The verdict
4.1/ 5Jesselton Villas is Berjaya Land's freehold masterplan on the former Penang Turf Club land, and the part to know for landed buyers is Kensington Gardens: 68 bungalow lots of about 6,340 to 9,688 sq ft, sold as land on which you build your own house.
- Price
- RM3.99M–RM4.63M
- Tenure
- Freehold
- Land title
- Residential
- Completion
- 2017
Zac’s own rating, not user reviews.
Zac’s own rating, not an average of user reviews. It reflects one licensed agent’s assessment of this project against others he tracks in Penang.
Most luxury homes in Penang are bought finished. Kensington Gardens is the rare exception: a gated enclave of bungalow lots next to Jesselton Heights where you buy the land and build the house you actually want.
Key takeaways: Jesselton Villas is Berjaya Land's freehold masterplan on the old Penang Turf Club land, planned at about 2,447 units in total. Its landed part, Kensington Gardens, has 68 bungalow lots of about 6,340 to 9,688 sq ft, listed in 2026 from about RM4.0M to RM4.63M, roughly RM665–772 per sq ft of land. Building the house is a separate, substantial budget. It suits buyers who want a bespoke home in Jesselton and have the time and patience to build.
What Jesselton Villas is
Berjaya Land Development planned Jesselton Villas as a freehold masterplan of over RM1 billion on about 24 hectares at the end of Jalan Batu Gantong, west of the Penang Turf Club and right beside the established Jesselton Heights neighbourhood. The plan covers several parcels: bungalow lots, low-rise and high-rise condominiums, and affordable housing. The newer Jesselton Courtyard villas are also part of Berjaya's land here.
That's why you'll see very different numbers quoted under the same name. Make sure you know which part of the masterplan a listing refers to.
Kensington Gardens: the bungalow lots
Kensington Gardens is the landed parcel: 68 freehold lots of about 6,340 to 9,688 sq ft inside a gated, guarded enclave. They're sold as land, and owners design and build their own houses, so the street is a mix of finished homes and plots still waiting.
In 2026, lots were listed from about RM4.0M to RM4.63M, roughly RM665 to RM772 per sq ft of land.
The real budget
The land is only the first cheque. A custom bungalow at this level means architects, approvals and a contractor, and the build cost can rival the price of the lot. Allow time too: from purchase to moving in typically takes years, not months.
Ask the seller and Berjaya about any building deadlines attached to the lot, the guidelines for what you can build, and the monthly fees for the gated community.
For foreign buyers
Ordinary foreign buyers need RM3,000,000 or more for landed property on Penang Island, which every lot here clears. MM2H participants have a lower minimum of RM500,000. Foreign buyers pay the 3% state levy on landed property, a flat 8% stamp duty and the RM10,000 consent fee, and under the Penang land office's guidelines can resell only three years after the SPA date.
Getting around
Measured road distances from Jalan Batu Gantong at free-flow speeds:
- St Christopher's International Primary School: about 1.7 km, 2 minutes.
- Penang Adventist Hospital: about 2.4 km, 4 minutes.
- Gleneagles: about 3.4 km, 4 minutes.
- Gurney Plaza: about 3.4 km, 4 minutes.
- Komtar: about 5.2 km, 6 minutes.
- Penang airport: about 17 km, 16 minutes.
That's the case for Jesselton in one list: a quiet, green address within a few minutes of the city's best schools, hospitals and Gurney.
How it compares
If you'd rather buy finished, 11 Brook Residences nearby offers 11 completed bungalows, marketed from about RM5.8M at launch. Jesselton Courtyard, Berjaya's new villa launch on the same land, starts from about RM3.32M.
Zac’s Take
Zac Ong
Kensington Gardens is for the buyer who wants a house that's truly their own, in one of Penang's most established addresses. The land is fairly priced for Jesselton, but treat it as half the budget, not all of it. If you don't want to manage a build, look at a finished bungalow or the Jesselton Courtyard villas instead.
Average response: under 1 hour, 9am–7pm Mon–Sat.
📲 See available Kensington Gardens lotsSources: Masterplan details from Penang Property Talk's coverage of Jesselton Villas; lot sizes and 2026 asking prices from EdgeProp, PropertyGuru and agency listings. Foreign-buyer rules from the Penang land office (PTG) guidelines updated 1 August 2024. Road distances measured on OpenStreetMap routing.