SINGAPORE: For the first time in more than four decades, new public housing will be built at Pearl’s Hill near Chinatown, with 6,000 housing units to be built over the next 10 years, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) revealed on Friday (Nov 3).
Calling it “hillside living in the city”, the new homes will comprise a mix of Build-to-Order (BTO) flats, rental flats, as well as private homes such as condominiums and serviced apartments to cater to diverse needs and lifestyle preferences, URA said in a press release.
Plans are also underway to build homes in Bukit Timah Turf City, Mount Pleasant and the former Keppel golf course site.
These plans to build new housing estates in these locations in central Singapore were unveiled by Minister for National Development Desmond Lee at the “My City, My Home” exhibition held at the URA Centre, and were developed in response to feedback from Singaporeans during URA’s Long-Term Plan Review.
Said Mr Lee: “We also need to ensure that Singaporeans from different walks of life have the opportunity to stay in these central locations – we want to have a good social mix that reflects our diverse society.”
Mr Lee said that going by discussions during URA’s Long-Term Plan Review and the Forward Singapore exercise, Singaporeans increasingly aspire to live closer to their workplaces in the city and be nearer to amenities, such as transport nodes.
He added that Singaporeans have also expressed a desire to see more greenery and heritage protected throughout Singapore.
In meeting these “diverse aspirations” with the limited land available, Mr Lee said that a “very careful approach” is necessary when making choices for Singapore’s land use in order to meet various needs, including housing.
One strategy URA will be adopting when developing new residential neighbourhoods is to ensure that each neighbourhood will have a unique identity, capitalising on the nature and heritage there, said Mr Lee.
The authority is also seeking public feedback for these plans, which will be exhibited at URA Centre until Feb 2, 2024, said the statement.
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PEARL’S HILL
As one of the two remaining hills in Singapore, URA said Pearl’s Hill will undergo development as an inclusive and community-centric neighbourhood.
Future residents can look forward to a variety of amenities within a proposed mixed-use development to be integrated with Outram Park MRT station and around the neighbourhood to meet their daily needs, said the statement.
Given Pearl’s Hill’s convenient location near the Central Business District, Chinatown Historic District and Tiong Bahru neighbourhood and access to four MRT lines, the area has been gazetted as a car-lite district.
There will be a network of street-level and elevated connections for residents of Pearl’s Hill to promote “a delightful pedestrian and cycling experience”.
These connections will also have convenient access to Pearl’s Hill City Park, key transport and amenity nodes, as well as a seamless walking experience towards surrounding urban precincts such as Robertson Quay and Fort Canning Park.
Additionally, the National Parks Board will be enhancing Pearl’s Hill City Park with new park facilities and contemplative landscapes that support the physical and mental well-being of park users.
Given its rich history and as part of the Police Heritage Trail, URA said the former police barracks in Pearl’s Hill could be adapted to offer a mix a lifestyle offerings.
The area’s open spaces could serve as a new community node along Eu Tong Sen Street, it added.
BUKIT TIMAH TURF CITY
For homes being developed in Bukit Timah Turf City, URA said they would “take into consideration the heritage and greenery on-site”.
To preserve the rich history of the Bukit Timah Turf City area, Mr Lee said that significant heritage elements will be “sensitively integrated with future developments”, while some heritage buildings will be adapted for new uses.
URA is studying the possibility of providing a diverse range of housing options, including both private and public housing, as well as complementary amenities to cater to a wide variety of needs.
Selected clusters of former racecourse buildings and structures are intended to be retained and repurposed to create a unique sense of place and identity.
In particular, the character of the future neighbourhood will be anchored on the area’s rich heritage as a former racecourse as well as retaining areas with ecological value and creating a network of green landscapes for ecological connectivity, said URA in their press release.
Residents will also benefit from convenient commuting with access to both the existing Sixth Avenue MRT station along the Downtown Line and the upcoming Cross Island Line Turf City MRT station, which is expected to be ready by 2032.
OTHER UPCOMING ESTATES IN CENTRAL SINGAPORE
The Marina South neighbourhood will comprise a mix of residential, retail, office and hotel developments, and to kickstart its development, URA said two sale sites at Marina Gardens Lane and Marina Gardens Crescent have been launched and could potentially inject more than 1,500 new private homes.
Marina South is also envisioned as a sustainable and car-lite waterfront precinct with pedestrian-friendly streets, a comprehensive cycling network and an underground pedestrian network connecting Gardens by the Bay and Marina South MRT stations.
As for the Keppel Golf Course, the 48-hectare site will have about 9,000 new homes, including approximately 6,000 public housing units.
Its features will include nearby access to around 10-hectare of green recreational spaces and several nature areas, such as the Labrador Nature Reserve, Southern Ridges and the upcoming Berlayer Creek Nature Park.
The exhibition also showcased conceptual plans for the Mount Pleasant area, a new 33-hectare public housing estate that will be developed over the next 10 years and provide about 5,000 new homes. The first BTO project is expected to be launched in 2025.
This article was originally published in TODAY.
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