Singapore's next chapter: New models for regional hubs, industrial estates in URA's Draft Master Plan 2025

Business Times

3 days ago

Plans to grow decentralised office spots with the refresh of regional business hubs in the north, west and east
Review of industrial land use zoning guidelines to meet evolving business needs
New residential neighbourhoods in Newton, Paterson, the Greater one-north area, and around Paya Lebar Airbase
[SINGAPORE] To meet Singapore's changing needs, state planners are retooling the city's regional hubs and older industrial estates for an evolving economy, the new Draft Master Plan 2025 reveals. A bigger decentralised office hub in Bishan is on the cards, on the scale of Paya Lebar Central. The government also plans to open up spots with more flexible zoning in industrial estates that can cater to new business models and non-industrial use.
The authorities are reviewing Singapore's industrial land use zone guidelines to 'better respond to evolving business needs', said Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat at the launch of the blueprint on Wednesday (Jun 25).
Moving away from mono-use zones to mixed-use districts will give developers greater flexibility in allowable uses on industrial land and enhance Singapore's economic competitiveness.
Key planning priorities were outlined in the Urban Redevelopment Authority's Draft Master Plan 2025 (DMP2025), a statutory land use plan that guides Singapore's development in the next 10 to 15 years, and is reviewed every five years.
'As we continue to chart out long-term plans to build a brighter future for Singapore, we must also remain agile and continually refine our land use plans to deal with new challenges,' said Chee.
A more uncertain global economy means 'business activities and supply chains could undergo further shifts', he said. Singapore also needs to prepare for the effects of climate change, and changes in housing demand.
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Reworking business nodes, moving beyond the city centre
The government is intensifying efforts to decentralise office spaces by growing Singapore's regional hubs.
At Bishan, plans are in the works to introduce new office spaces matching the scale of Paya Lebar Central. There will also be new community amenities such as a polyclinic, hawker centre and a revamped bus interchange with air-conditioned waiting areas.
Some government agencies are now looking at relocating their offices to the area, to kickstart the business node's development, said URA.
In Woodlands, upcoming developments will capitalise on both the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone and the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, which is expected to be ready by end-2026.
A new multi-modal transport hub will connect the RTS Link to MRT and bus services, and will be part of a 7 hectare (ha) integrated development designated for 'business-white' use with office, industrial and retail spaces for businesses and the community. It is expected to be completed in the mid-2030s.
Business-white zones allow industrial developments to have a greater proportion of non-industrial uses. Complementary developments such as co-working spaces can also be considered. According to the URA website, 'in future, if the disamenities from industrial uses can be managed, it can even accommodate hotels and housing'.
More business-white sites will be introduced around key transport nodes in the Jurong and Tuas industrial estates, on top of existing sites in Woodlands, URA said on Wednesday.
'These sites will support the growth of new business models, provide greater flexibility for businesses, (optimise) land use, and inject amenities such as retail and food and beverage options to serve workers and nearby residents.'
'We will also proceed with the development of Jurong Lake District (JLD) as Singapore's largest mixed-use business district outside the city centre,' Chee said. A heavyweight consortium's bid for the master developer site – one that would have kickstarted JLD's development – had been assessed as 'too low' and rejected last year.
While the 6.5 ha site has been put on the reserve list in the latest H2 government land sales programme, requirements were tweaked with a reduction in its minimum office quantum – from 145,000 square metres for the entire site, to 100,000 sq m.
This change will give developers more flexibility in determining the mix of uses and better pace the roll-out of office space for the site, a URA spokesperson told The Business Times.
The redevelopment of the former Jurong Bird Park and Jurong Hill will support the growth of the western gateway as well, injecting jobs, amenities and recreational space into the greater Jurong area, where Singapore's first industrial estate was born.
An ideas competition to re-imagine the 39 ha site, held in October last year, drew 37 proposals from the public and professionals. Plans submitted featured innovation-driven industries, such as startup incubators and agricultural research and development laboratories, combined with commercial and recreational spaces.
Agencies are now reviewing the winning proposals, said URA.
In the north-east, the 138 ha Seletar East Industrial Estate situated between Punggol Town and Seletar Aerospace Park is planned for high value-added industries such as a wafer fabrication park, Chee said.
Meanwhile, the city centre will continue to anchor the Republic as a global financial and business hub, with plans to refresh Orchard Road and the Downtown areas. A new park will be formed in the heart of Orchard Road, which will merge Istana Park, Dhoby Ghaut Green and a 500 m stretch of Singapore's main shopping belt.
Around Marina Bay, a planned wellness attraction and the expansion of Marina Bay Sands will boost capacity for conferences and events, Chee added.
Efforts to optimise land use will also extend underground. The government is exploring potential caverns at sites such as Gali Batu in Woodlands for storage of construction aggregate, while identifying more possibilities for new underground developments.
For instance, there is an underground electrical sub-station under an upcoming development along Alexandra Road - the first large-scale underground facility of its kind in Singapore, said Chee.
'There is scope to move more of such facilities underground, and free up valuable surface land for other uses.'
Catering for changing housing demand
The DMP2025 also prioritises building more homes to meet demand. Residential estates will be carved out in central locations as well as in areas now being revamped for housing.
New homes are in the pipeline at Newton and Paterson near Orchard Road, and in the Greater one-north area in Dover. In the east, the Paya Lebar Airbase area will be progressively redeveloped following the relocation of the airbase in the 2030s, starting with a new neighbourhood around Defu MRT station on the upcoming Cross Island Line.
Overall, some 800 ha of land will be freed up for redevelopment. At the 2022 National Day Rally, then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong had said this could make room for 150,000 new homes, and lift some building height restrictions around the area.
New towns are also in the works at the Sembawang Shipyard area, once it ceases operations in 2028, and the former Singapore Racecourse site at Kranji.
The government is already seeding and growing housing estates in other central locations, such as Bukit Timah Turf City, Pearl's Hill, Marina South, Mount Pleasant and the former Keppel Golf Course site.
These will give Singaporeans more opportunities to live in more central locations, said Chee. Overall, at least 80,000 public and private homes are expected to be introduced across more than 10 new housing areas islandwide in the next 10 to 15 years.
URA said that the development of these new neighbourhoods will be paced out to 'allow for flexibility to review and adjust plans regularly in tandem with evolving needs and trends'.
At the same time, new homes and amenities will be added to existing towns, such as Pasir Ris and Yishun.
Seniors can soon look forward to more assisted living options, such as community care apartments, and active ageing centres.
'In my capacity as (a Member of Parliament) for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, which has a higher proportion of senior residents, I will be happy to support the implementation of these ideas within our GRC to benefit my residents,' said Chee.
The 2025 roadmap also detailed plans for more greenery with more than 25 new parks and more than 50 km of park connectors over the next five years.
Over 20 buildings will be proposed for conservation to safeguard Singapore's built heritage. This includes NatSteel Steel Pavilion, the first heavy industry factory established in Jurong Industrial Estate; the former Pasir Panjang English School built in the 1920s and 1930s; and 20 buildings at Bukit Timah Turf City.
The former Pasir Panjang English School will be integrated into a new residential development, as will the heritage buildings at Turf City.