Former Bottle Tree Park will host $6 million Kampung Kampus to nurture community spirit

The entrance of Bottle Tree Park. Part of the former Bottle Tree Park in Khatib will host a 26,000 sqm community learning campus after plans were unveiled on Saturday by non-profit organisation Ground-Up Initiative (GUI). -- PHOTO: ST FILE
The entrance of Bottle Tree Park. Part of the former Bottle Tree Park in Khatib will host a 26,000 sqm community learning campus after plans were unveiled on Saturday by non-profit organisation Ground-Up Initiative (GUI). -- PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - Part of the former Bottle Tree Park in Khatib will host a 26,000 sqm community learning campus after plans were unveiled on Saturday by non-profit organisation Ground-Up Initiative (GUI). Dubbed the Kampung Kampus, it will focus on nurturing leaders through craftsmanship, urban farming, design thinking, and heritage and the arts. The aim, according to GUI, is to make communities here more more gracious, green, giving, grounded and grateful.

The campus is expected to cost $6 million and be constructed within about two years. It will include farming plots, a padi field, camp grounds, an amphitheatre, a heritage centre, and a prototyping zone for people to design useful technologies such as solar lamps. Chong Pang Citizens' Consultative Committee is leasing the land for community use, and subletting it to GUI.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K Shanmugam, an MP for Nee Soon GRC, attended the site's ground-breaking ceremony. He said: "GUI wants to make a positive different in the community we live in. They are passionate about many things - the environment leadership, and teamwork, through learning and interacting with nature... we worked with them and we hope they will develop programmes that will continue to benefit and inspire members of our community."

The former Bottle Tree Park used have restaurants and a fishing pond till the lease of its previous management expired this year. The remaining land there will be leased by China-based Fullshare Group. The company, which has investments in health care and international trade businesses in Singapore, is expected to transform the area into a leisure park attraction with food and beverage outlets and activities such as camping and fishing.

davidee@sph.com.sg

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.