SINGAPORE - A team led by Dutch design firm KCAP Architects&Planners has been appointed as the consultant to develop a detailed master plan for the Jurong Lake District.

In a press release on Wednesday (Feb 8), the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), said the KCAP team's proposal had received the highest score among the five shortlisted for the second stage of its Request for Proposal Exercise.

URA praised the team's proposal for its "sensitive focus on water and greenery", incorporating new waterways and a series of green spaces and connections that weave through the entire district to create a strong and distinctive identity.

The eight-person evaluation panel, which includes URA chief executive officer Ng Lang, Housing & Development Board CEO Cheong Koon Hean and renowned architect Moshe Safdie, were impressed with KCAP's proposed urban typology.

"It integrates with the green setting beside Jurong Lake, which at the same time places emphasis on creating active, walkable streets and interactive public spaces," URA said.

KCAP will work with URA and the relevant agencies to refine the master plan and draw up detailed proposals over the next few months.

These will be exhibited to the public in the middle of this year.

KCAP, a Dutch firm based in Rotterdam, leads the team which also consists of SAA Architects, Arup, S333 and Lekker.

URA had put out a call for multi-disciplinary teams to develop masterplan proposals for the district in July last year. Five out of 35 interested teams were shortlisted to proceed to the second stage.

First unveiled in the URA masterplan 2008 as part of its decentralisation efforts, the Jurong Lake District is said to comprise a commercial hub, Jurong Gateway, and a leisure precinct called Lakeside.

Coupled with the future opening of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur high-speed rail, the area is envisioned by the Government to take on the mantle of Singapore's second Central Business District.