Newport Residences: A Rare Freehold Landmark in the CBD

By Edmund Ee · Published 8 July 2026 · Last updated: 13 August 2026 · Independent New Launch Review

Freehold homes in Singapore's Central Business District are almost never built. Land here is scarce, expensive, and overwhelmingly leasehold. Newport Residences breaks that pattern. Rising on the former Fuji Xerox Towers site at 80 Anson Road, this 246-unit freehold development by CDL is one of the last new freehold homes the CBD is likely to see for a very long time. Whether you are drawn to the rarity of the tenure, the sea and skyline views, or the long-term Greater Southern Waterfront story, Newport Residences deserves a careful look.

Below is an independent, practical breakdown of what makes Newport Residences stand out: the location, the freehold scarcity, the architecture and views, the sky facilities, the specifications, and the investment case.

Project Snapshot

Why This Location Matters

District 2 covers Tanjong Pagar, Anson and Shenton Way, the working heart of Singapore's Central Business District. Newport Residences puts you in the middle of it. Tanjong Pagar MRT on the East-West Line is a short walk away, and the wider Tanjong Pagar, Chinatown and Shenton Way network is within easy reach. Marina Bay, Gardens by the Bay, the CBD office core and the dining and nightlife of Tanjong Pagar and Duxton are all close by. For a project-by-project comparison against other Singapore new launches in 2026, see the full PropertyNet Insider Benchmark.

The bigger story is what happens next. The government's Greater Southern Waterfront plan will progressively transform the belt from Marina South through Tanjong Pagar to Pasir Panjang into a major new live-work-play frontage as the city port land is freed up. Newport Residences sits on the northern edge of that transformation, well placed to benefit as the precinct evolves over the coming decades. Ongoing CBD incentive schemes that encourage older office buildings to convert into mixed-use and residential also support the case for living in the city core.

A Rare Freehold in the City

The single most important thing to understand about Newport Residences is its tenure. It is freehold, held as an estate in perpetuity, in a district where almost everything new is on a 99-year lease. Freehold sites in the CBD rarely come to market. Only a handful of freehold residential projects have launched in District 2 since 2000, the most recent being Sky Everton, which received its Temporary Occupation Permit in 2024.

That scarcity is the backbone of the investment case. Freehold tenure removes the lease-decay discount that weighs on older leasehold homes over time, and it tends to hold value better in the resale market, particularly in a location where new freehold supply is effectively finished. For buyers who think in decades rather than years, that permanence is the quiet advantage that a headline psf figure does not capture.

Architecture and the Views

Newport Residences is conceived as a landmark tower, with the homes placed high in the building from Level 23 to Level 45. Sitting the residences above the podium and the lower levels does two things: it lifts living spaces clear of street-level activity, and it opens up the panoramas that define the development. From the tower, residents look across the CBD skyline to the north and east, and out over the harbour and the future Greater Southern Waterfront to the south.

Curved balconies and generous glazing make the most of those views, and the higher stacks command some of the most open outlooks available in the city core. At the January launch, sea-facing two-bedroom units sold out and most sea-facing one-bedroom units were snapped up, a clear signal of how much buyers valued the view lines.

The tower is wrapped in cascading planted terraces that soften the architecture and bring greenery high into the building, culminating in the sky decks near the crown. It is a design that reads as a garden in the sky rather than a plain glass slab, and it gives the residences a distinct silhouette on the CBD skyline.

Newport Sky: The Facilities

The signature amenity experience is placed in the sky rather than at ground level. The Newport Sky roof garden crowns the tower, and a dedicated band of recreation runs through the upper floors. The centrepiece is the Sky Pool, which hugs the curve of the building and blurs the line between water and horizon, joined by a Sky Spa Pool, an Indoor Jet Pool, a Kids' Pool and a Pool Deck.

Social spaces sit alongside the water. The Sky Club and Sky Lounge provide refined, glass-wrapped settings for entertaining, while the Sky Gourmet with BBQ grill is built for gatherings with chefs manning the grill and the skyline as a backdrop.

At Level 34, Club Vista adds a whole floor of elevated lifestyle space. Alongside the Vista Lounge and Vista Gourmet, it includes a Vista Gym, a Vista Co-Work Lounge for working from home above the city, a Club Lounge, a Botanical Lounge and a Social Garden. For a household that works and entertains in the CBD, having a co-work lounge and gym on your own floor is a genuinely useful layer of space that a slender city tower does particularly well.

For active and quiet time, a Gym looks out over the city, and a Fitness Garden, Wellness Garden and Community Garden weave greenery through the shared floors. The result is a facilities deck that trades the usual sprawling ground-floor grounds for height, privacy and views, which suits a slender freehold tower in the middle of the city.

