Mature estates are also part of effort to reimagine S'pore: PM

Mature estates are part of the effort to reimagine and transform Singapore, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday, stressing that the plans he laid out during last week's National Day Rally do not apply only to new estates.

Speaking at a National Day dinner in his ward of Teck Ghee, he pointed to a list of projects in the mature estate, including 12 blocks in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 that are undergoing the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme.

PM Lee said the upgrading at Blocks 221 to 226, 226A to 226C, and 226E to 226G should be completed by the third quarter of next year.

There are also plans to redesign and upgrade the town centre with more greenery, seats and shelters, with the first phase set to start by the second quarter of next year.

This upgrade will stretch from the square outside AMK Hub and 51@AMK through the outdoor shopping street all the way to Ang Mo Kio Central Stage.

"Last week at the National Day Rally, I also spoke about our plans for reimagining and transforming Singapore. It applies not just to new towns, but also to mature estates like Teck Ghee. We are continually improving our living areas, our neighbourhoods, our town centres," said PM Lee to more than 1,000 residents attending the National Day celebration dinner at Teck Ghee Community Club.

PM Lee attended the event - the first National Day celebration dinner to take place in person in Teck Ghee after a two-year break because of the pandemic - with Mrs Lee and several MPs, including Ang Mo Kio GRC MPs Darryl David, Gan Thiam Poh, Nadia Ahmad Samdin and Ng Ling Ling.

During his speech, he also praised residents for coming together during the pandemic. He noted how residents had gone door to door, distributing masks and antigen rapid test kits. Others went on house visits to explain the benefits of vaccination and address concerns.

PM Lee also said Teck Ghee was one of the first to trial the Bring Your Own Bottle initiative to provide free hand sanitiser to all residents, which helped when the programme was rolled out nationwide.

"As we celebrate National Day this month, let us continue to stay united, let us support one another, let us strive to build an even better, more caring, more inclusive home for all of us in Singapore," he said.

At his National Day Rally speech on Aug 21, PM Lee had unveiled details of large-scale infrastructure projects such as Changi Airport's Terminal 5 (T5), Tuas Port, and homes to be built in Paya Lebar.

An estimated 150,000 new public and private homes can be built in the future town in Paya Lebar after Paya Lebar Air Base relocates in the 2030s.

On T5, PM Lee said it would allow operations to be quickly scaled up and down amid a pandemic. The terminal will also support the use of cleaner alternative fuels.

For Tuas Port, he said all container operations at Singapore's four other terminals - Tanjong Pagar, Keppel, Brani and Pasir Panjang - will be consolidated in about 20 years at Tuas, which will have a capacity of 65 million 20-foot equivalent units, nearly doubling Singapore's current port capacity.