NDR 2025: First homes at former Kranji racecourse to be ready in about 10 years, says PM Wong
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The new public housing estate will combine urban living with natural heritage.
PHOTO: URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Follow topic:
- PM Wong said the first housing development at the Kranji racecourse site, will be ready in about 10 years.
- Sembawang Shipyard will have new waterfront living, dining, retail, and community spaces.
- Woodlands to be reshaped into a vibrant, modern regional centre with more homes, expanded Woodlands Checkpoint, and flexible industrial spaces in Woodlands North.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – The first homes in a new public housing estate at the former racecourse in Kranji will be ready in about 10 years’ time.
This new estate will combine urban living with natural heritage, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Aug 17, as he laid out redevelopment plans for three areas in northern Singapore – Kranji, Sembawang Shipyard and Woodlands.
PM Wong noted that previous speeches had covered plans for the western, eastern and central regions.
“Some people say the northern part of Singapore is more ‘ulu’, more remote. I assure you, it’s not. So tonight, I will focus on the north,” he said to applause from the audience at ITE College Central.
Referring to the Kranji racecourse as “a rare opportunity for a major transformation”, PM Wong said the site has the right ingredients to be developed for housing, such as ample space, good connectivity and nature at its doorstep.
Singapore Turf Club held its last race at the Kranji racecourse on Oct 5, 2024 return the site to the Government by March 2027
PM Wong said the connectivity of the Kranji area will be improved, citing plans for a new MRT station at Sungei Kadut, which will be an interchange connecting the North-South and Downtown MRT lines.
The station is slated to open in 2035
PM Wong also highlighted the former racecourse site’s natural surroundings, citing the upcoming Mandai Mangrove and Mudflat Nature Park that is set to open in 2028, the Rail Corridor, and Sungei Mandai, a waterway.
He said some 14,000 new homes will be built, and noted that they will be nestled amid lush green spaces and supported by new amenities like a new neighbourhood centre around Kranji MRT station.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) previously said both public and private homes will be built at the site.
Turning to the plans for Sembawang Shipyard
For instance, he said, a dry dock where ships are repaired could be reused as a community space for sports, concerts and events, or as a plaza for people to gather.
An illustration of a dry dock reimagined as sports facility that was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence.
PHOTO: URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Referencing the site’s coastline, PM Wong said there will be homes with waterfront living, new dining and shopping concepts, and new community spaces along the promenade.
“When you put it all together, this can become a new vibrant waterfront destination in the north – rich in heritage, yet reimagined for the future,” he said of the area, which was a naval base established by the British in 1938 before being converted into a shipyard that was officially opened in 1971.
URA said in June that the shipyard will be relocated from 2028.
As for Woodlands, PM Wong said more homes, including public housing, will be built along the Woodlands waterfront.
These are in addition to the upcoming “Housing by the Woods” precinct, which the Housing Board said will have about 4,000 flats built over 21ha of land, offering scenic views of Admiralty Park and Woodlands Waterfront.
An illustration of housing along Woodlands waterfront that was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence.
PHOTO: URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Citing these plans and other upcoming infrastructural upgrades, PM Wong said Woodlands will be reshaped and transformed into a modern and vibrant regional centre.
He touched on Woodlands Checkpoint, which will be expanded to five times its current size, and the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, which is set to open in 2026
More flexible industrial spaces will be built around the RTS station in Woodlands North. These are expected to accommodate a mix of uses, including retail and dining.
An artist’s impression of flexible industrial spaces around the RTS station.
PHOTO: JTC CORPORATION
Referencing the development of Punggol over the past two decades, PM Wong said the Government will deliver on its plans to develop Kranji and Sembawang.
“Kranji and Sembawang will flourish as even more vibrant towns – full of life and opportunity,” he said.
Briefly recapping plans to protect Singapore against climate change and rising sea levels, PM Wong listed land reclamation at Pulau Tekong, works at Changi Bay and the upcoming Long Island project
“Land is limited and precious in Singapore – so we do whatever it takes to protect whatever we have today,” said PM Wong, adding that plans to protect other parts of Singapore are being developed.
Amid climate change and other shifting circumstances, Singapore’s progress will never be left to chance, PM Wong said.
“We are and have always been a nation that adapts, reinvents and dares to dream.”
Read more: Key announcements from PM Wong’s first National Day Rally
Watch PM Wong’s National Day Rally speech here:
