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Decision guide · Buying

Buying a home in an integrated development at Chencharu: what to check beyond the convenience

A bus interchange, hawker centre and shops within the development make daily life easier. The right unit still has to work as a home. Here's what to look at once the plans are out, and what to prepare now.

Published
21 Oct 2026
Last fact-checked
21 Oct 2026
Reading time
4 min
Next review
21 Dec 2026

Filed underNew launch

Close-up map of the Chencharu Close site. The gold parcel lies on the west side of the neighbourhood park that runs east to Khatib MRT station on Yishun Avenue 2. The station's nearest exit is about 320 metres in a straight line from the site's nearest corner. Peiying Primary School is just north-east of the site, HomeTeamNS Khatib to the south-east, and Khatib Central across Yishun Avenue 2.
The Chencharu Close site (gold): homes, shops, a hawker centre and a bus interchange in one development, across the park from Khatib MRT. Tap the map to open it full size. · Map: OneMap © contributors | Singapore Land Authority. Site outline: contains information from the Master Plan 2025 Land Use Layer accessed on 21 Oct 2026 from URA via data.gov.sg, made available under the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0. Drawn by JamesWongHomes.com Select the picture to open it full size.

Quick answer

The development at Chencharu Close is a private development with a bus interchange, hawker centre and shops planned within it, so the convenience is built in. What decides whether a particular unit suits you is how the homes are separated from the public parts, the layout, and your own budget and timing. Prices and floor plans aren't out yet, so now is the time to set a budget, get a loan approval in principle and, if you own a home, plan when to sell.

The options at a glance

Option 1

Check the site plan

Where the homes' entrance, the bus lanes and the shops sit.

Option 2

Then the unit

The layout and stack, not just the bedroom count.

Option 3

Prepare the money now

Budget, stamp duty, the loan, and when to sell.

Key takeaways

  • It's a private development with a bus interchange, hawker centre and shops planned within it (HDB), about 875 homes on a 99-year lease.
  • Once plans are out, look at how the homes' entrance and lifts are kept apart from the public routes, and where loading, bus lanes and kitchen exhausts are.
  • Choose on the layout and the stack, not the bedroom count alone.
  • Private-property rules apply, not EC rules: stamp duty, loan limits and, if you own a home, the order of selling and buying.
The development at Chencharu Close: what's known
What it isCommercial and residential development integrated with a bus interchange and a hawker centre (HDB)
Site29,450.3 sq m; plot ratio 3.26; gross floor area 96,008 sq m
Lease99 years
HomesAbout 875 (HDB); up to 875 (Gamuda)
Commercial spaceUp to 12,600 sq m (Gamuda)
Land sold26 Sep 2025, the top of three bids, for $1,012,588,989.89 (about $10,547 per sq m of floor area): a land price, not a selling price
DevelopersEvia MCS, Gamuda (Singapore) and H108 (HDB); through Polaris Times Square Residences Pte Ltd and Times Square Mall Pte Ltd (Gamuda)
Launch, prices, layoutsNot announced
CompletionExpected within 84 months of the tender's acceptance (Bernama report of Gamuda's Bursa Malaysia filing); no TOP date published

Source: Mix residential sites sold by HDB (list dated 14 January 2026) (Housing & Development Board), List dated 14 Jan 2026. Extracted 21 Oct 2026.

The home count is the estimate published so far; the developer confirms it at launch.

This guide is for

  • Buyers who value having transport and food within the development
  • HDB and condo owners in the north planning their next private home

It is not for

  • Buyers who want a purely residential development away from public activity

What you need to decide

  • A comfortable total budget, including stamp duty and fees
  • A bank's loan approval in principle
  • If you own a home: what it could sell for, the loan left and the CPF used
  • The home size and layout your household needs

Step by step

  1. 1

    What you'd be buying

    A home in a mixed-use development

    HDB sold the site for a commercial and residential development integrated with a bus interchange and a hawker centre: 29,450 sq m on a 99-year lease, with about 875 homes. Gamuda, one of the developers, gives up to 12,600 sq m of commercial space. It's private property, so private-property rules apply, not an executive condominium's. The developer's material for agents calls it Chencharu Central Residences; Gamuda's public page still calls it Chencharu Close.

    The appeal is clear: fewer separate trips for transport, food and errands. The questions are about how it works as a home.

  2. 2

    Separate the public from your front door

    What to look for when the site plan is out

    A bus interchange and a hawker centre bring people and activity. When the developer releases the site plan, look at where the homes' own entrance and lifts are, and how they're kept apart from the routes the public uses. Look too at where loading bays, bus lanes and kitchen exhausts sit. Their being in the development doesn't mean a particular stack is affected: the plans and the developer's answers will show that.

    And check the route to Khatib MRT: whether it's covered, and where it leaves the development.

    What to check, and where the answer comes from
    Where the homes' entrance is, and where the public goesBus passengers and diners use the same developmentThe developer's site plan
    The route to Khatib MRTWhether it's covered, and how long it takesThe site plan; walk it yourself
    Loading bays, bus lanes and kitchen exhaustsWhere they sit relative to a stackPlans and the developer's answers
    The layout, not just the bedroom countFurniture, storage and how the family moves through itFloor plans when released
    Your total budgetPrice, stamp duty, legal fees and the loanYour bank; the calculators linked below
    If you own a home: the order of selling and buyingIt decides your budget and your loanJames; the shared guides below

    Source: HDB Launches Sale Site at Chencharu Close (press release) (Housing & Development Board), Launched for tender 26 Sep 2024. Extracted 21 Oct 2026.

