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(SINGAPORE) Riding on the recovery in the property market, Simon Cheong's SC Global Developments has put up for sale a commercial site it bought last year at the corner of Newton and Thomson roads which some in the market say could fetch around $42 million to $58 million.

Prime location: SC Global has proposed the building of medical suites for the site situated at the corner of Newton and Thomson roads

If this price is indeed achieved, it would make for a handsome profit given that SC Global bought the 15,490 sq ft freehold site for just $13.5 million in August last year when sentiment was weaker.

Besides the vast improvement in sentiment in the commercial property market, an additional reason for the increase in the site's value comes from SC Global's decision to pitch the proposed commercial development for medical suites.

This makes sense given that the Novena area seems to be shaping up as a medical hub with Far East Organization's Novena Medical Centre coming up and the site's proximity to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. SC Global's site - previously used as a Shell petrol station - is also close to Thomson Medical Centre and KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

SC Global's site is currently approved for a 12-storey commercial building with a 3.0 plot ratio (ratio of potential gross floor area to land area). This allows a maximum gross floor area (GFA) of 46,470 sq ft. No development charge (DC) is currently payable.

However, the property group, which is well-known for its upscale residential properties, recently submitted an outline application for a higher plot ratio of 4.2 entailing an 18-storey commercial project with 65,058 sq ft GFA. The latter scheme, if approved, would involve payment of a development charge of nearly $1 million.

SC Global itself has not placed a price tag for the property, which is being marketed by DTZ Debenham Tie Leung by a tender that closes on July 12.

However, by some estimates, the site could fetch about $900 psf of potential gross floor area, inclusive of development charges, if any. This works out to an absolute amount of about $42 million based on the approved redevelopment scheme with 3.0 plot ratio.

Using the proposal for a higher 4.2 plot ratio, the plot's value translates to a higher figure of $57.6 million using the same $900 psf per plot ratio unit land price.

The breakeven cost for the new freehold project works out to about $1,800 psf to $1,900 psf.

Currently, Far East Organization is said to be selling 99-year leasehold medical suites at its upcoming Novena Medical Centre nearby for about $2,000 psf. The location is set for transformation. Novena Square is being repositioned as a sports and lifestyle mall with a new name of Velocity@Novena. And the Urban Redevelopment Authority will soon launch for tender a residential plot near Novena Medical Centre, which will create more homes in the area.

Across the road, next to SC Global's site, the owners of units in the four-storey Goldhill Centre are also said to be planning a collective sale and are understood to have submitted a planning application for a commercial redevelopment of their site.

SC Global bought its site last August from Shell Singapore through a tender.