CONCOURSE SKYLINE (Review Part1)

Fancy the view below from your apartment's living room? It is possible, if you own a high-floor unit at CONCOURSE SKYLINE located on Beach road. The picture was actually taken from the showflat located on the 38th floor of the office tower of The Concourse, which is next door to where CONCOURSE SKYLINE is being built.



Hard to believe? Here is a photo of the same Kallang River Basin/East Coast/Sea view through the showflat.


The story of CONCOURSE SKYLINE is rather interesting. The developer (Hong Fok Group) began redevelopment of the previous retail/serviced apartment wing of The Concourse complex in 2008, leaving the existing office tower intact. The new development will have a part 4/part 7-storey podium car park and apartments with first storey commercial units and [2 blocks of part 20/part 28-storey and part 34/part 40-storey condominium units – CONCOURSE SKYLINE].


Hong Fok, who owns The Concourse, has paid an upgrading premium of $83 million in June 2008 to top-up the lease tenure of The Concourse/Concourse Skyline, to 99 years with effect from 13 March 2008, so that the lease will expire in 2107.

When completed, CONCOURSE SKYLINE could be the first private housing project to have an overhead bridge linking it to the MRT. Residents will need to walk only about 200m to the Nicoll Highway station due to open this weekend.

The unique addition arose from rather unusual circumstances. The original Nicoll Highway station, which was much nearer to The Concourse, would have an underground link to the former Concourse wing. But when the uncompleted station collapsed, killing four workers in a 2004 construction accident, plans for the underground link were scrapped. A dispute then ensued between the LTA and Hong Fok. Neither party would comment on this, but it was supposedly over the condo developer wanting direct access to the new station. The issue was finally settled, resulting in the overhead residential link.

The construction of the link was carried out in three stages, the first being the overhead bridge spanning Nicoll Highway. This was completed in 2009. Construction of the second stage that links the overhead bridge to the MRT station, complete with lifts and escalators was completed this year. And once the Concourse Skyway is near completion, the final segment joining the condo to the bridge will be built by Hong Fok. Access to this segment will be through a secured doorway, passable only to residents. The overhead bridge link to Nicoll MRT station is being touted as one of the main selling point of CONCOURSE SKYLINE.

The 360-unit condo was launched in 2008 as the impact of the world financial crisis hit Singapore. Units were then priced at between $1500 and $1800psf. The project is expected to be ready by 2013.

Stay tuned to the continuation of our review on CONCOURSE SKYLINE in our next post. But here are more photos that the wife and I have taken from the showflat, just to whet your appetite.

Units with City View
 
Units facing Kumpung Glam