17 hours ago
Work on hawker centre, polyclinic in Bishan town centre to start in this term of govt: Chee Hong Tat
SINGAPORE - Work on the new hawker centre, polyclinic and revamped bus interchange in the Bishan town centre will start within the current term of government and take several years to complete, said National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat.
About 200,000 sq m of new office space could also be built in the town centre, matching the scale of that in Paya Lebar Central, Mr Chee said in a Facebook post on June 26.
The Government is studying plans to develop Bishan into a new business hub as part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) 2025 draft masterplan, which was unveiled on June 25.
Several government agencies are exploring the feasibility of relocating their offices to the area, to jump-start the development of this business district, URA said earlier.
Plans are afoot to develop Bishan into a sub-regional centre. Such areas are business hubs, such as those in Paya Lebar and Serangoon, that bring jobs closer to homes. They are smaller than the regional centres in Woodlands, Jurong East and Tampines.
Efforts to improve connectivity in Bishan will make it easier for residents to move around the town and access neighbouring facilities, said Mr Chee, an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.
For instance, cycling paths in the Bishan town centre will allow residents to cycle to upcoming recreational spaces such as those along the North-South Corridor and Kallang River.
Bishan Place – the road behind Junction 8 shopping centre – will be transformed into a pedestrian mall and be linked to transport hubs and facilities, he added.
There are also plans for a walking and cycling street along the developments in Bishan Road that will be connected to Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.
These plans are on top of that for the Toa Payoh Integrated Development on the site of the former Toa Payoh Sport Centre in Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, which will be completed within this term of government, said Mr Chee.
The integrated development will have an improved sports centre, an upgraded polyclinic, a bigger library and a rejuvenated town park. It will have sheltered linkways to the Toa Payoh MRT station and bus interchange.
The Draft Master Plan 2025 includes plans to continue driving Singapore's economic growth by strengthening its economic gateways and business districts, rejuvenating key precincts and supporting innovation.
The exhibition of the draft masterplan will be displayed at the HDB Hub in Toa Payoh from Aug 9 to 17.
Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction
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