november 2017 bto - woodleigh village

DISCLAIMER:​​

1. Readers are advised to use information available here as study guide and use it at your own risk. 
2. Please note that changes/ update based on available information will be made from time to time, readers are advised to check on this page regularly.
3. Analysis was done based on available data at the time of publishing of this review.
4. As each and every unit has it's own attributes, analysis shown here only represent the majority units in the stacks having the same attribute including sun, wind, view, distance etc. 
   

woodleigh village

Site

1. This site is planned for mixed of residential with commercial usage at lower levels.
2. This site has a plot ratio of 1.8 which is the lowest among all Alkaff developments. The lower plot ratio or density will translate to lower capacity usage of space and amenities. In other words, the quality of living should be better off.
3. Almost a quarter of the site will be taken up as commercial usage which includes the Gateway Plaza. This plaza may host shops and eateries. No additional details were provided for this plaza usage.
4. Spaces between stacks in this development are generous due to the lower plot ratio requirement. This will provide excellent privacy for stacks facing internal courtyard.
5. Half of the site will host a bus interchange at lower levels. Smoke pollution will be a concern in the future.

Unit layout

1. This development consists of 4-room layout which is almost a standard bearer for the last few years.
2. The bedrooms are as good as fixed and there won’t be much internal alteration can be done due to a fixed column position between room 2 and 3.
3. The kitchen will be hidden while Living and Dining area are being separated.
4. Spaces for dining is rather small for a proper 4 pax dining table without interfering with the kitchen entrance.

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Frequently asked question (FAQ)
 
1. Shouldn’t the developer (public and private developers) have taken all the attributes into consideration when planning for the development? Like sun, wind etc?
 
The answer is Yes and No. Yes, in terms of macro planning and No, in terms of micro planning.
 
Macro planning refers to planning (as an example) the whole of Bidadari township, which consist of least 10,000 units all in. The architect/ planner will create blocks/ boxes to simulate the sun, wind etc to generate the best outcome (usually up to 75%) as they need to balance between cost of construction, return on development, views, safety, regulations and many more criteria. These blocks/ boxes are not the final floor plan or block plan which will be sold (in the brochures) to the end users as these simulations are just preliminary works to determine the baseline of the development.
 
Next will be micro planning. After all stakeholders agreed on the best solution (again, will not be 75% or more), then the plot of land will be carved out into smaller plots which generate at least 2,000 units each which we called a precinct and then sub-plots which consist of 500-1,000 units each. From here onwards, Architect will take over the work to design the unit layout, then the block layout which reflects the Masterplan original intention. Changes will and can be made during this stage to satisfy update URA, HDB, SCDF regulation, LTA, NEA, N-Parks requirements etc. At this stage, the analysis will still be done on sun, wind etc, but still on a block basis and not on each and every unit as this will take forever to find the right balance to push the product to the market. Even the best architect in the world will not get a good 60% or more units with excellence attributes. (Take a look at Zaha Hadid’s Ferrer Court D’Leedon, Moshe Safdie’s Bishan Sky Habitat, OMA’s Depot Road The Interlace or Daniel Liberskind’s Reflections at Keppel Bay, all with their own unique and mostly same problems)
 
In short, yes, there’s an analysis being done at planning level and no, it will never benefit each and every unit. Thus, each and every unit will have their own unique attributes which may be positive or negative attributes.
 

2. If all units are not equal in terms of attributes, why some stacks/ units have the same pricing?
 
Currently there’s no scientific mean to price a unit, thus the very inefficient market, which create price distortion/ manipulation and benefited the developers and agents. Non-landed property (high rise residential) is being priced loosely based on height, facing, location and premiums on selected attributes like swimming pool view, city view etc.
 
Higher level usually commands higher price point due to cost of vertical transport (lifts), structural loadings, mechanical and electrical services, etc. In some cases, for BTO pricing, there’s a discounted price for some higher floor due to a specific reason while the top 2 floors will mostly being priced the same (we have been actively explaining the reason behind this with data to all our paid users).
 
Take Alkaff Lakeview (Nov 2015 BTO) as an example, proposed Alkaff Lake to the north was made a marketing gimmick to home owners who is looking for ‘view’. The footnote does indicate that Alkaff Lake also serves as a stormwater retention pond. So, what does it mean by a stormwater retention pond? A stormwater retention pond was meant to serve as temporary excessive water collection point during heavy downpour before the water being channeled out through the main outlet. What if the main outlet was stuck or not able to perform its normal function? In this case, the water will stagnate in this ‘stormwater retention pond’ and if the source of water were tainted with waste, it will create foul smell and depending on the wind direction of the year, it may affect the unit which is facing it directly. To most readers, this maybe a bit too far fetch, then again, Orchard Road have suffered massive flood several times!     

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