Safra Punggol to open in April

It will have facilities such as a first-of-its-kind indoor water playground and bowling centre

Safra Punggol (left), located next to Punggol Waterway Park, will have features such as an indoor water playground (far left) which can accommodate up to 300 people at a time. The facility will have eight play decks, five slides and party rooms next
Safra Punggol located next to Punggol Waterway Park, will have features such as an indoor water playground (above) which can accommodate up to 300 people at a time. The facility will have eight play decks, five slides and party rooms next to the play area. ST PHOTOS: KEVIN LIM
Safra Punggol (left), located next to Punggol Waterway Park, will have features such as an indoor water playground (far left) which can accommodate up to 300 people at a time. The facility will have eight play decks, five slides and party rooms next
Safra Punggol (above), located next to Punggol Waterway Park, will have features such as an indoor water playground which can accommodate up to 300 people at a time. The facility will have eight play decks, five slides and party rooms next to the play area. ST PHOTOS: KEVIN LIM

A three-storey indoor water playground is one of the highlights of a new clubhouse that will open for national servicemen from April 24.

Safra Punggol, located next to Punggol Waterway Park in Sentul Crescent, will also have a cycling and rollerblading kiosk.

From the clubhouse, patrons will be able to ride to places like East Coast Park through the adjacent Punggol Park Connector Network.

There will also be a 24-lane bowling centre and an electronic darts bar.

Mr Ong Ye Kung, Senior Minister of State for Defence, gave details of the development when he visited the site yesterday .

The first-of-its-kind indoor water playground, called Splash @ Kidz Amaze, can accommodate up to 300 people at a time. It will have eight play decks, five slides and party rooms next to the play area.

"This will be a jewel in Safra's range of clubhouses," said Mr Ong, who is also Safra president. "It is very attractive... Safra has deliberately built the clubhouse very close to the canal (Punggol Waterway)."

The development of the facility will cost $64.4 million - up from the initial $57.3 million reported in 2014. But Mr Ong said the development of Safra Punggol is "on time and on budget".

"We are investing $64.4 million into building this as a continual recognition of our NSmen," he said.

Major (NS) Terence Quek, chairman of Safra Punggol's Development Committee, said: "Quite a certain amount of the building cost went into ensuring the clubhouse was eco-friendly. We wanted to make sure we are putting in place facilities that allow us to have energy and water conservation. Based on our cost projection, we should be able to save up to $30,000 in terms of energy and water costs on a monthly basis.

"We are using a lot of natural lighting, reducing the need for light bulbs. Wherever there is lighting, we are using LED lighting."

Safra Punggol is the first Safra club to be awarded the Green Mark Platinum award by the Building and Construction Authority - the highest rating for green, sustainable buildings.

About 80,000 NSmen and their families live in the north-eastern part of Singapore, where the new clubhouse is located.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 15, 2016, with the headline Safra Punggol to open in April. Subscribe