CommercialCOMMERCIALConservationDistrict 1 · Outram

Kreta Ayer Conservation Area

Reviewed by Nathan TangUpdated 8 November 2026Data through Jan 2001
Quick Summary

Kreta Ayer Conservation Area is a commercial building in District 1 · Outram, on land zoned COMMERCIAL under the URA Master Plan. 1 transaction is on record since 1995, most recently in Jan 2001. ACRA records 0 live company registrations at this address.

1

What are the key facts about Kreta Ayer Conservation Area?

Key takeawayKreta Ayer Conservation Area is a commercial building in District 1 · Outram, zoned COMMERCIAL.
Asset class
Commercial
Land-use zone
COMMERCIAL
Gross plot ratio
Subject to Evaluation
Tenure
Not on record
District / Area
District 1 · Outram
Address
14 Upper Cross Street
Land area
—
Completed
Not on record
Storeys
2 (© OpenStreetMap contributors)
Submarket
City Fringe
Transactions on record
1 (records start 1995)
Live listings
None
ACRA registrations
0
2

About Kreta Ayer Conservation Area

Kreta Ayer Conservation Area is a commercial conservation area in Outram (District 01). It is located along Upper Cross Street, Singapore 058330.

Under the URA Master Plan it sits on land zoned commercial. The site falls within a conservation area, so external alterations are subject to URA conservation guidelines. It lies inside the Central Area.

1 transaction has been recorded here, at a median of S$1,283 psf. The most recent was in January 2001.

The nearest MRT is Chinatown MRT, 61 m away (about a 1-minute walk). The closest bus stop (Opp Chinatown Stn) is 35 m away (about a 0-minute walk).

3

What is Kreta Ayer Conservation Area zoned as?

Key takeawayKreta Ayer Conservation Area sits on land zoned COMMERCIAL, with conservation status, inside the Central Area.
Land-use zone
COMMERCIAL
Gross plot ratio
Subject to Evaluation
Conservation area
Chinatown (Kreta Ayer)
Conserved building
Yes
Urban design area
Udga
Central Area
Yes

URA has not published a fixed plot ratio for this site — the Master Plan records "EVA" (Subject to Evaluation), meaning intensity is decided case by case on application. Do not quote a plot ratio, and do not compute buildable GFA from it.

Run the full zoning report for this building →

4

What has Kreta Ayer Conservation Area sold for?

Key takeaway1 transaction is on record since 1995, most recently in Jan 2001 — too few to support a median, so the deals themselves are listed instead.
DateUsePriceAreaPSF
Jan 2001Shop HouseS$1.55M1,208 sqft$1,283

URA/JTC records from 1995 — that is where the record starts, not when the building was built. Strata and land deals can mix in one building's history; compare like with like. sqm ↔ sq ft converter

5

What does space at Kreta Ayer Conservation Area rent for?

Key takeawayNo rent is published for Kreta Ayer Conservation Area itself. On its street, Upper Cross Street, retail space rented at a median of $9.18 psf a month in 2026Q3, with the middle half of leases between $7.54 and $12.00. That is not this building's own rent, and never a quote for a particular unit.

Retail space on Upper Cross Street

Street level · 2026Q3
25th pct
$7.54
$81.20 psm
Median
$9.18
$98.84 psm
75th pct
$12.00
$129.20 psm

S$ per sq ft per month · median -6.8% on a year earlier

2023Q4 · $71.43 psm2026Q3 · $98.84 psm median

URA's percentiles of RETAIL rents (shop, F&B, entertainment, health & fitness) across every lease stamped with IRAS on this STREET in the quarter — the street's figure, not this building's rent and never a unit's. Retail rent swings with floor and frontage, so the spread matters as much as the median. A median needs at least 2 buildings and 3 contracts (percentiles need 4); a blank means below that threshold, not zero.

Source: URA rental statistics by street (IRAS-stamped contracts).

Office space on Upper Cross Street

Street level · 2026Q3
25th pct
$3.75
$40.41 psm
Median
$4.50
$48.39 psm
75th pct
$4.97
$53.45 psm

S$ per sq ft per month · median -11% on a year earlier

2023Q4 · $44.55 psm2026Q3 · $48.39 psm median

URA's percentiles of OFFICE rents across every lease stamped with IRAS on this STREET in the quarter — the street's figure, not this building's rent and never a unit's. URA publishes a median only where the street has at least 2 office buildings and 3 contracts that quarter (percentiles need 4); a blank means below that threshold, not zero.

