CCR, RCR, OCR: What Do These District Classifications Means When Looking For Your Property Purchase

Buying a private property can have different considerations from buying HDB flats. Unlike HDB flats which are commonly referred to by their HDB estates, private properties are typically classified by their regional area and districts: Core Central Region (CCR), Rest of Central Region (RCR) and Outside Central Region (OCR).

Every quarter, URA releases real estate statistics and the performance of the different regions (also known as market segments).

For 2Q2023, private home prices were 0.3% for CCR, -2.6% for RCR and 1.2% for OCR, from the previous quarter. This reflects the trend of a stabilisation in property prices seen after the recent cooling measures.

Whether you are upgrading from an HDB flat or a first-time private property buyer, here’s what you need to know about these district classifications.

Read Also: Complete Guide To Buying Landed Property In Singapore

District Classifications For Private Property: CCR, RCR And OCR

Source: URA

Regions	Postal Districts
Core Central Region (CCR)	9, 10 and 11, and parts of 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7
Rest of Central Region (RCR)	3, 8 and 12, and parts of 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15 and 20
Outside Central Region (OCR)	16 to 19, 21 to 28, and parts of 5, 14, 15 and 20

For reference, here are the postal districts and their general location:

Postal District	General Location
01	Raffles Place, Cecil, Marina, People’s Park
02	Anson, Tanjong Pagar
03	Queenstown, Tiong Bahru
04	Telok Blangah, Harbourfront
05	Pasir Panjang, Hong Leong Garden, Clementi
06	High Street, Beach Road (part)
07	Middle Road, Golden Mile
08	Little India
09	Orchard, Cairnhill, River Valley
10	Ardmore, Bukit Timah, Holland Road, Tanglin
11	Watten Estate, Novena, Thomson
12	Balestier, Toa Payoh
13	Macpherson, Braddell
14	Geylang, Eunos
15	Katong, Joo Chiat, Amber Road
16	Bedok, Upper East Coast, Eastwood, Kew Drive
17	Loyang, Changi
18	Tampines, Pasir Ris
19	Serangoon Garden, Hougang, Punggol
20	Bishan, Ang Mo Kio
21	Upper Bukit Timah, Clementi Park, Ulu Pandan
22	Jurong
23	Hillview, Dairy Farm, Bukit Panjang, Choa Chu Kang
24	Lim Chu Kang, Tengah
25	Kranji, Woodgrove
26	Upper Thomson, Springleaf
27	Yishun, Sembawang
28	Seletar

Source: URA

 

Core Central Region (CCR) comprises Postal Districts 9, 10, 11, Downtown Core Planning Area and Sentosa.

The CCR is known for its premium real estate prices and is segmented into 3 areas, Districts 9,10 and 11 as one large area, the Downtown Core Planning Area and Sentosa.

According to URA’s planning guidelines, development in the Downtown Core Planning area is predominantly commercial with some mixed-use neighbourhoods encouraged, especially at the Anson and Cecil subzones. Older office developments may also be considered for an increase in development intensity when redeveloping into mixed-used developments.

The elusive Good Class Bungalows also located in this region, within Districts 9, 10 and 11. These are traditional residential areas of the wealthy in Singapore. The Orchard Road Planning Area is also within this area and is zoned as a mainly lifestyle and retail belt.

Sentosa (District 4) where foreigners may purchase landed property in Singapore, is also considered under CCR.

While the Marina Bay area is considered CCR, it is likely that the upcoming Greater Southern Waterfront would be considered RCR similar to Marina South.

Rest of Central Region (RCR) comprises the area within Central Region that is outside postal districts 9, 10, 11, Downtown Core Planning Area and Sentosa.

Being just outside the Central Region, some of these areas overlap with the postal districts covered by the CCR. Keen eyes or seasoned real estate observers would also notice that the area between Bencoolen and Rochor is consider RCR despite being sandwiched between the Downtown Core and District 9. Centrally located areas, such as Chinatown, Outram and Little India, Tiong Bahru are also considered RCR.

On the outer edge of RCR are areas such as Bishan and Buona Vista. These are considered RCR and shares the same postal district as Ang Mo Kio and Clementi, respectively.

Outside Central Region (OCR) comprises the areas outside of CCR and RCR. It comprises the rest of the north, west, east and south of Singapore.

Within the OCR, URA has already released planning guidelines for Woodlands Central, Paya Lebar Central, Jurong Getaway and Punggol Digital District. These development guidelines are meant to guide the overall urban design of these areas and rejuvenate existing developments.

For example, Paya Lebar Central has grown significantly from its days as an underdeveloped area with the solitary SingPost Centre to a vibrant Eastside location with the newer PLQ Mall and Paya Lebar Square. In tandem with new HDB estates in the nearby MacPherson area, the private residential properties have also seen a growth in development in the area.

The Difference In Regions May Affect Your Property Price In The Same Postal District

As the CCR, RCR and OCR classifications are not the same as the postal districts, there are overlapping areas where the same postal district (and geographical location) has different regional classification.

For example, houses in District 15 (Katong, Joo Chiat, Amber Road) can be in either RCR or OCR. In the period between January 2023 and July 2023, the semi-detached houses in the RCR had an average price of $7,100,000 while the ones in the OCR had a lower average price of $5,500,000. However, for terraced houses in the same District 15, the ones in RCR had an average price of $4,100,000 while the ones in the OCR had a similar average price. The resale condominiums and apartments showed a similar price differential with OCR prices averaging $1,550,000 and RCR prices averaging $2,100,000.

This article was originally published on 29 September 2021 and updated with new information.

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