New housing areas, parks, community hubs: 8 highlights from Singapore’s latest draft masterplan
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From now till Nov 29, the new blueprint, which guides Singapore’s development for the next 10 to 15 years, is being exhibited at The URA Centre.
PHOTOS: URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
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SINGAPORE – More housing areas, parks and integrated community hubs are in the works, based on the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) Draft Master Plan 2025
From now till Nov 29, the new blueprint, which guides Singapore’s development for the next 10 to 15 years, is being exhibited at The URA Centre. It will also make stops across the island from Aug 2 to Nov 9.
Here are eight highlights from the Draft Master Plan 2025 exhibition.
New neighbourhoods
Monk’s Hill Road in Newton is set to transform into a linear park that connects residents to Newton MRT station and extends all the way to Emerald Hill.
PHOTO: URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
New public and private homes are in the works for areas such as Kranji – at the former Singapore Racecourse – and Dover, while about 5,000 new private homes will be built in Newton.
New neighbourhoods will also be established in Paterson – where 1,000 private homes will be added alongside a new mixed-use development above Orchard MRT station – as well as Defu, which is next to Paya Lebar Air Base.
The housing mix in the Defu area, where there are currently industrial businesses, is still under study.
These new housing areas add to others that will be developed in the longer term, such as at Sembawang Shipyard, the former Bukit Timah Turf City, Marina South, the Greater Southern Waterfront, Pearl’s Hill and Mount Pleasant.
New integrated community hubs
An artist’s impression of the planned Sengkang integrated community hub.
PHOTO: URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Three new integrated community hubs will be built within the next 10 to 15 years in Sengkang, Woodlands North and Yio Chu Kang.
To be located near existing MRT stations, each of the hubs will combine sports facilities, healthcare and community spaces.
They are akin to other integrated developments such as Our Tampines Hub, which has a regional library, a community club, a football field and a hawker centre, among other amenities.
READ MORE: Sengkang, Woodlands North and Yio Chu Kang to get integrated community hubs
Business node in Bishan
An artist’s impression of a future mixed-use development within the Bishan sub-regional centre.
PHOTO: URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Office spaces will be brought closer to homes in Bishan, with new mixed-use developments set to be built in the town centre.
Some government agencies may move to the town, which will be positioned as a business node, much like Paya Lebar Central.
The town is also set to get a new hawker centre and polyclinic, and a revamped bus interchange.
READ MORE: Bishan Town Centre to get new office space, polyclinic, hawker centre
New parks in Kranji
An artist’s impression of the future naturalisation of Sungei Mandai.
PHOTO: NATIONAL PARKS BOARD
The authorities are studying the feasibility of adding four new parks in Kranji, as part of a nature corridor that will be established in the area.
Nature corridors comprise green spaces and water bodies, as well as roadside greenery that will aid ecological connectivity and increase leisure options.
The new parks will be at Kranji Reservoir, Sungei Pang Sua, Sungei Mandai and the former Singapore Racecourse.
More conservation buildings
NatSteel’s Steel Pavilion is one of the buildings proposed for conservation.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
More than 30 buildings have been proposed for conservation under the draft masterplan, including the National Iron and Steel Mills’ Steel Pavilion, a two-storey office block from the 1960s.
The forthcoming conservation of the building recognises the key role that the company, known today as NatSteel, played in Singapore’s development, by supplying steel for key projects such as public housing, Changi Airport and the MRT system.
Also slated for conservation are the former Pasir Panjang English School, and the 20 buildings at the former Bukit Timah Turf City, adding to the two grandstands that the authorities previously said will be put forth for conservation.
READ MORE: 1960s NatSteel building, former Pasir Panjang English School proposed for conservation
New identity nodes
Newton is home to colonial era properties, which the authorities are considering retaining as part of the upcoming residential neighbourhood.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Three more identity nodes have been identified by the URA at Newton, Moonstone Lane Estate and Siglap, bringing the total number of such nodes to 21.
Identity nodes are areas with distinctive character and charm that the agency seeks to retain through methods such as rolling out design guidelines for new development.
URA said Siglap has a laid-back atmosphere that exudes a unique urban charm, while Moonstone Lane Estate’s “intimate waterfront setting and rich multicultural history” will be retained.
It envisages that the upcoming neighbourhood in Newton will be community-centric, with greenery, heritage and identity woven into the area.
More pedestrian connections
An artist’s impression of the elevated link, which is under study, to connect Dhoby Ghaut Green to Fort Canning Park.
PHOTO: NATIONAL PARKS BOARD
To improve pedestrian connectivity between Dhoby Ghaut and Fort Canning, a new elevated pedestrian link will be built.
The link is among upcoming upgrades for the Dhoby Ghaut area, which will have a new park that comprises the existing Istana Park, Dhoby Ghaut Green and a 500m stretch of Orchard Road.
Meanwhile, a new bridge connecting Marina Centre and Gardens by the Bay’s Bay East Garden will be completed by 2029.
This will give pedestrians and cyclists a more direct route from the city to the East Coast area.
Winning ideas for Jurong Bird Park and Jurong Hill
Architectural assistant Kenneth Chiang’s winning submission, Jurong Stratums, proposes that the Jurong Bird Park’s iconic Waterfall Aviary can be repurposed for recreational use.
PHOTO: KENNETH CHIANG
The winning submissions for URA and JTC Corporation’s ideas competition for Jurong Bird Park and Jurong Hill are on display at the exhibition.
Public agencies are studying plans to redevelop the area for work and play purposes.
Architectural assistant Kenneth Chiang placed first in the professional category.
He proposed that Jurong Hill Tower be used as a museum dedicated to industrial heritage, while festivals, performances and outdoor movie screenings can be held at a new theatre built on the hill.
He also proposed that familiar features of the old Jurong Bird Park be repurposed, such as by using the Flamingo Lodge for eateries and events spaces, and adding rock climbing walls to the park’s Waterfall Aviary.
Ng Keng Gene is a correspondent at The Straits Times, reporting on issues relating to land use, urban planning and heritage.