Source: URA rental statistics by street (IRAS-stamped contracts).

Retail space — District 1 retail

Region band · 2026Q3
25th pct
$8.23
$88.64 psm
Median
$10.02
$107.81 psm
75th pct
$15.92
$171.42 psm

S$ per sq ft per month

A REGION BAND — URA's grid for the whole district or location, not this street or building. Say "across <district/location>, …", never that this building rents for it. The middle of URA's retail grid for District 1 across every floor and size band — a ground-floor shop and an upper-floor unit sit at very different points in it.

Source: URA REALIS retail rental analysis (district × floor × size grid).

6

Market context around Kreta Ayer Conservation Area

Key takeawayBrokers' retail figures for this part of Singapore — a broker's market figure, not this building's rent.
CBRE, 2Q 2026 (island-wide)
  • Islandwide: Rent S$28.15 psf/mth
Singapore Figures Q2 2026
Cushman & Wakefield, 2Q 2026
  • Other City Areas: Rent S$21.21 psf/mth · Vacancy 7.4% (1Q 2026) · Planned / under construction 0.73m sq ft
Singapore Retail MarketBeat Q2 2026

Official series (URA, 2026Q3): Retail vacancy rate (Whole Island) 6.5 (-0.4 pp on the year) · Retail rental index (Central Region) 81.2 (+1.4% on the year).

Brokers draw submarkets and grades differently; each figure is the broker's own, for its own area, cited to its report. Rents are per square foot per month.

7

What's been approved at Kreta Ayer Conservation Area?

Key takeawayURA has approved 4 changes of use at Kreta Ayer Conservation Area since 2000, most recently in 2021. This is the building's planning history, not today's approved use of any unit: confirm a unit's approved use with URA before signing.
F&B and nightlife here

No new bars, pubs, nightclubs or karaoke lounges (a Historic Conservation Area).

Per URA's Use of Buildings in Conservation Areas. A planning guideline for the area, not a decision on any unit; it applies to new eating houses and bars, not to one already approved.

  1. 20 Jun 2022Renewed
    Continued use as restaurant

    Continued use at the 1st storey unit of the 3-storey building ts06 on lot 99616c at 14 upper cross street as restaurant (chinatown (kreta ayer) conservation area)

  2. 24 May 2021Approved
    Change of use to restaurant

    Change of use at the 1st storey unit of the 3-storey building ts06 on lot 99616c at 14 upper cross street to restaurant (chinatown (kreta ayer) conservation area)

  3. 27 May 2020Renewed
    Continued use as backpackers' hostel

    Continued use at the 1st storey unit of the 2-storey building ts06 on lot 99616c at 14 upper cross street as backpackers' hostel (24 beds) (chinatown (kreta ayer) conservation area)

  4. 15 Apr 2019Renewed
    Continued use as backpackers' hostel

    Continued use at the 1st storey unit of the 2-storey building ts06 on lot 99616c at 14 upper cross street as backpackers' hostel (24 beds) (chinatown (kreta ayer) conservation area)

  5. 11 Apr 2018Renewed
    Continued use as backpackers' hostel

    Continued use at the 1st storey unit of the 2-storey building ts06 on lot 99616c at 14 upper cross street as backpackers' hostel (24 beds) (chinatown (kreta ayer) conservation area)

  6. 19 May 2017Renewed
    Continued use as backpackers' hostel

    Continued use at the 1st storey unit of the 2-storey building ts06 on lot 99616c at 14 upper cross street as backpackers' hostel (chinatown (kreta ayer) conservation area)

  7. 5 May 2016Renewed
    Continued use as backpackers' hostel

    Continued use at the 1st storey unit of the 2-storey building ts06 on lot 99616c at 14 upper cross street as backpackers' hostel (chinatown (kreta ayer) conservation area)

  8. 5 May 2015Renewed
    Continued use as backpackers' hostel

    Continued use at the 1st storey unit of the 2-storey building ts06 on lot 99616c at 14 upper cross street as backpackers' hostel (chinatown (kreta ayer) conservation area)

  9. 10 Jun 2014Renewed
    Continued use as backpackers' hostel

    Continued use at the 1st storey unit of the 2-storey building ts06 on lot 99616c at 14 upper cross street as backpackers' hostel (chinatown (kreta ayer) conservation area)

  10. 8 May 2013Renewed
    Continued use as backpackers' hostel

    Continued use at the 1st storey unit of the 2-storey building ts06 on lot 99616c at 14 upper cross street as backpackers' hostel (chinatown (kreta ayer) conservation area)

