Lentor: Singapore's New Forest-Side Residential Precinct
Updated 2026-09-01
Once a quiet fringe of Ang Mo Kio, Lentor has become one of Singapore's most closely watched new private residential precincts. With 385 live listings, direct Thomson-East Coast Line access and a master-planned estate integrating green space with modern living, the neighbourhood offers a rare combination of nature and city connectivity in District 26.
A neighbourhood transformed
For years Lentor was defined by low-key landed housing, mature greenery and the absence of a train station. The opening of Lentor MRT in August 2021, as part of the Thomson-East Coast Line Stage 2, changed that trajectory decisively. Since then a wave of government land sales has activated 11 plots capable of delivering around 5,000 new private homes, turning a sleepy pocket of the North Region into a master-planned residential estate.
The URA Master Plan positions Lentor Hills as a low-density, pedestrian-friendly precinct threaded by a central green spine, Lentor Hillock Park. Cycling and walking paths will link the estate to Ang Mo Kio town and Thomson Nature Park, reinforcing the planning framework's broader vision of a city set within nature rather than built against it.
Transport and connectivity
Lentor MRT (TE5) sits on the Thomson-East Coast Line, giving residents a direct, transfer-free ride to Orchard in roughly 13 minutes and Marina Bay in around 22 minutes. The full TEL extends south to the East Coast and Changi Airport, adding further reach once remaining stages are complete.
Ang Mo Kio MRT, a short bus ride away, will gain a second line when Cross Island Line Phase 1 opens, targeted for 2030. That will make Ang Mo Kio a three-line interchange linking the North-South Line and the CRL, improving regional connectivity for Lentor residents heading east or west.
Housing stock and prices
Hombble currently lists 385 properties in Lentor, split between 348 condos and 37 landed homes. The average asking price sits at S$2,593,142 for an average size of 1,269 sqft, working out to roughly S$2,238 per square foot.
Six new condominiums have launched in the Lentor Hills estate since 2022, with average launch prices ranging from about S$2,049 psf at Lentor Hills Residences to S$2,200 psf at Lentor Central Residences. Take-up has been strong: across these projects roughly 96 per cent of the 2,954 launched units have sold. Lentor Modern, the pioneer integrated development by GuocoLand with 605 units and a retail mall above the MRT station, was fully sold within two and a half years of its 2022 launch and received its Temporary Occupation Permit in August 2025.
Resale transactions indicate early appreciation. A Lentor Hills Residences unit changed hands in October 2025 at S$2,276 psf, roughly 11 per cent above the original purchase price. Lentor Mansion units have transacted at up to S$2,941 psf. By comparison, resale condos in nearby Bishan trade at approximately S$1,750 to S$1,850 psf, placing Lentor's new-build pricing above the typical Outside Central Region band and closer to Rest of Central Region levels.
Schools and families
Lentor draws a largely family-oriented buyer profile, and schools are a significant part of the appeal. Anderson Primary School sits within roughly one kilometre of several Lentor Hills developments, placing them inside the Home-School Distance priority band for Phase 2B registration. CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School is around 1.2 km away, with Presbyterian High School at a similar distance. Mayflower Primary, Yio Chu Kang Secondary and Ang Mo Kio Secondary are all within the broader catchment.
Amenities and lifestyle
The opening of Lentor Modern Mall provided the neighbourhood's first proper retail anchor. The 96,000 sqft mall, integrated directly above Lentor MRT, houses a Cold Storage Fresh supermarket, food outlets, a gym and enrichment centres. For larger shopping trips, Ang Mo Kio Hub, Junction 8 in Bishan and Thomson Plaza are all reachable within minutes by MRT or car.
Nature is the defining lifestyle feature. Thomson Nature Park, a 50-hectare conservation site roughly 2.3 km from Lentor MRT, offers five trails through secondary forest and the heritage ruins of a 1930s Hainanese village. It is also home to the critically endangered Raffles' Banded Langur. Lower Peirce Reservoir Park, with its 900-metre boardwalk through mature rainforest, sits to the west. Hawker food is close at hand too, with Sembawang Hills Food Centre and the Ang Mo Kio and Mayflower markets all a short drive away.
Outlook
Lentor is still a neighbourhood in formation. Lentor Mansion is expected to complete around mid-2028, and further GLS plots remain to be launched, including the Lentor Gardens Residences site won at a record land bid of S$1,278 psf per plot ratio. As the estate fills out, the green corridors, cycling paths and shared amenities envisaged in the master plan will take fuller shape.
For buyers, the combination of direct MRT access, proximity to the Central Catchment reserves and a curated low-density character is difficult to replicate elsewhere in the North Region. For sellers, strong take-up rates and early resale gains suggest sustained demand, though incoming supply from later plots will test pricing as the precinct matures. Either way, Lentor has moved firmly from planning-stage curiosity to an established corridor worth watching.