The Greater Southern Waterfront (GSW) is the long-term redevelopment of Singapore's southern coastline, made possible by the port's move to Tuas. Its first housing is already defined: the former Keppel Club site, with about 7,000 HDB flats and about 3,000 private homes. Most other parcels are still under study. For a buyer or investor, the working distinction is between what is confirmed, what is planned and what is only possible.
TL;DR
- The GSW covers about 30km of southern coastline and about 1,000ha of land that will be freed as port activities consolidate at Tuas.
- The first confirmed housing is the former Keppel Club site: roughly 10,000 homes, of which about 7,000 are HDB flats and about 3,000 are private units.
- Berlayar Residences, the first BTO project, sits between Telok Blangah and Labrador Park MRT stations, and the wider timeline runs over decades.
- Price effects are expectations rather than outcomes, so verify each parcel's status, lease, transport access and nearby supply before relying on a narrative.
- Transaction data, valuation tools and affordability checks help separate a plan from a price.
Table of Contents
- What the Greater Southern Waterfront covers
- Timeline: what is fixed and what is still open
- The first homes: the former Keppel Club site
- Jobs, transport and amenities
- What this could mean for prices and valuations
- What this could mean for rents
- A checklist before buying near the GSW
- Where haio fits in
- Perspective
- FAQ
- Sources
What the Greater Southern Waterfront covers
The GSW is a master-planning concept, not a single estate with a fixed boundary. URA states that consolidating port activities at Tuas will free approximately 1,000ha of land and 30km of coastline along the southern coast. The same page identifies the Keppel Terminal and Keppel Distripark as locations marked for new housing once the port vacates, and describes those areas as under study.
Public descriptions of the area generally run from the Gardens by the Bay East area through Marina South, Marina East and Straits View, and on to Tanjong Pagar, Keppel, HarbourFront and Pasir Panjang. URA describes the GSW as a flexible mixed-use live-work-play area, with Marina South, Marina East and Straits View supporting the city's growth and offering housing types, layouts and flat types for different household needs.
This matters for property searches because "GSW property" is used loosely. A condominium near Pasir Panjang, a unit in an established Marina Bay development and a future parcel at the former Keppel Terminal are three different propositions, with different lease positions, timelines and risk.
Timeline: what is fixed and what is still open
The sequence depends on the port's relocation. URA notes that the container terminals at Tanjong Pagar and Pasir Panjang relocate to Tuas after 2027 and 2040 respectively, at which point the freed waterfront land can become homes, workplaces and recreational spaces. That implies a staggered release rather than a single date.
Reclamation adds a further layer. The Business Times reported that reclamation works are expected at the Keppel and Tanjong Pagar terminals after they relocate around 2027, covering around 213ha and taking at least 10 years.
A practical reading of these sources:
| Stage | Status | Typical implication for a buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Former Keppel Club site | Detailed planning done, first BTO project launched | Concrete homes with known unit counts and locations |
| Keppel Terminal and Keppel Distripark | Marked for housing, under study | Direction is clear, but form, density and timing are not |
| Tanjong Pagar terminal area | Relocation after 2027, reclamation to follow | Long horizon, with works spanning a decade or more |
| Pasir Panjang terminal | Relocation after 2040 | Very long horizon; treat as optional upside, not a plan |
URA also frames its wider approach to land use as building higher and intensifying use in areas supported by transport and infrastructure, with heritage and character taken into account. That tells a reader what kind of parcels are likely to be prioritised: those with strong transport and infrastructure support.
The first homes: the former Keppel Club site
The most concrete part of the GSW is the former Keppel Club golf-course site. URA states it will see 10,000 new public and private homes, which kick-starts the transformation of the wider area.
The numbers have moved as planning matured. The Straits Times initially reported about 6,000 HDB flats and 3,000 private homes for the GSW's first phase. CNA later reported that detailed planning on the 48-hectare site raised the public component from 6,000 to about 7,000 HDB flats, while about 3,000 private units were retained. Anyone comparing older articles should expect to see both figures.
Berlayar Residences
The first project is Berlayar Residences. According to CNA, it comprises 870 two-room flexi, three-room and four-room flats in four blocks of 19 to 46 storeys, plus 200 public-rental flats in one block. It is located between Telok Blangah and Labrador Park MRT stations.
At the time of the launch, industry experts quoted by The Business Times projected prices of S$250,000 to S$360,000 for two-room flats, S$420,000 to S$530,000 for three-room flats and S$590,000 to S$790,000 for four-room flats. These were market estimates, not official prices, and final selling prices and any grants are set by HDB. Readers should check the HDB sales information for the figures that actually applied.
Two points follow for anyone weighing a BTO here against a nearby resale or private option. First, a BTO buyer is eligible only under HDB's rules, so the first step is an eligibility check, not a price comparison. Second, a minimum occupation period applies to HDB flats, which affects how soon a unit can be sold or rented out, and that matters to investors reading GSW headlines.
Jobs, transport and amenities
Housing is only one component. The GSW is described as a live-work-play district, and commercial anchors are already being announced. Mapletree Investments announced in October 2025 that its flagship commercial project in the GSW, the HarbourFront Centre rejuvenation, is expected to be completed by the first half of 2031. That is a dated, primary-source commitment, which makes it more useful as a planning marker than general statements about future jobs.
For transport, existing MRT stations are the most reliable reference points today. The Berlayar site is positioned between two of them, and in a survey of homeowners by FRX Capital and EdgeProp Singapore conducted between April and June 2026, 84% of respondents prioritised homes near MRT stations. Proximity to existing or committed transit is therefore both a practical and a market-recognised criterion.
