Bottom Line: Sobha HRC Pristine could be described in one expression as ‘Nature’s Basket’. It is a classy low-density housing project that offers freedom from Bangalore’s pollution and traffic bottlenecks in city’s cleanest and least populated location.
If there is any question mark over the residential investment of Bangalore, it is due to the increasing pollution and traffic bottlenecks. That is one of the reasons that the new growth corridors are coming up in North Bangalore where the pollution and traffic are relatively less. The desire to have greenery around the project could nevertheless make a hole in the pockets of the homebuyers.
It is here that the project SOBHA HRC Pristine in Jakkur, Located off-Bellary Road comes as a welcome break. It is a low-density project but the price point is lesser than many other villa projects in and around North Bangalore. What is all the more interesting is the fact that as per a study, the air quality of Jakkur is the best in the city.
The locality anyway has not one or two but very many USPs for the project to take off. The noise level is also lowest in the locality. The biggest concern of Bangalore, the scarcity of water and the receding ground water, is something that is exceptionally good in this region.
The locality is today dotted with very many projects at the two extreme ends of property market. One is the high rises to exploit the given FSI norms of 2.25 and the density norms of 55% ground coverage, and at the other end is the low density but high value villas to exploit the land value.
SOBHA HRC Pristine positions itself in between these two extreme ends of market pyramid. On a piece of 8.5 acre of land, the developer has also resisted the temptation to optimize the density norms and create a concrete urban jungle.
On the contrary, the planning has been so aesthetically done that there are only 395 high and low rise apartments. The project has 2 and 3 BHK apartments, row houses and penthouses and the unit size ranges from 1440 sq. ft. to 2463 sq. ft.
It seems the developer has compromised the salability to stand ahead of the curve in this micro market. May be the competitive market analysis have made them conscious of the fact that in today’s slow market the sales and brand goodwill rests upon project differentiation. They have hence conceptualized a project so tempting that the potential buyers can’t refuse. And hence, the density and ground coverage with the project is just 16.51%.
And what impresses me the most is the price point which is more or less at par with other high-density apartments selling in the locality. The land parcel that has been a farmhouse is so beautifully landscaped amidst the nature that anyone would fall in love with the place. The clay cladding on the exposed walls will give these homes a stunning terracotta finish and a beautiful façade.
I was curious to know whether the real estate project with its heavy brick & mortar would change the very identity of the place. But my apprehensions are put to rest when I am told that the developer has hired an ecological agency to make sure the nature is preserved in a way that the place does not lose its original identity.
As a matter of fact, most of the trees, as old as 20 years and even earlier would be untouched and would continue to be part of natural landscaping of the housing project.
There is also an old functional well and the developer has planned to convert it in to a bio pond with an integrated rainwater harvesting system. Similarly, a 145m long cascading water feature with tropical planting scheme and natural boulders with other amenities are incorporated in the natural topography.
Another unique feature of the project would be bird’s nest cove where these caverns, sheltered in the dense green foliage of matured trees, come with undulating platforms and built-in seating arrangements.
In terms of the locational vantage point, with the Kempegowda International Airport North Bengaluru has witnessed a rapid infrastructure development over the past years. Several malls, multiplexes, retail outlets, hospitals, schools and banks have made it a hotspot for real estate investment.
Besides this, close proximity to Manyata Tech Park, Aerospace SEZ and other IT parks gives the neighbourhood the right momentum for further social and commercial growth. Additionally, the completion of the elevated Expressway connecting Hebbal Junction to Kempegowda International Airport has made the connectivity to North Bengaluru from across the city seamless.
The upcoming infrastructure projects like expansion of Yelahanka Railway Station, Peripheral Ring Road, High speed Rail Link, Connecting Central Bangalore to BIA, Bangalore Metro Rail Phase 2 – BIA to Nagawara to Gottigere and Bellary Road, Hebbal – Devanahalli – Elevated Expressway promise to make the region even more attractive in future.
But more than these infrastructure projects, the desirability of the location is its lakes and lung spaces. Rachenahalli Lake is just 1 km from the property; Jakkur Lake is 2 kms from the property; and Lumbini Gardens is in the neighbourhood.
With Manyata Embassy business Park, Karle Town Centre, Kirloskar Tech Park and Brigade Magnum already being job magnets in the vicinity, the region promises to emerge as a job magnet in future since many Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) have invested along this stretch due to availability of large land parcels and improved connectivity to the city centre and major tech clusters.
Companies like Shell, Airbus, Bombardier, Boeing, Tyco Electricals, Thyssen Krupp, AMADA, Starrag are expanding their presence in this micro-market.
In terms of social infrastructure in and around SOBHA HRC Pristine, there are shopping malls, like Elements Mall, Esteem Mall and RMZ Galleria Mall. Nearby hospitals are Aster CMI, Columbia Asia and Baptist Hospital. There are a number of schools & colleges in the vicinity.
The only negative point of this new launched project as of now is the fact that the internal road beyond the Main Jakkur Road to the project is a bit narrow. But then the kind of infrastructure projects that are at various level of planning one can hope that it would be addressed sooner than later.
Track2Realty assigns this project with ‘A’ category. A project that has been given this high ranking at the time of launch could easily upgrade into A+, if only the execution is at par with the standards set by SOBHA through its backward integrated model.
Of course, the infrastructure of the region would also add to or take sheen out of the attraction of the project in the next couple of years. This is something that is beyond the control of the developer as well.
By: Ravi Sinha