  11. 20 Jan 2012Approved
    Change of use to backpackers' hostel

    Change of use at the 1st storey unit of the 2-storey building ts06 on lot 99616c at 14 upper cross street to backpackers' hostel (chinatown (kreta ayer) conservation area)

  12. 11 Oct 2011Approved
    Change of use to office cum traditional chinese medical clinic

    Change of use at the 2nd storey unit and roof mezzanine of the 2-storey building ts06 on lot 99616c at 14 upper cross street to office cum traditional chinese medical clinic (chinatown (kreta ayer) conservation area)

1 earlier change-of-use and A&A decision is on record since 2000.

Source: URA planning decisions (URA Data Service), matched to this building by address or land lot. A past approval can lapse (a temporary permission) and belongs to the unit it names. The authoritative approved use of a unit comes from URA's Enquiry on Approved Use of Premises (S$54.50 per unit).

8

How does Upper Cross Street price?

Key takeawayAcross 15 strata sales on Upper Cross Street in the last 5 years, the median is $2,674 psf.
Strata sales on the street (5y)
15
Street median PSF (strata)
$2,674

Street figures cover strata deals only — land and strata PSF are not comparable.

9

What do commercial rents run near Kreta Ayer Conservation Area?

Key takeawayURA publishes contracted-rent percentile grids quarterly (latest: 2026Q3) — the benchmark evidence an asking rent should be weighed against.

Indicative area yield — District 1 retail

Gross yield (area)
3.4%
3.0% net of property tax
Rent side (median of bands)
$107.81 psm/mo
2026Q3
Price side (strata, 5y)
$3,561 psf
90 sales

An INDICATIVE AREA yield for District 1 retail — NOT this building's yield, and not any unit's. Commercial rents are published as a district percentile grid, so both halves describe the district.

Priced on STRATA sales only: rent is quoted per unit of lettable area, and commercial land PSF runs far above strata — mixing them would shift the ratio sharply.

Net deducts the 10% non-residential property tax ONLY — not vacancy, maintenance, agent fees, financing, or the 9% GST on purchase.

Retail rents — District 1 ($ psm/month, 2026Q3)

Floor level · size band25th pctMedian75th pct
Level 2 & 3 · 30 & Below$82.69$99.35$120.39
Level 1 · 30 & Below$172.73$245.52$332.57
B1 & Below · 30 & Below$87.33$172.91$321.72
Level 2 & 3 · >30 - 100$77.43$95.09$183.52
Level 1 · >30 - 100$106.77$168.33$217.05
B1 & Below · >30 - 100$117.40$198.29$365.38
Level 1 · >100 - 300$115.69$148.57$187.43
B1 & Below · >100 - 300$148.73$233.33$396.56

Office rents — Central Area ($ psm/month, 2026Q3)

Building class · size band25th pctMedian75th pct
Category 2 · 100 & Below$54.65$69.39$88.80
Category 1 · 100 & Below$103.62$122.24$132.43
Category 1 · >100 - 200$116.28$126.99$148.35
Category 2 · >100 - 200$65.57$82.87$97.63
Category 1 · >200 - 500$114.67$128.09$145.77
Category 2 · >200 - 500$64.83$82.57$94.73
Category 1 · >500 - 1000$106.56$137.78$148.23
Category 2 · >500 - 1000$85.04$89.34$109.80

URA REALIS rental-contract percentiles for the district/location — an area benchmark, not this building's own rents. Office and retail are dimensioned differently and are never mixed.

10

What is near Kreta Ayer Conservation Area?

Key takeawayThe nearest MRT/LRT is Chinatown MRT, about 61 m away — and 3 competing retail premisess operate nearby.

Getting around

Amenities nearby

Opp Chinatown Stn · 35 mPlace Of Worship · 43 mChinatown MRT Exit F · 54 mChinatown Medical Centre · 70 mHotel · 102 mAnn Siang Hill Pk · 312 mKreta Ayer Community Club · 397 mEducational Institution · 886 mOutram Polyclinic · 919 mSingapore General Hospital · 1.1 km

Competing premises nearby

Retail and F&B premises competing for the same footfall — context for an occupier, not a selling point.

Cross Street Exchange · 159 mNTUC Fairprice Co-operative Ltd · 160 mHong Lim Market & Food Centre · 172 m

Straight-line distances. Source: PropKaki amenities data.

