These colonial-era bungalows in Tanglin will create a new lifestyle hub – but the awarded bid price is shocking

Managing a large plot of land with groups of protected buildings is no easy task, and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has been very careful about how such groups of historic areas are used. The SLA is a statutory board under the Law Ministry, and it manages over 2,600 state-owned properties, including black and white bungalows and heritage properties. Familiar clusters of these historic buildings that have been successfully repurposed as lifestyle, arts or F&B areas include Dempsey Hill, Gilman Barracks and Seletar Aerospace Park. So it was a pleasant surprise when the SLA launched a value-quality tender for 33 heritage black and white colonial buildings in the former Phoenix Park in September 2025. Located at 300-320 Tanglin Road, the 610,487 square foot site consists of low-rise houses that were originally built in 1949 by the British colonial government as homes for the staff of the British Far East Command, British High Commission.

The tender for this group of heritage buildings was launched in September 2025, and closed three months later. (Image: SLA)…