Forum: Land use optimised while expanding access to sports facilities
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We thank Ms Chen Huixing for her letter “Open-air sports fields and courts not an efficient use of land” (Sept 9).
Supporting an active and healthy population is a priority in Singapore’s land use planning.
To this end, agencies adopt various strategies to ensure that the population is well served by sports and recreational facilities, while optimising the use of Singapore’s limited land.
Through the Sports Facilities Master Plan (SFMP), Sport Singapore brings new and rejuvenated facilities to towns.
This initiative aims to provide innovative, accessible and affordable sports facilities, with most located within a 10-minute walk from residents’ homes by approximately 2030. The plan includes dedicated sports centres, Dual-Use Scheme venues and Sport-in-Precinct (SIP) facilities.
There is currently a network of over 370 school sports facilities, including free-to-play fields and indoor sports halls, which is part of the Dual-Use Scheme.
SIP facilities are also introduced within existing HDB neighbourhoods. The majority of these are designed to include sheltered multi-purpose courts, fitness corners, and playgrounds where feasible, taking into account the community’s needs, as well as the compatibility of facilities with surrounding uses.
Today, there are 10 SIP facilities across HDB towns, with another six currently being built.
Beyond the SFMP, agencies actively consider ways to make sports and recreational spaces more inclusive and accessible. A key strategy is to co-locate these amenities within developments.
Examples include incorporating sports uses into multi-storey community hubs, such as at Our Tampines Hub, Bukit Canberra and the upcoming Toa Payoh Integrated Development. More of such integrated community hubs are planned over the next 10 to 15 years, including in Yio Chu Kang, Woodlands and Sengkang.
Agencies are also stepping up efforts to make better use of underutilised spaces. For example, the CTE viaduct space in Jalan Bukit Merah has been transformed into a touch tennis court, while the viaduct space between Punggol MRT and Sam Kee LRT stations has been turned into basketball courts. Rooftops of multi-storey carparks are being repurposed as recreational spaces, such as the upcoming SIP facility in Dover Crescent.
Collectively, these efforts help ensure the population enjoys enhanced convenience, comfort and access to a variety of sports and recreational facilities, as we continue rejuvenating the urban environment to meet our city-state’s diverse needs.
Yvonne Lim
Group Director (Physical Planning)
Urban Redevelopment Authority
Lim Hong Khiang
Chief, Sport Infrastructure Group
Sport Singapore
