Site of former golf driving range in Toa Payoh East being prepared for new homes

SINGAPORE – More than a thousand new homes are expected to be built in Toa Payoh East on a site that had housed the first golf driving range to be built in a Housing Board estate.

On Jan 24, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) published a proposed amendment to the Master Plan 2019, in which a site measuring about 3.6ha – equivalent in size to about five football fields – was set aside for housing use and given a plot ratio of 4.1.

The site is at the intersection of Kim Keat Avenue and Toa Payoh East. Most of it is now zoned for housing with a plot ratio of 3.0, while a segment of it is zoned for place of worship use.

“The proposed residential development will support the demand for housing in the area and allow future residents to tap on the site’s proximity to existing amenities within Toa Payoh Town,” said the agency on its website.

The nearby amenities include Toa Payoh Polyclinic, Kim Keat Palm Market and Food Centre, as well as St Andrew’s secondary school and junior college.

Analysts said that the site can yield between 1,100 and 1,300 HDB flats, or about 1,650 to 1,800 condominium units.

Ms Christine Sun, chief researcher and strategist at OrangeTee Group, said that site will likely be used for public housing, as it is surrounded by HDB flats such as the recently completed Kim Keat Ripples Build-To-Order (BTO) project.

Noting that it is close to the Central Expressway, she said that developers may not find the site attractive for condominium use due to the potential buyers’ concerns over noise. Its proximity to public housing projects also means a lack of exclusivity for potential residents.

As the site is not close to an MRT station but on the city fringe, flats built on the site could be Standard or Plus flats under HDB’s classification system for BTO projects, Ms Sun added.

Mr Nicholas Mak, chief research officer at Mogul.sg, agreed that the land would likely be used for flats, as its two shortcomings – the proximity to two expressways and the distance to the closest MRT station – mean it will not yield an optimal price if sold as a Government Land Sales (GLS) site.

He said that the site can hold more than one BTO project, given its area.

However, to meet its

target of launching 50,000 new flats from 2025 to 2027,

HDB may develop the entire site under one project for speed and efficiency, said Mr Mak.

He added that should the site be sold to developers for condominium use, it would likely be divided into two GLS sites as its current size may make it too expensive for developers.

The driving range, which was built on part of the 3.6ha site, opened in late 1993 and

closed in 2018.

It has since been demolished.

Three other proposed amendments to URA’s masterplan were published on Jan 24.

In Sengkang West, the agency intends to rezone a parcel of land between Seletar West Road 1 and Seletar West Road 3 from business to civic and community institution use. This is to facilitate the

development of a 7,200-bed dormitory for migrant workers

that was announced in October 2022.

To allow Maitri School and Maitri Building to be constructed at the site of the former Coral Primary School and its field, URA plans to rezone Coral Primary’s field in Pasir Ris Street 51 from open space to educational institution use.

The special education school for students with autism was

announced by the Ministry of Education in November 2019

and will be operated by the Metta Welfare Association. Its campus includes a building that will offer services to former students of the school.

Lastly, URA plans to rezone a land parcel at 1 Willow Avenue in Potong Pasir from civic and community institution to health and medical care use. It is currently occupied by St John’s Home for Elderly Persons.

Established in 1958, the home moved into its redeveloped

Willow Avenue premises in December 2021

and caters to elderly persons who are relatively independent, but without children or relatives who can adequately care for them.

Mr Andrew Lioe, chairman of the home’s management committee, told The Straits Times on Jan 24 that the proposed rezoning will facilitate the home’s transition into a nursing home licensed by the Ministry of Health.

Mr Lioe said that the home is aiming to be licensed by the second half of 2026, which will allow it to care for elderly residents with higher needs, such as those who use wheelchairs or are bedridden.

“The transition to a nursing home will also allow us to continue providing a continuum of care for our existing residents, rather than to transfer them to a nursing home if we were to remain as a sheltered home,” he said, adding that the move is aligned with national healthcare needs.

Public feedback on the four proposed amendments may be sent to the Ministry of National Development by Feb 22, 2025.