What this could mean for prices and valuations
There is no published outcome data yet that shows how GSW plans have changed prices in a measurable, attributable way, and readers should be cautious about claims that do. What exists is evidence of expectations. In the same survey, 73% of respondents were aware of the transformation plan, and six in 10 expected areas near the GSW to outperform the wider market over the long term. The survey also reported that buyers want to buy within a growth area before the transformation is fully priced in.
An expectation is not a transaction. When a large proportion of the market already knows about a plan, some of the anticipated benefit may already be reflected in asking prices. That is the central valuation question for a GSW-adjacent property: how much of the story is in the price today?
A structured way to test it:
- Pull recent transactions for the project and its immediate neighbours, and compare price per square foot over time rather than a single headline figure.
- Compare against areas without a catalyst of similar age, tenure and distance to the CBD, so that general market movement is separated from any GSW effect.
- Check the lease. A leasehold unit with a shorter remaining lease behaves differently from a newer or freehold one, whatever the neighbourhood story.
- Check what is next to it. A site beside a parcel that is "under study" may face years of construction before the end state arrives.
- Stress-test the mortgage at a higher rate than today's, so that the purchase still works without any appreciation.
Haio's Property Analysis and Transactions pages are designed to make steps one and two quicker by bringing Singapore residential transaction data into one place.
What this could mean for rents
No checked source yet quantifies how the GSW will affect rents, so any specific forecast should be treated as speculation. The reasoning can still be laid out. New employment nodes, such as the HarbourFront redevelopment, tend to increase demand for housing within reach, while large supply additions, such as the roughly 10,000 homes at the former Keppel Club site, add to the number of options. The net effect depends on timing, and the two do not necessarily arrive together.
For an investor, the useful practice is to track observed rents and yields in specific projects rather than assume a district-wide uplift. For a tenant, it means that rents near the waterfront today reflect today's amenities, not tomorrow's. Comparing a project's rental transactions against its purchase price over several quarters shows whether the yield is holding.
A checklist before buying near the GSW
- Status of the parcel: confirmed and launched, planned, or under study. Use URA's Master Plan pages for the official position.
- Tenure and remaining lease: this often matters more than the district label.
- Distance to an existing MRT station: walking distance to a current station is more certain than a future one.
- Unit mix and density: a parcel with thousands of new units has a different supply profile from a small infill project.
- Construction horizon: reclamation at the port terminals is expected to take at least 10 years after relocation, so disruption and amenity delivery are staggered.
- Affordability: run the numbers on total cost, grants if eligible, loan tenure and the current mortgage rate before choosing a project.
- Comparable evidence: at least eight to twelve recent transactions, not a single listing.
For wider context on how Master Plan changes feed through to different parts of the island, haio's article on Singapore's top transformation areas compares the major redevelopment zones. Planning areas can also be browsed one by one through the haio planning area directory, including neighbouring districts such as Singapore River and Tanglin.
Where haio fits in
GSW research tends to end up spread across URA pages, news reports, transaction records and listings. Haio brings Singapore residential data sources together so that a buyer, tenant, homeowner or agent can test a claim against transactions. The Affordability tool provides a personalised check against a budget, Property Analysis covers project-level analysis, and haio's List is available for curated discovery. Some features are free; advanced analytics, valuation reports and Master Plan tools are part of haio+, priced at S$49 per month or S$499 per year as published on the site.
Perspective
We see the Greater Southern Waterfront as a case where the quality of a decision depends on separating three layers of information: what URA has confirmed, what the market expects and what transactions actually show.
Awareness of the plan is already high, and that is exactly why it is worth checking prices against evidence. When many buyers hold the same expectation, the useful question shifts from "is the area changing?" to "how much of that change is already in this unit's price?"
That is why we built haio around consolidated Singapore residential data, transparent valuations and personalised affordability checks. A buyer who can see the transaction history of a project, compare it with its neighbours and test the monthly commitment against a realistic budget is in a better position than one relying on a headline. Our aim is to make that comparison available to first-time buyers, investors, tenants, homeowners and agents alike, free up to a point and deeper under haio+.
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FAQ
Where exactly is the Greater Southern Waterfront?
It is a stretch of Singapore's southern coastline of about 30km, with about 1,000ha of land freed as port activities move to Tuas. It includes areas such as Marina South, Marina East, Straits View and the Keppel and Tanjong Pagar port areas. Its boundaries are a planning concept, so check URA's Master Plan pages for the current position.
How many homes are planned at the first GSW site?
The former Keppel Club site is planned for 10,000 public and private homes. Reports following detailed planning describe about 7,000 HDB flats and about 3,000 private units. The first BTO project, Berlayar Residences, has 870 flats plus 200 public-rental flats.
Will GSW plans push up property prices?
There is no published evidence yet that isolates a GSW effect on prices. Surveys show strong expectations of outperformance, but expectations may already be partly reflected in asking prices. Compare recent transactions in the project against similar areas without a catalyst before deciding.
Is a BTO in the GSW or a nearby resale better?
That depends on eligibility, budget and timeline. A BTO has a waiting period and HDB rules such as the minimum occupation period, while a resale unit is available sooner but at market prices. Run both through an affordability check with current mortgage rates before choosing.
Sources
- Vibrant City Living for All, Urban Redevelopment Authority
- Optimising Land, Urban Redevelopment Authority
- More Homes for New Needs and Aspirations, Urban Redevelopment Authority
- Land half the size of Marina Bay expected to be reclaimed, The Business Times
- About 1,000 HDB units added to upcoming Berlayar estate, CNA
- First BTO flats in Greater Southern Waterfront, The Straits Times
- Former Keppel Club site to see launch of 870-unit Berlayar BTO, The Business Times
- Mapletree to develop new flagship commercial project in the Greater Southern Waterfront
- Greater Southern Waterfront tops homebuyer awareness, Yahoo News Singapore