Raffles Place Park to be revamped into space for relaxation, social interaction by 2028

SINGAPORE - Raffles Place Park, located above Raffles Place MRT station, will be redeveloped by 2028 into “a key urban park” and “a destination for relaxation and social interaction”.

The National Parks Board (NParks) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said in a joint statement on June 20 that they are holding a design competition for the revamp.

The agencies are calling for creative design proposals with features and amenities that will foster a strong sense of belonging among those who use the Central Business District (CBD) as well as enhance their well-being.

Located in the heart of the CBD, the revamped 0.6ha park will also support efforts to improve pedestrian connectivity and bring greenery closer to the community, the agencies said. 

In tandem with broader plans to incorporate more mixed-use and inclusive spaces to enliven the CBD area and make it vibrant after office hours, the park is envisioned as an attractive communal space for people to bond and relax, and where public gatherings, events and activities can be held.

The competition will run from June 20 to Sept 12 and is open to practising architects registered with the Board of Architects, NParks and URA said. 

Results will be announced in November. The winning team will be appointed to provide consultancy services to redevelop the park. The second- and third-place entries will get cash prizes of $12,000 and $6,000, respectively.

The competition builds on efforts by NParks and URA to engage the public in the park’s rejuvenation. 

In 2021, the agencies held public engagement sessions under the Friends of the Parks initiative to gather feedback and ideas on the redevelopment of Raffles Place Park. 

Those who participated in the sessions included park visitors, heritage interest groups, and key stakeholders within the precinct such as the Raffles Place Alliance.

They expressed wishes for the park to serve as an inclusive urban park and a public space that can accommodate a variety of functions – a dedicated event space, a space for socialising, and a green oasis and place of respite within the CBD. 

Ms Nora Buang, a 58-year-old bank manager who works in the area, told The Straits Times: “I hope they can have more eateries in the centre, small pop-up stores, and pushcarts (where) people can sell coffee or snacks.”

For tech auditor Jilian Ng, 39, sheltered seating areas where people can gather over lunch or evening drinks would create “(spaces) for people to socialise”. 

As the seats there now are unsheltered, she and her colleagues rarely use them because of the heat.

Movie screenings and music performances staged on the lawns could enliven the park after office hours, said stockbroker Dennis Henry, 29. He added that more tables could be placed around the park as some people do their work there. 

Developed around 30 years ago as part of the MRT development in the 1980s, Raffles Place Park is a familiar park and public space to downtown office workers, residents, and visitors to the CBD.

It was a mercantile square in the 1800s before it became an open-air carpark, which was then converted into a landscaped park with trees and shrubs in the 1960s.

Today, the lawn is a place for CBD workers to sit down while having a meal, resting or doing work. It is surrounded by office buildings and malls, with benches, metal swings and concrete seating across its grounds.

It is located above the underground Raffles Place MRT interchange station, which sees approximately 150,000 passengers passing through every day. 

The park is a stone’s throw from the historic district of the Singapore River and the arts and cultural hub in the Civic District, home to heritage landmarks such as the former Supreme Court, which now houses the National Gallery, and the Victoria Concert Hall.

Aside from the park’s redevelopment, other recent enhancement initiatives have helped make the Raffles Place precinct more pedestrian-friendly and car-lite. 

These include the development of

a new park space in part of Market Street,

and the addition of covered linkways that join CapitaSpring to the covered walkway network along Malacca Street.