11

Getting there and parking at Kreta Ayer Conservation Area

Key takeawayThe nearest station is Chinatown (NE4 / DT19), 53 m away — one of the busiest stations, with about 97,000 taps in and out on an average weekday. 38 public car parks are within 500 m.
Foot traffic: busier than 99% of retail buildings

nearest MRT/LRT Chinatown (NE4/DT19) 53 m, about 97,000 taps a weekday; 9 more stations within 1 km; bus stops within 400 m: 11, about 41,000 taps a weekday; Outram: 38,402 resident workers (Census 2020, by workplace); about 19,000 residents within 1 km (June 2026); 9 other malls within 1 km. Ranked against 12,856 retail buildings by PropKaki's model: a relative score, not a footfall count.

A relative score from PropKaki's model (station and bus taps nearby, workers and residents around, and competing malls), not a count of people.

Stations within 1 km

  • Chinatown (NE4 / DT19)53 m · about 97,000 weekday taps
  • Telok Ayer (DT18)255 m · about 37,000 weekday taps
  • Maxwell (TE18)326 m · about 23,000 weekday taps
  • Clarke Quay (NE5)351 m · about 31,000 weekday taps
  • Raffles Place (EW14 / NS26)626 m · about 133,000 weekday taps

Taps are fare-card taps in and out at the station's gates on an average weekday (Jul 2026 to Sep 2026) — people passing through, not visitors to Kreta Ayer Conservation Area. Transfers between lines don't tap, so interchanges read low.

Bus

11 bus stops within 400 m, with about 41,000 boardings and alightings on an average weekday.

Public car parks within 500 m

  • Mosque St (URA)82 m
    S$1.20 per half-hour at midday on a weekday · 55 car lots
  • Blk 533A Hong Lim Mscp (HDB)107 m
    S$1.20 per half-hour at midday on a weekday · gantry 1.9 m · 583 car lots
  • Backlane (Upp Cross St - Mosque St) (URA)159 m
  • Temple St (URA)179 m
    S$1.20 per half-hour at midday on a weekday · 61 car lots
  • Backlane (Temple St - Pagoda St) (URA)181 m

HDB season (car): Tier 1 $110/month (a resident's or registered HDB shop/industrial tenant's first car); Tier 2 (other cars, non-residents) $120 Rest of Island, $170 Designated Area, $190 Restricted Zone (sheltered: multi-storey, basement, deck). Industrial-park multi-storey car parks: $110 / $120. Which zone this car park is in is not published as data.

Nearest URA season parking: Mohd Sultan-River Vall Ey Road Area, 1.1 km away, S$80/month.

Public car parks only, by straight-line distance, with the operator's published rates. Kreta Ayer Conservation Area's own car park, if it has one, and its charges are not in the open data.

12

Who's registered at Kreta Ayer Conservation Area?

Key takeaway0 live companies (and LLPs and branches; sole proprietors are not counted) list Kreta Ayer Conservation Area as their registered address. These are registered businesses, not who occupies the space.
  • Wholesale and retail trade
    0

Registered businesses, not who occupies the space: companies, LLPs and branches whose REGISTERED address is this building (ACRA), by industry. Sole proprietors are not counted; no business is named. ACRA, as of 2026-09-16.

13

Frequently asked questions about Kreta Ayer Conservation Area

Where is Kreta Ayer Conservation Area?⌄

Kreta Ayer Conservation Area is at 14 Upper Cross Street, Singapore 058330, in the Outram planning area.

What is Kreta Ayer Conservation Area zoned as?⌄

Kreta Ayer Conservation Area sits on land zoned commercial under the URA Master Plan.

Is Kreta Ayer Conservation Area a conserved property?⌄

Yes. Kreta Ayer Conservation Area falls within a URA conservation area, so external works are subject to conservation guidelines.

What have units at Kreta Ayer Conservation Area sold for?⌄

Across 1 recorded transaction, the median price is S$1,283 psf. The latest was in January 2001.

What is the nearest MRT station to Kreta Ayer Conservation Area?⌄

Chinatown MRT is the closest, 61 m away (about a 1-minute walk).

For agents · in the PropKaki app

The facts are here — now get the verdict on Kreta Ayer Conservation Area.

Ask what a unit here would fetch, what the zone allows, or how it compares.

PropKaki
Tell me about Kreta Ayer Conservation Area — recent transactions, zoning and what's listed there.

Here's the building's zone, its recorded deals and every live unit — and where the asking prices sit against them.

Ask anything about Singapore property…