SINGAPORE - Residents of Kaki Bukit, a housing estate near Bedok Town Centre, will have an upgraded community centre, a new integrated hospital and other developments in the 2030s and beyond when Paya Lebar Air Base is relocated.
The update was given by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the Kaki Bukit Constituency’s 40th Anniversary Celebrations event on Sunday.
The upgraded community centre will be opened later in 2023. In addition to the improved infrastructure, DPM Wong said that residents can expect new programmes designed to cater to their needs.
Among others, services located within the facility for residents will include the Agency for Integrated Care Office and JobHub, a job placement centre.
A new integrated hospital will be ready by 2030. This will bring together the functions of a general hospital, which provides emergency, inpatient and specialist outpatient services, as well as those associated with a community hospital which offers intermediate services like rehabilitation and support for patients discharged from the general hospital.
The lifting of the height restrictions for buildings with the relocation of Paya Lebar Air Base in the 2030s is expected to present new opportunities for surrounding towns like Kaki Bukit to improve space utilisation and build more facilities and amenities for the residents.
DPM Wong noted that all the eligible older Housing Board flats in the estate have been upgraded under the Home Improvement Programme (HIP) by the HDB. Another round will be rolled out eventually, he added.
The estate’s neighbourhood centres were upgraded along with the Bedok Town Centre located nearby. Improvements include a dedicated walking and cycling path put in place to connect Bedok Reservoir to Bedok Town Centre and East Coast Park.
The estate also features “Silver Zones” which are designed to make roads safer for older pedestrians. Such areas typically have reduced speed limits, additional crossing points and lanes with reduced width to slow down traffic.
In terms of accessibility beyond the estate, the residents are served by the Downtown Line on the MRT network.
Recounting how residents volunteered to help friends and neighbours in need over the past three years of the Covid-19 pandemic, DPM Wong commended their actions: “This gotong royong spirit is what makes Kaki Bukit community strong and special”.
