and resale comps are still 13% below.
Launch pricing (Aug 2025)
S$1,974 avg psf
Range: S$1,864 $2,073. Entry PSF described as Singapore's lowest new-launch entry in the 2025–2026 window. Caveated transactions to date: S$1,962 $2,088 psf range confirmed.
D27 resale benchmarks
- , Watergardens at Canberra (same sub-precinct): ~S$1,723 psf
- , Parc Canberra EC (privatised): ~S$1,785 psf
- , The Visionaire EC (older): ~S$1,402 $1,424 psf
- , Gap to Canberra Crescent: new-launch premium of ~S$250+ psf over nearest resale
Schools, amenities, connectivity
Solid neighbourhood schools, no elite-school magnet.
Primary schools (within 1–2km)
- , Sembawang Primary, within 1km
- , Wellington Primary, within 1km
- , Endeavour Primary, Canberra Primary
- , Ahmad Ibrahim Primary, Northoaks Primary
Amenities
- , Bukit Canberra hub (polyclinic, sports, hawker, library)
- , Canberra Plaza, Sun Plaza, Sembawang Shopping Centre
- , Admiralty Park & waterway parks
- , KKH Canberra Polyclinic (at Bukit Canberra)
Expressways & links
- , SLE (Seletar Expressway): ~5 min drive to on-ramp
- , BKE (Bukit Timah Expy) via SLE
- , Woodlands Causeway: ~15 min by car
- , JB-SG RTS: Woodlands North, useful for frequent JB travellers
Investment thesis
Why someone would actually buy here.
Lowest quantum entry in 2026 Singapore
At S$1,974 psf and 3BR from roughly S$2.1M (TBC, confirm current balance unit pricing), this is one of the few new private launches accessible to the broad middle-market SC upgrader without stretching TDSR. The affordability signal is real and confirmed by the 85% sellout pace.
Clean developer JV with a local reference
Watergardens at Canberra (same developer JV, same precinct) delivered cleanly and fully sold at S$1,446 psf, appreciating to ~S$1,723 psf today. That's a 19% gain for owners from 2021 launch. Canberra Crescent buyers are effectively betting the same play repeats.
Bukit Canberra removes liveability objection
An integrated hub with sports, polyclinic, hawker, and library at walking distance is genuinely differentiating for the north region, it removes the "nothing to do" objection that historically capped OCR demand in Sembawang.
Northern corridor long-term demand
Woodlands North Coast, Sembawang North, and JB-SG RTS effects are multi-decade but directionally positive for north-region land values. If Singapore's northern urban corridor continues to gentrify, S$1,974 psf entry will look reasonable in 2030–2035 context.
Risks & what to stress test
Where this could bite you.
EC competition caps the resale ceiling
Two EC projects are launching in the Canberra sub-precinct in 2026–2027 (Sembawang Road EC, ~265 units, and Canberra Drive EC, ~185 units). ECs price 15–20% below private condos. When they privatise around 2031–2032, they enter the open market and directly compete with Canberra Crescent Residences units. That limits how far the PSF ceiling can move in the medium term.
No expat rental base
Canberra is not an established expat enclave. Rental demand is predominantly local and HDB-upgrader-adjacent, meaning rents are price sensitive and will not support the S$5,000+/month that justifies a 3%+ gross yield at S$1,974 psf. For 3BR units, model rental at S$3,500 $4,200/month at best. Gross yield: ~2.5–3.0%. Net yield after costs: ~1.8–2.3%.
Single-line MRT (no interchange)
Canberra MRT is on the NSL only. No interchange at the station, you must go one stop to Sembawang or Yishun to catch another bus/transfer. For buyers who value redundant connectivity or need Circle/Downtown Line access, this is a genuine limitation versus D19 or D26 launches.
New-launch premium over resale already in
Watergardens at Canberra resale sits at ~S$1,723 psf, about 13% below Canberra Crescent's launch price. If you need to exit before 2030, you are selling into a thinner bid stack at a price above nearby resale. This is an own-stay or patient hold, not a 3-year flip.
Winfred's take
The honest read.
Canberra Crescent Residences is exactly what it looks like, a well-priced, clean-developer, family-oriented OCR launch in the north that an SC upgrader family can actually afford. The 85% sellout rate is not hype; it reflects genuine demand from Sembawang and Canberra HDB owners who are upgrading at a price point that works. For that buyer, this is a coherent decision: buy new, get a fresh 99-year lease, avoid the ABSD on resale by selling the HDB within 6 months, and move into a precinct that has demonstrably improved over the past five years.
Who it doesn't suit: yield investors who need 3.5%+ gross to make the numbers work (this won't give you that), buyers who need elite primary school catchment (the nearest schools are solid neighbourhood schools, not ballot magnets), and anyone chasing a quick resale flip, the EC competition that matures in 2031–2032 structurally limits how fast the PSF ceiling rises. Hold it for 7–10 years, live in it or rent it to a local family, and you'll likely come out fine. Try to flip it in 2028 and the comps work against you.
Related reading
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