Midwood Condo in Hillview Rise marketed as not having 'any HDB in sight'

The post has since been taken down.

Kayla Wong | November 07, 2019, 01:10 PM

Update, Nov. 7, 5:30pm: Hong Leong Holdings has responded to Mothership, saying they do not manage the Facebook page which carried the post in question. 

Their statement in full:

"Thank you for alerting us to the post on Face Book. It was uploaded by an external agent who is marketing our property.

It was immediately taken down when the agent realised her mistake.

The views expressed do not reflect those of Hong Leong Holdings Limited.

We have given a clear directive to agents on the importance of taking sensitive and appropriate approaches towards all customers."


A new condominium located near Hillview MRT station was marketed on Facebook as being "set in a private estate, without any HDB in sight".

The location "offers a prestigious and quiet environment", the Facebook post continued.

Post taken down

According to Lianhe Zaobao, the post was first put up on social media on Friday, Nov. 1.

Zaobao further reported that within 10 minutes of contacting the administrator of the Midwood Facebook page on Nov. 3, the post in question was taken down.

Midwood had not offered a response at that time as well.

Quiet, prestigious, exclusive, and near "elite schools"

On its website, the Midwood condo was described as being located in the "upscale area of Hillview and Upper Bukit Timah which is an exclusive residential area with many affluent individuals".

The convenient location near many country clubs is touted as ideal for potential owners who want to build up their contacts, Midwood said on its site.

The condo was also described as being near elite schools such as CHIJ (Our Lady Queen of Peace), Saint Francis Methodist School and German European School Singapore (GESS).

A promotional video shows that the units look out to sprawling greenery, with a shopping mall next to it.

A map on the site shows that the property is located near Bukit Batok Town Park, Bukit Batok Nature Park, and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

Image via The Midwood Condo

Developed by Hong Leong Holding, it is a 99-year leasehold condo with 564 units in total.

According to the Facebook post, 24 units were sold on launch day.

Responses

An online comment was quoted by Zaobao as saying: "You might want to avoid seeing any HDB, but you can't possibly avoid us common people who live in HDB, we are everywhere."

The post was also met with disapproval by quite a few commenters on All Singapore Stuff Facebook page, who suggested that there is nothing wrong with HDBs or living in one.

Screenshot via All Singapore Stuff

Screenshot via All Singapore Stuff

However, there are some who believe Midwood's choice of words had to do with the design of HDBs itself.

Screenshot via All Singapore Stuff

Mothership has reached out to Midwood for comments.

Here are some videos of the Midwood condominium:

Top image adapted via Midwood Condo & All Singapore Stuff