SINGAPORE - The Forum mall, voco Orchard Singapore and HPL House will be redeveloped into a mixed-use development in Orchard with hotel, retail, office and residential spaces.
Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) Group announced on Monday that it had received approval for the development from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) under the Strategic Development Incentive (SDI) Scheme, subject to terms and conditions.
The development, which will have a floor area of approximately 114,153 sq m, includes two tower buildings of 64 and 43 storeys on a six-storey podium with a rooftop garden, a performance theatre and a basement carpark. It will also have a separate 29-storey tower.
“If and when it is implemented and completed, the proposed redevelopment will transform this part of Orchard Road into a vibrant, energetic, significant and prominent precinct,” said HPL in a statement on Monday.
HPL hopes the development will be a “gateway destination” in Orchard Road.
The timeline for the proposed redevelopment has not been determined at this stage, said HPL. The company and its professional advisers are working on further detailed plans, it added.
The development is sited on freehold land as well as a 999-year leasehold plot, with a total land area of more than 14,000 sq m.
“To date, we have received seven applications under the SDI Scheme, out of which six have been supported,” said a spokesman for URA.
URA introduced the scheme in 2019 to encourage the redevelopment of older buildings in strategic areas into new and innovative developments for the surrounding urban environment. Under it, such developments may be able to increase their gross plot ratio or attain flexibility on other development controls.
Past reports indicated that City Developments Limited’s development involving Central Mall and Central Square and UOL’s redevelopment of Faber House were among the projects supported under the SDI Scheme.
According to URA’s eligibility criteria for the scheme, redevelopment proposals should include a minimum of two adjacent sites, such that the combined redevelopment can have “a strong transformational impact on the surrounding environment that will enhance and rejuvenate the area”. Exemptions can be considered where redevelopment has a positive impact beyond the confines of a single site.
Since April 2022, proposed projects also have to meet specific outcomes in the areas of digitalisation, productivity and sustainability under the Construction Industry Transformation Map, and provide electric vehicle charging points within the development.
Mr Ong Beng Seng, the managing director, co-founder and controlling shareholder of HPL, has been embroiled in a corruption probe since July, when he was arrested by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau.
HPL owns Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in Singapore, among other properties in Canada, Australia, Britain and the United States. It led consortium Cuscaden Peak, which included Temasek units CLA and Mapletree, to acquire the real estate assets of Singapore Press Holdings in May 2022.