Interiors and Specifications

Inside, the homes are finished to a city-luxury standard. Take your pick from one-bedroom to four-bedroom premium layouts, along with a Super Penthouse for the top of the market. The residences are appointed with quality kitchen and bathroom fittings, and the four-bedroom premium units step up with the more generous proportions and premium finishes expected at their quantum. The arrival experience sets the tone, with a residential lobby finished in warm timber and a sculptural stone feature wall.

Every home is fitted with a smart home system, giving residents remote digital lock access, air-conditioning control, smart lighting, a smart doorbell and IP camera from their phone. Building services lean modern too, with a pneumatic waste collection system and mechanical ventilation designed to improve air flow across the residential floors. The development is also designed to earn a BCA Green Mark rating, reflecting energy-efficient systems and a more sustainable operating footprint.

Floor Plans

Four representative floor plans are featured below, spanning the range from a compact one-bedroom entry point to the headline four-bedroom premium: the 1-bedroom Type A1 (431 sqft), the 2-bedroom Type B1 (646 sqft), the 3-bedroom Type C1 (980 sqft) and the 4-bedroom premium Type D1 (2,067 sqft). The full plan set covers 1-bedroom to 4-bedroom premium plus the Super Penthouse. Speak to us for the specific stack, level and view that fit your needs.

Explore the Show Model

For a real feel of the layouts and finishes, CDL has published interactive 360-degree virtual tours of the show model and selected unit types. You can walk through the space, look around, and get a sense of the ceiling heights, proportions and views before visiting the gallery.

The Investment Case

First, freehold scarcity. Newport Residences is one of the last new freehold homes in the CBD, and that permanence is difficult to replicate. As leasehold neighbours age and their leases run down, a freehold title in the same location should hold its relative value better over the long run.

Second, the views and the address. Sea and skyline outlooks from a landmark CBD tower are a durable draw for both owner-occupiers and tenants, and the strong take-up of sea-facing stacks at launch shows the market agrees. The CBD location also supports rental demand from finance and professional-services tenants who want to live near work.

Third, the Greater Southern Waterfront. The progressive transformation of the southern city frontage is one of Singapore's most significant long-term urban plans. Buying into a freehold home on its northern edge positions early owners ahead of the re-rating that tends to follow major precinct transformations.

The honest counterweight is quantum and yield. At an average of about $3,370 psf, absolute prices for the larger units are high, with four-bedroom premium homes from $8.28 million, and freehold pricing naturally compresses gross rental yield. The larger formats and the Super Penthouse serve a thinner slice of the market than the one and two-bedroom units, which are the most liquid. For buyers focused on entry quantum and rentability, the smaller layouts are the sharper play; for those buying permanence and a legacy city home, the larger units make sense on their own terms.

Who Newport Residences Is For

First, investors who want a freehold foothold in the CBD. The one and two-bedroom units offer the most accessible entry into a rare freehold city address, with strong rental appeal from the surrounding office core.

Second, owner-occupiers who want to live in the heart of the city with a view. Professionals and downsizers who value walk-to-work convenience, dining and nightlife on the doorstep, and sea or skyline panoramas from a high floor will find the proposition compelling.

Third, long-term buyers who prize freehold permanence. For those thinking in generations rather than holding periods, a freehold home in a location where new freehold supply has effectively ended is exactly the kind of asset that is hard to buy twice.

Related reviews: compare with River Modern, River Green and Sophia Meadow, or browse the full Insider Benchmark.

The Bottom Line

Newport Residences is not simply another city launch. It is a rare freehold home in the Central Business District, delivered by CDL on the landmark former Fuji Xerox Towers site. The tenure is the headline: freehold in a location where new freehold supply has effectively ended. Around that sit sea and skyline views from a high-floor tower, a sky-facilities deck crowned by the Newport Sky roof garden, and long-term upside from the Greater Southern Waterfront. The trade-off is a high absolute quantum on the larger units and the yield compression that comes with freehold pricing. But for buyers who value permanence, location and view, that is a price many will consider worth paying. At 83/100 on the Insider Benchmark, Newport Residences earns a Strong Buy rating and a place on any serious shortlist for freehold city buyers in 2026.

Information herein is based on the developer's brochure and publicly reported launch data, and is subject to change without prior notice. Balance units and pricing move over time. Please verify all figures, plans, and timelines with the official sales team before making any purchase decision. This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Please consult your banker, lawyer, and a licensed property professional before committing to any purchase. PropertyNet Insider Benchmark scoring is the independent opinion of PropertyNet.SG based on the framework published at /insider-benchmark/, with no developer affiliation or sponsorship.