Boon Lay Place slated for rejuvenation; ideas and feedback welcome: Desmond Lee

SINGAPORE - The Boon Lay branch of the West Coast Town Council (WCTC) will relocate in 2025 to the former UOB building in Boon Lay Place, as part of overall plans to rejuvenate the area under the draft master plan, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said.

Speaking at the National Day observance ceremony at Boon Lay Community Club on Aug 4, Mr Lee, who is an MP for West Coast GRC, outlined plans for the rejuvenation of Boon Lay Place, which includes building more sheltered linkways in the area and relocating the WCTC branch office to 325 Boon Lay Place, among other things.

Government agency JTC Corporation is considering uses such as after-school care, infant-care services, active ageing facilities and more, for the former UOB building, he said.

“We are studying these options, discussing with agencies and welcome your views on possible uses,” Mr Lee added.

“Our neighbourhoods and infrastructure have to evolve with the needs of residents. This way, we can breathe new life into familiar buildings and keep them relevant.”

Housewife Norshuhaiba Safie, 42, who has lived in Boon Lay for three years, said the future Boon Lay branch office of WCTC will be very close to her home.

“To get to the WCTC office in Clementi, we have to wait a long time for the bus, sometimes up to one hour. In future, it will take just five minutes to walk to the new office,” she said.

Mr Lee said the Urban Redevelopment Authority is working with several agencies to study the longer-term uses for the interim bus park, which is next to the Boon Lay Place Food Village, the former Savoy Theatre and the ActiveSG Hockey Village site.

“We will look at the whole area comprehensively to see how we can revitalise and improve them to benefit the community. We are gathering feedback from residents... and ideas to reimagine and transform Boon Lay Place into a more vibrant area,” he said.

A high-sheltered linkway across the road from the Boon Lay Place Food Village hawker centre to Block 207 Boon Lay Place will be built, along with low-covered linkways connecting residents from the hawker centre to Boon Lay Shopping Centre, up to Boon Lay Community Club and ActiveSG Hockey Village, and possibly across the road to Meadow Grove estate and the future MRT station in Jurong West Avenue 2.

Covered linkways connecting Block 679 to Block 680C Jurong West Central 1 and a drop-off point with a covered linkway at Block 667A Jurong West Street 65 will also be added.

The Jurong Region Line (JRL) will also significantly improve connectivity in the next few years, with three new JRL stations in and around Boon Lay, Mr Lee said.

“It takes 30 minutes by bus today to get from Boon Lay Interchange to Jurong Island checkpoint. With this new line, it will take only 15 minutes – half the amount of time for some of us to get to work. You will also be only two stops away from Gek Poh Shopping Centre, which will be upgraded over the next few years,” he said.

Retiree Hua Kiat Jong, 71, who has lived in the Jurong area for about 30 years, is looking forward to the new JRL as she can walk to the JRL station from her home in just six to seven minutes.

“Now, to get to Lakeside MRT, I have to take a bus, which can take up to 15 minutes,” she said.

Completed in March 2024, the Silver Zone in Boon Lay Place includes enhanced road safety features such as wider walkways, more prominent road markings, and wider centre road dividers, to make it safer for seniors and less mobile residents, Mr Lee added.

Ninja Van delivery driver Shahrul Atiffi Tengku Abdul Rahman, 34, welcomed the prospect of more sheltered linkways.

“When I want to go to my in-laws’ home, I have to take the bus from opposite Boon Lay Place market. But there’s no sheltered walkway there. So it’s quite troublesome when it rains or if the weather is too hot, because my son cannot take it,” he said.

“A lot of amenities in Boon Lay Place are within walking distance. It’s just whether there is a sheltered walkway or not. And they just finished the Silver Zone, which will be more convenient for elderly people,” he added.

Also in the works are a new cycling path on the opposite side of Boon Lay Place from the Boon Lay Community Club, and greater access to parks and green spaces.

This includes a new overhead bridge across the PIE, which will offer more direct access to the Jurong Eco-Garden by the end of the year, Mr Lee said.

“Upcoming park connectors in this area will also link Jurong Eco-Garden to Yunnan Park and stitch up the larger network that connects to Jurong Lake Garden,” he added.