CommercialCOMMERCIALFreeholdDistrict 20 · Bishan

Soo Chow Garden

Reviewed by Nathan TangUpdated 8 November 2026Data through May 1995

Quick Summary

Soo Chow Garden is a commercial building in District 20 · Bishan, on land zoned COMMERCIAL under the URA Master Plan. It is freehold. 1 transaction is on record since 1995, most recently in May 1995. ACRA records 2 live company registrations at this address.

The facts are here — now get the verdict on Soo Chow Garden.

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What are the key facts about Soo Chow Garden?

Key takeawaySoo Chow Garden is a commercial building in District 20 · Bishan, zoned COMMERCIAL, held freehold.

Asset class: Commercial
Land-use zone: COMMERCIAL
Gross plot ratio: Subject to Evaluation
Tenure: Freehold
District / Area: District 20 · Bishan
Address: 261,261a Upper Thomson Road
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: 2

About Soo Chow Garden

Soo Chow Garden is a mixed-use building in Bishan (District 20). It is located along Upper Thomson Road, Singapore 574388.

Under the URA Master Plan it sits on land zoned commercial.

The site is freehold.

1 transaction has been recorded here, at a median of S$1,076 psf. The most recent was in May 1995.

2 businesses are currently registered at this address with ACRA.

The nearest MRT is Upper Thomson MRT, 115 m away (about a 2-minute walk). The closest bus stop (Bef Jln Todak) is 87 m away (about a 1-minute walk).

What is Soo Chow Garden zoned as?

Key takeawaySoo Chow Garden sits on land zoned COMMERCIAL.

Land-use zone: COMMERCIAL
Gross plot ratio: Subject to Evaluation

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 Do not quote a plot ratio, and do not compute buildable GFA from it.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 →

What has Soo Chow Garden sold for?

Key takeaway1 transaction is on record since 1995, most recently in May 1995 — too few to support a median, so the deals themselves are listed instead.

Date	Use	Price	Area	PSF
May 1995	Shop House	S$1.90M	1,766 sqft	$1,076

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

What does space at Soo Chow Garden rent for?

Key takeawayNo rent is published for Soo Chow Garden itself. On its street, Upper Thomson Road, retail space rented at a median of $17.21 psf a month in 2026Q3, with the middle half of leases between $12.97 and $18.72. That is not this building's own rent, and never a quote for a particular unit.

Retail space on Upper Thomson Road

Street level · 2026Q3

25th pct

$12.97

$139.56 psm

Median

$17.21

$185.25 psm

75th pct

$18.72

$201.50 psm

S$ per sq ft per month · median +8% on a year earlier

2023Q4 · $178.33 psm2026Q3 · $185.25 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).

Retail space — District 20 retail

Region band · 2026Q3

25th pct

$12.24

$131.79 psm

Median

$21.19

$228.09 psm

75th pct

$31.36

$337.60 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 20 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).

Market context around Soo Chow Garden

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.

How fast units move at Soo Chow Garden

Key takeawayBased on listings we track, as of our last check on 28 Aug 2026: 0 units for rent.

Rent: between 6 Aug 2026 and 28 Aug 2026, 0 new listings appeared and 1 came off (sold, let or withdrawn). Days on market: not enough history yet — we began tracking on 6 Aug 2026.

One count per unit, however many agents list it. Asking prices are not tracked over time, so price cuts are not shown.

What's been approved at Soo Chow Garden?

Key takeawayURA has approved 4 changes of use at Soo Chow Garden since 2000, most recently in 2008, and refused 1. 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

URA does not approve new eating houses (restaurants, coffee shops, cafes) here; an existing one's permission may be renewed.

Per URA circular DC23-08, Appendix A (2 Oct 2023: no new eating houses in shophouses on listed stretches). 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.

