Forum: New Toa Payoh facilities will benefit residents and retain sport heritage

We thank Ms Chng Swee Lan for her feedback (Rejuvenation funds better spent on improving ageing Toa Payoh facilities, March 3).

Since its development in the 1960s, Toa Payoh has undergone continual rejuvenation and upgrading to meet the changing needs of the community.

Under HDB’s current Remaking Our Heartland programme, the pedestrian mall at Toa Payoh town centre, stretching from the library to the open plaza fronting HDB Hub, will be upgraded with new seating spaces, sheltered rest areas, and integrated cycling and pedestrian paths.

There will also be more multi-generational facilities such as play areas, exercise corners and barrier-free access. In addition, we have installed senior-friendly road crossings at Lorong 5 and Lorong 8/8A Toa Payoh.

The new Toa Payoh Integrated Development is part of the town’s rejuvenation plans. Toa Payoh Sport Centre has a rich sporting heritage, having hosted key major events such as the South-east Asian Peninsular Games (1973), the South-east Asian Games (1983, 1993 and 2015), and the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (2010).

Under current plans, we will co-locate a regional sport centre together with a library, polyclinic and various retail/food outlets. We will also redevelop the existing Toa Payoh town park into a new regional town park.

These will provide day-to-day benefits for residents, lean into Toa Payoh’s unique sporting heritage, while optimising the use of the land in the current town park, which is constrained by existing underground infrastructure and hence cannot be used for high-rise buildings.

When completed, it will be a one-stop lifestyle destination serving the diverse needs and interests of Toa Payoh residents. 

ActiveSG sport facilities serve the needs of the community as a whole. This includes both the general public, as well as our national athletes.

In line with the Sport Facilities Master Plan, the co-location of national training centres with the regional community sports facilities at Toa Payoh will allow for a good spread of accessible and affordable facilities for all Singaporeans to participate in sport, as well as facilities for our high-performance athletes to train and compete in front of our home crowd.

The proposed sporting facilities, such as badminton courts, sheltered swimming pools and tennis, futsal and netball courts will create opportunities for the community to come together, bond through sporting activities and inspire the Singapore spirit.

Ivan Chang
Deputy Chief, Sport Infrastructure Group
Sport Singapore

Lim Shu Ying
Director (Urban Design Department 2)
Housing & Development Board

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.