    A checklist, not a judgement on any unit: the floor plans and site plan haven't been released.

  3. 3

    Read the layout, not just the bedrooms

    How the home will actually be used

    When floor plans are out, place the furniture you need, check the storage and the kitchen, and follow how the family moves through the home. Think about how needs change over the time you'll own it: children growing, working from home, an older parent moving in. Then look at the stack's position in the site plan.

  4. 4

    Prepare the money now

    Before prices are out

    Work out a comfortable total budget: the price, buyer's stamp duty (and additional buyer's stamp duty if it applies to you), legal fees and the loan. The new launch purchase calculator shows the payments stage by stage, the buyer's stamp duty calculator the duty, and the mortgage repayment calculator the monthly instalment. A bank's approval in principle gives an indicative figure for what you could borrow, subject to its final approval.

  5. 5

    Already own a home?

    The order of selling and buying

    If you own an HDB flat or a condo, when you sell decides your budget, your loan and whether additional buyer's stamp duty applies. Selling first or buying first sets out the two routes, and what happens to your CPF when you sell explains the refund with interest. The HDB sale proceeds calculator and the private property sale proceeds calculator show what a sale would leave you.

  6. 6

    Where to go next

    The location and the plans

    Daily life around the site: Chencharu Central near Khatib. What HDB has planned around it: Chencharu's plans. The project facts, kept up to date: Chencharu Central on propertyelitesclique.com.

Common mistakes

  • Choosing on the bedroom count before seeing the layout and the stack.
  • Assuming a unit is affected, or not, by the bus lanes or the hawker centre before the plans are out.
  • Using EC rules or EC payment schemes for a private development.
  • Treating the land price as a guide to the selling price.

Analysis · opinion

James's practical view

The convenience is the headline, and it's real. But I'd never let it choose the unit for you. Once the plans are out, I'd look first at how the residential side is separated from the interchange and the hawker centre, then at the layout and stack.

The other half is money and timing. If you're upgrading, decide the order of selling and buying with me before the preview, so that on the day you're choosing a home, not working out a budget.

Questions to ask your bank, lawyer or agent

  1. 1.The developer: how are the homes' entrance and lifts separated from the interchange and the hawker centre?
  2. 2.My bank: what will it lend me in principle, and how does an existing loan change that?
  3. 3.James: when should I sell my current home, and what could it sell for?

Seen in practice

Case studies and videos where this decision came up.

Case study

635B Senja Road to Copen Grand: buying an EC while still living in the HDB flat

HDB flat, 635B Senja Road, Bukit Panjang; next home an executive condominium at Copen Grand, Tengah

  1. Step 1: Challenge

    So the sale had to meet the bridging loan's timeline, while the family still needed somewhere to live until Copen Grand was ready.

  2. Step 2: Strategy

    The bridging loan's timeline set when the flat had to be sold.

  3. Step 3: Result

    The flat was sold for S$642,000.

Read the case study

Frequently asked questions

Is Chencharu Central an executive condominium?

No. It's a private development on a 99-year lease, so private-property rules apply.

How much did the land cost?

The site sold for $1,012,588,989.89 in September 2025. That's the price of the land, not a guide to what the homes will sell for.

Who is the developer?

HDB sold the site to Evia MCS, Gamuda (Singapore) and H108. Gamuda says it's held through Polaris Times Square Residences Pte Ltd and Times Square Mall Pte Ltd.

Limitations

No floor plans, site plan, prices or payment details have been released, so nothing here assesses a particular unit. Stamp duty, loan limits and CPF use depend on your own circumstances: check with IRAS, your bank and CPF Board.

Sources

  1. 1.
    HDB Launches Sale Site at Chencharu Close (press release)

    Housing & Development Board · Period: Launched for tender 26 Sep 2024 · Extracted 21 Oct 2026

    Integrated with a bus interchange and a hawker centre; about 875 homes.

  2. 2.
    Mix residential sites sold by HDB (list dated 14 January 2026)

    Housing & Development Board · Period: List dated 14 Jan 2026 · Extracted 21 Oct 2026

    Award, tenderers, site area, GFA, plot ratio, 99 years, price.

  3. 3.
    Final tender results for Chencharu Close and Sembawang Road (HDB news page)

    Housing & Development Board · Period: News page; award date 26 Sep 2025 from HDB's sites-sold list · Extracted 21 Oct 2026

    Final tender results.

  4. 4.
    Chencharu Close (project page)

    Gamuda Land · Period: Read 21 Oct 2026 · Extracted 21 Oct 2026

    Up to 875 homes; 12,600 sq m commercial.

  5. 5.
    Gamuda JV wins RM3.31bil leasehold land tender in Singapore (Bernama report of Gamuda's Bursa Malaysia filing, republished on Gamuda Land's website, 29 September 2025)

    Bernama, via Gamuda Land · Period: Report dated 29 Sep 2025 · Extracted 21 Oct 2026

    Bernama report of Gamuda's filing: acquired through Polaris Times Square Residences Pte Ltd and Times Square Mall Pte Ltd.

  6. 6.
    Rules for new housing loans

    Monetary Authority of Singapore · Period: LTV limits for options granted on or after 6 Jul 2018 · Extracted 20 Oct 2026

    Loan-to-value limits.

Wong Say Tian (James) · CEA Reg. No. R007728G · +65 9696 9567PropNex Realty Pte Ltd · Licence No. L3008022J

General information only, not financial, legal or tax advice. Figures reflect the data period shown and may since have changed; your own circumstances will differ. Full disclaimer.

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