23 Apr 2025Renewed
Continued use as karaoke lounge
Continued use of 1st storey premises as karaoke lounge
30 May 2022Renewed
Continued use as karaoke lounge
Continued use of 1st storey premises as karaoke lounge
2 May 2019Renewed
Continued use as karaoke lounge
Continued use of 1st storey premises as karaoke lounge
29 Aug 2017Renewed
Continued use as karaoke lounge
Continued use of 1st storey premises as karaoke lounge
6 Aug 2015Renewed
Continued use as karaoke lounge
Continued use of 1st storey premises as karaoke lounge at 261 upper thomson road
11 Jul 2013Renewed
Continued use as karaoke lounge
Continued use of 1st storey premises as karaoke lounge at 261 upper thomson road
11 Jul 2011Renewed
Continued use as karaoke lounge
Continued use of 1st storey premises as karaoke lounge
30 Apr 2010Renewed
Continued use as karaoke lounge
Continued use of 1st storey premises as karaoke lounge
26 May 2009Renewed
Continued use as karaoke lounge
Continued use of 1st storey premises as karaoke lounge
15 May 2008Approved
Change of use: health centre → karaoke lounge
Proposed change of use of the 1st storey premises from health centre to karaoke lounge
21 Jan 2008Approved
Change of use: health centre → restaurant
Proposed change of use of the 1st storey premises from health centre to restaurant
15 Jan 2004Approved
Change of use to health centre
Change of use of premises on the 1st storey shop to health centre

2 earlier change-of-use and A&A decisions are 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).

How does Upper Thomson Road price?

Strata sales on the street (5y)

Too few strata sales on this street to support a median — the count is shown without one.

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

What do commercial rents run near Soo Chow Garden?

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

Indicative area yield — District 20 retail

Gross yield (area)

7.3%

6.5% net of property tax

Rent side (median of bands)

$228.09 psm/mo

2026Q3

Price side (strata, 5y)

$3,493 psf

20 sales

An INDICATIVE AREA yield for District 20 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 20 ($ psm/month, 2026Q3)

Floor level · size band	25th pct	Median	75th pct
Level 1 · 30 & Below	$133.15	$188.46	$400.81
B1 & Below · 30 & Below	$619.37	$706.67	$790.91
B1 & Below · >30 - 100	$297.17	$316.52	$350.31
Level 1 · >30 - 100	$70.71	$96.43	$227.01
Level 2 & 3 · >30 - 100	$130.42	$267.72	$324.88
Level 1 · >100 - 300	$68.64	$87.36	$129.01

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.

What is near Soo Chow Garden?

Key takeawayThe nearest MRT/LRT is Upper Thomson MRT, about 115 m away — and 3 competing retail premisess operate nearby.

Getting around

Upper Thomson MRT115 m · ~2 min

Amenities nearby

Upper Thomson MRT Exit 4 · 39 mPlace Of Worship · 74 mBef Jln Todak · 87 mThomson Pk · 132 mThe Flame Tree Medical Centre · 139 mThomson Community Club · 411 mEducational Institution · 693 mMount Alvernia Hospital · 1.4 km

Competing premises nearby

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

Thomson Plaza · 308 mNTUC Fairprice Co-operative Ltd · 308 mBlk 320 Shunfu Road · 426 m

Straight-line distances. Source: PropKaki amenities data.

Getting there and parking at Soo Chow Garden

Key takeawayThe nearest station is Upper Thomson (TE8), 38 m away — a moderately busy station, with about 21,000 taps in and out on an average weekday. 5 public car parks are within 500 m.

Foot traffic: busier than 31% of retail buildings

nearest MRT/LRT Upper Thomson (TE8) 38 m, about 21,000 taps a weekday; 2 more stations within 1 km; bus stops within 400 m: 7, about 16,000 taps a weekday; Bishan: 28,932 resident workers (Census 2020, by workplace); about 20,000 residents within 1 km (June 2026); 1 other mall 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

Upper Thomson (TE8)38 m · about 21,000 weekday taps
Marymount (CC16)807 m · about 17,000 weekday taps
Bright Hill (TE7)969 m · about 15,000 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 Soo Chow Garden. Transfers between lines don't tap, so interchanges read low.

Bus

7 bus stops within 400 m, with about 16,000 boardings and alightings on an average weekday.

Public car parks within 500 m

Service Rd (Sin Ming R D) (URA)274 m
S$0.60 per half-hour at midday on a weekday · 9 car lots
Blk 23/24 Sin Ming Road (HDB)354 m
S$0.60 per half-hour at midday on a weekday
Blk 320 Shunfu Road (HDB)429 m
S$0.60 per half-hour at midday on a weekday · gantry 2.15 m · 173 car lots
Blk 24A Sin Ming Road (HDB)436 m
S$0.60 per half-hour at midday on a weekday · gantry 2.15 m · 28 car lots
Sin Ming Drive Off St (URA)456 m
S$0.60 per half-hour at midday on a weekday · 34 car lots

HDB season (car): Tier 1 $80/month (a resident's or registered HDB shop/industrial tenant's first car); Tier 2 (other cars, non-residents) $90 Rest of Island, $150 Designated Area, $165 Restricted Zone (surface). Which zone this car park is in is not published as data.

