Plans in the works for new play spaces in the heart of Orchard Road, Marina Bay

SINGAPORE – Two plots of land in the heart of the city can soon become lifestyle destinations, as Singapore’s urban planners look to create more space for recreation and play.

One site is the former Singapore Chinese Girls’ School (SCGS) campus at 37 Emerald Hill Road, which can be turned into a lifestyle hub, possibly with restaurants, shops, arts and culture offerings, and even options for lodging.

The other site, an 18ha space around Marina One, is earmarked for development some time in the future, but the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said that in the interim, it could be used for sports and pop-up markets, among other things.

These plans were showcased in an ongoing exhibition at The URA Centre on the agency’s upcoming Recreation Master Plan. The URA is seeking public feedback as it continues to work out plans for the two sites.

Located near The Heeren and Design Orchard, the former SCGS campus includes three buildings that were conserved by the URA in 2019 – the main block, completed in 1925; the principal’s house, completed in 1930; and the Song Ong Siang block, completed in 1956 and named after one of the school’s founders.

SCGS moved from its Emerald Hill campus to Dunearn Road in 1994, and the campus was leased to various international schools. It is currently vacant.

When asked, a URA spokeswoman told The Straits Times that the blocks were conserved in 2019 because there were plans to use them for “new cultural and lifestyle uses”.

While she did not provide specifics, she pointed out that, along with the adjacent Emerald Hill Conservation Area, the old campus will add to the heritage and streetscape of the Orchard Road precinct.

The three buildings sit on about 1.05ha – or about the area of 1½ football fields – and preliminary plans show that its open areas, such as the school field and basketball court, will be retained as open spaces.

URA’s plans for the former SCGS campus come on the back of the recent opening of

New Bahru

, a lifestyle development with shops, restaurants and serviced apartments, located at the old Nan Chiau High School campus at 46 Kim Yam Road.

SCGS alumna Daphne Yuan, 39, who was part of a team that submitted a proposal to the authorities in 2019 to conserve the old school campus, said she is encouraged that the URA has taken on some of the team’s suggestions.

These include making the site accessible to the public, and having it offer a different experience to the rest of Orchard Road.

She added that during two public workshops that the team conducted in 2018, there was strong interest among attendees in “ensuring that the site can serve the public in some way, given its history as a school”.

Heritage blogger and author Jerome Lim suggested that in future, the site could have storyboards that tell of its history and significance.

These could be accompanied by works of art and video or audio recordings so that visitors can learn about the site’s structures, and even those that have been demolished, such as a well and caretaker’s residence.

Meanwhile, for Marina Bay, plans on display at URA’s exhibition show that the land around Marina One, above Marina Bay MRT station, has been earmarked for recreational use.

The land, which occupies 18ha when roads in the area are included, is currently vacant. It is intended for development in the longer term, said the URA spokeswoman.

But she added that there is potential for the agency to work with the community to see whether recreational uses can be found in the interim.

“Introducing such interim uses on a short-term tenure basis not only enhances the variety of leisure offerings for visitors, especially during the weekends, but also optimises the use of our land before the sites are developed in the longer term,” she said.

Preliminary plans put up by the URA show that about 2.5ha of the area may be used for lifestyle and dining, while the area above Marina Bay MRT station, which measures about 3ha, could be used as community and family-friendly spaces.

Another plot of about 12ha could be used for attractions, as well as sports and recreation facilities, or short-term accommodations.

Illustrations of possible uses that URA displayed at its exhibition include rows of shops in a container park, an outdoor cinema and rock-climbing facilities.

The public can send in feedback on how the sites at 37 Emerald Hill Road and Marina Bay can be used at this link:

linktr.ee/playces_in_the_central_area

The Recreation Master Plan exhibition for the central area runs until Sept 30.