Aug 2021 BTO Analysis: Queen’s Arc

One of the seven BTOs launched for Aug 2021, Queen’s Arc at Queenstown may not be located next to an MRT station, but it is surrounded by a slew of F&B options and is within a short walking distance to IKEA Alexandra. If you are making a flat selection in this development, we consider what your best options are.

At a glance

BTO	Queen's Arc
Location	Along Queensway. Bounded by Queen's Crescent (future road) and Queensway Drive (future road)
No. of units	610
Unit types	3- and 4-room flats
No. of blocks	2 + 1 (block of rental flats)
No. of floors	23 to 39 storeys
Site facilities	A community hub comprising a childcare centre, an eating house, a minimart, and other shops.
Public transportation	Nearest MRT: Queenstown MRT station (~13 min walk) Buses: Bus stops along Queensway with plenty of buses that take you to areas like Clementi, Jurong East, City Hall, Bugis, Woodlands, Clarke Quay, Serangoon, Marina Bay and Bedok.
Surrounding amenities	Retail, F&B: Queensway Shopping Centre (~4 min walk) Anchorpoint Shopping Centre (~6 min walk) IKEA Alexandra (~6 min walk) Alexandra Central (~6 min walk) Hawker Centres: Alexandra Village Food Centre (~5 min walk) ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre (~7 min walk) Parks: Proximity to Rail Corridor and HortPark
Schools within 2km (estimated)	Queenstown Primary School, Blangah Rise Primary School, Gan Eng Seng Primary School, New Town Primary School
Estimated completion date	3rd quarter of 2027

The site

Queen's Arc Site

The surrounds of the BTO site were bustling during our site visit. Traffic was heavy along Queensway in the afternoon and will likely become busier with the expansion of Alexandra Hospital on the adjacent site beside Queen’s Arc. The redevelopment for the hospital is scheduled for completion in 2030.

Alexandra Hospital's expansion. The site will sit adjacent to Queen's Arc BTO.

Image: The Straits Times While the BTO isn’t located next to an MRT station—Queenstown MRT on the East-West line is situated more than a 10-min walk away—there are a lot of buses (around 11!) that service the bus stops along Queensway in front of the BTO. These can take you to the CBD and most major neighbourhoods in Singapore. There are no big shopping malls nearby, but you do get IKEA Alexandra within a short walking distance away. In terms of food options, you have the option of hawker fare at popular hawker centres Alexandra Village and ABC Brickworks as well as fast food eateries and restaurants located at Alexandra Central and Anchorpoint Shopping Centre. The Queen’s Arc site itself will also see a coffee shop. For supermarkets, the nearest one is the NTUC Fairprice along Stirling Road. Within the BTO site, there will be a minimart as well.

Which unit should you pick for Queen's Arc?

3-room flats Most of the stacks here are 4-room units. If you are thinking of getting a 3-room flat, you only have stacks 129 and 131 to choose from. There isn’t a huge difference in these two stacks. Both stacks are likely to get some afternoon sun, coming in from the northwest direction from March to September. The consolation is that because they are north-south facing, you are likely to experience some decent breeze. The 3-room stacks are also facing the drop-off point, so you will want to avoid units on the lower floors if you don’t want to be disturbed by drop-off activities e.g. loading and unloading of goods, passenger pick-ups, etc. The stacks are located relatively near the lifts. Consider investing in privacy screens near your front entrance to maintain more privacy in your apartment. 4-room flats Afternoon sun: For 4-room stacks, stacks 105, 107, 133 and 135 are the ones to consider if you want to get less of the afternoon sun. Both these stacks will get some afternoon sun coming from the southwest direction from September to March, but the heat will be slightly alleviated as they are partially blocked by the stack before them.

Sun direction in April

Sun direction in October

Privacy: If you don’t want neighbours looking in through your front door when they walk by, look to stacks 107, 113, 127 and 133. However, depending on the design of the BTO, they might be able to see through your service yard as they walk along the common corridors. Check HDB’s 3D model for Queen’s Arc for more information. Traffic noise: Traffic noise is likely going to a problem for stacks 101, 103, 117 and 119, which are facing a road junction and arterial road Queensway.

Queensway is a busy arterial road

Car park: Don’t want to be subjected to fumes and the revving of engines? Avoid stacks near the car park if you are picking a unit on the lower floors (the car park has 6 storeys). Stacks 135 and 137 have their service yards looking into the car park, while stacks 105, 107, 109 and 111 have the main areas of the home looking into the car park. Human activity zones: Because of the higher concentration of human activity in zones like the pavilions, playgrounds and fitness corners, you are likely going to get some noise disturbance if your stack is facing them. These are the stacks most likely affected: 109, 111, 121, 123, 133, 135, 137 and 139. If you have any other questions on BTO Queen’s Arc, hit us up on our socials or in the comments below!