Nearest URA season parking: Sembawang Hill Estate, 2.1 km away, S$90/month.

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

Who's registered at Soo Chow Garden?

Key takeaway2 live companies (and LLPs and branches; sole proprietors are not counted) list Soo Chow Garden as their registered address. These are registered businesses, not who occupies the space.

Accommodation and food services
1
Administrative and support services
1
Financial and insurance
0
Arts, entertainment and recreation
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.

Frequently asked questions about Soo Chow Garden

Where is Soo Chow Garden?⌄

Soo Chow Garden is at 261,261A Upper Thomson Road, Singapore 574388, in the Bishan planning area.

What is Soo Chow Garden zoned as?⌄

Soo Chow Garden sits on land zoned commercial under the URA Master Plan.

What is the tenure of Soo Chow Garden?⌄

Soo Chow Garden is freehold.

What have units at Soo Chow Garden sold for?⌄

Across 1 recorded transaction, the median price is S$1,076 psf. The latest was in May 1995.

What is the nearest MRT station to Soo Chow Garden?⌄

Upper Thomson MRT is the closest, 115 m away (about a 2-minute walk).

How many businesses are registered at Soo Chow Garden?⌄

2 businesses are currently registered at this address with ACRA. That is a measure of registered addresses, not of how many businesses physically occupy the building.

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Read the figures right

Year of completion is not on record for this building. Building age cannot be stated.

Submarket: PropKaki's own map from URA's planning subzones (CBD core, City Hall / Bugis, Orchard, city fringe, regional centres, suburban). Brokers draw these lines differently.

Changes of use: URA planning approvals recorded at this building since 2000 (any unit; renewals of a temporary permission not counted). History only — Past approvals are not today's approved use; check with URA's approved-use enquiry before signing. Never say a use is allowed, permitted or approved for a unit, and never say a use would be approved.

F&B / nightlife: per URA circular DC23-08, Appendix A (2 Oct 2023: no new eating houses in shophouses on listed stretches). A planning guideline, not a decision on any unit.

Station taps: average weekday fare-card taps in and out at the nearest MRT/LRT station (LTA DataMall). People passing the station's gates, not people visiting this building.

Foot-traffic score: PropKaki's relative score from nearby MRT and bus taps, workers and residents around (and, for retail, competing malls), ranked against buildings of the same kind. A percentile, not a count of people.

Company REGISTRATIONS at this address (ACRA), not a tenancy schedule. Registration does not mean the company physically occupies space here, and a low count does not mean the building is empty. Do not describe this as occupancy or vacancy.

Unbuilt GFA cannot be computed here — it needs BCA built-GFA, which covers about 5% of commercial buildings and no industrial ones. Zoning and plot ratio are on record; headroom is not.

Storeys: from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), volunteer-mapped, not an official record. Shown only because no official or listed floor count is held for this building.

Reviewed by Nathan Tang

Nathan Tang has over 10 years of property experience across condominiums, HDB flats and commercial property, specialising in property research and finance.

Figures draw on URA and JTC records, URA Master Plan zoning, ACRA registrations and live commercial-portal listings; building facts from PropKaki's submarket map, URA planning decisions, URA circular DC23-08 (2 Oct 2023), URA car park data (URA Data Service), LTA DataMall passenger volumes, PropKaki's foot-traffic model, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) — see our methodology. Last updated 8 November 2026. For general information, not financial advice.

Getting there and parking: LTA DataMall passenger volumes and car parks, URA Data Service car park rates, HDB and JTC car park information (data.gov.sg) and HDB's published parking charges, Census of Population 2020 and the Singapore Department of Statistics' June 2026 resident population (Singapore Open Data Licence). The foot-traffic score is PropKaki's own relative model, not a count.

Market context: figures cited from CBRE Research (Singapore Figures) and Cushman & Wakefield (Singapore MarketBeat), each with its quarter and report; flexible-workspace centres from the operators' public location lists; collective sales from marketing agents' announcements and news reports, each linked.

Rents: URA rental statistics for office and retail space by street (IRAS-stamped contracts), JTC J-SPACE rentals by building and by street, JTC price tenders, and URA REALIS rental grids. SLA tender results and JTC posted land rents are held for state and JTC land.