Latest news with #URACentre
AsiaOne
a day ago
- Business
- AsiaOne
From Scotts Road to Monk's Hill: More homes planned for city centre under Draft Master Plan 2025, Singapore News
Those seeking homes near the city centre will have greater opportunities to do so under the Draft Master Plan 2025 unveiled by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Wednesday (June 25). A new neighbourhood comprising three clusters at Newton Circus, Scotts Road and Monk's Hill, for example, has been planned next to Newton MRT station. This neighbourhood, said URA, will be a "vibrant, mixed-use precinct" framed by greenery. Over at Orchard Road, the Paterson area will be transformed into a mixed-use hub with residential developments, shops and public spaces above Orchard MRT station. The neighbourhood is planned to be walking- and cycling-friendly, with cycling paths connecting it to the Inner Ring Corridor and beyond. Launching the Draft Master Plan exhibition at the URA Centre on Wednesday morning, Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat said public outreach efforts for the Draft Master Plan 2025 started two years ago. And the authority has engaged close to 220,000 people through surveys, exhibitions, dialogues and workshops so far. "This is the most extensive engagement that URA has conducted to date," said Chee. "I'll like to thank the participants, Singaporeans who have shared with us a wide range of ideas. The exhibition you see today brings these ideas together into a shared vision for the next 10 to 15 years." The draft master plan maps out Singapore's detailed land plans for the next 10 to 15 years. Plans are also in place for Monk's Hill Road to be transformed into a linear park linking Newton MRT station to Emerald Hill. Chee also said that more homes will also be built at the former Singapore Racecourse site in Kranji, and the Dover-Medway area near one-north. He added that authorities are studying more areas to meet future housing needs, including developing new towns at where the Paya Lebar Air Base and Sembawang Shipyard are currently located. "When the Paya Lebar Air Base relocates from the 2030s, it will also free up height restrictions in the surrounding towns, which will allow for more land intensification to meet demand for different land uses," the minister elaborated. The relocation of the air base will free up about 800ha of land - bigger than Bishan or Ang Mo Kio - for a car-lite town, which will be connected with neighbouring areas including the future Defu neighbourhood in Hougang. Historical elements such as the old airport structures and a section of the runway will be adaptively reused and integrated into the neighbourhood, and redevelopment will be done in phases — starting with Defu — which is located next to the air base. At Sembawang Shipyard, the area will be progressively transformed into a new mixed-use waterfront district after the shipyard ceases operations in 2028. Waterfront public spaces could be created along the berths, and key heritage buildings and structures potentially adapted for community, sports and cultural activities. [[nid:656232]] In addition, the authority is also looking to roll out more active ageing centres and senior housing options such as private and public assisted living facilities. For example, one private assisted living development at Parry Avenue in Kovan, which was awarded the tender in June 2023, is expected to be completed by 2026. It will feature 200 assisted living apartments, a 100-bed nursing home, a geriatric care centre and a wellness clubhouse. Said Minister Chee: "MND will work closely with MOH and other agencies to flesh out the plans for this important area of work." The Draft Master Plan 2025 also proposes three new integrated community hubs in Woodlands, Yio Chu Kang and Sengkang, to be developed in the next 10 to 15 years. Located near public transport nodes, these hubs will bring together sports facilities, healthcare, and community spaces in a convenient location, said Chee. Noting that integrated community hubs benefit residents and is a "productive use of our limited land", he added that the authorities are studying other locations for such hubs to be developed. The exibition at URA Centre will be held till Nov 29, and will also be displayed at several heartland neighbourhoods between August and early November. [[nid:718021]]
Straits Times
a day ago
- General
- Straits Times
Sengkang, Woodlands North and Yio Chu Kang to get integrated community hubs
An aerial view on June 21, 2025, showing the existing site in Sengkang that has been earmarked for the upcoming integrated community hub. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY SINGAPORE – Residents of Sengkang, Woodlands North and Yio Chu Kang can look forward to having recreational facilities and other amenities under one roof at new integrated community hubs proposed for the towns. Meanwhile, those living in the north-west may get up to four new parks in future as the authorities fine-tune plans for Kranji Nature Corridor, which comprises green spaces and water bodies, as well as roadside greenery that will aid ecological connectivity and increase leisure options. These plans were laid out at the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) Draft Master Plan 2025 exhibition, which launched on June 25 at The URA Centre in Maxwell Road. Among other plans for new recreational facilities are a park in Orchard Road, a new bridge connecting Bay East Garden and Marina Centre in downtown Singapore, as well as a revamped Jurong Hill and Jurong Bird Park. At the exhibition's launch, National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said that the hubs in Sengkang, Woodlands and Yio Chu Kang – to be built in the next 10 to 15 years – will be located near public transport nodes and combine sports facilities, healthcare and community spaces in one location. An example of an integrated hub is Our Tampines Hub, which houses a regional library, a community club, a football field and a hawker centre, among other amenities. The Sengkang hub will be located near Compass One mall, while the hub in Woodlands North will be near the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link terminus. An artist's impression of Sengkang integrated community hub. PHOTO: URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY The Yio Chu Kang hub will likely be located on the site of the town's existing sport centre, which the authorities have plans to redevelop. As for the parks under study as part of the Kranji Nature Corridor, all four will be near existing water bodies in the area and complement the upcoming 72.8ha Mandai Mangrove and Mudflat Nature Park, which is set to open in 2028. A planned park by Kranji Reservoir that is about 26ha in size will have waterfront habitats, while a park of about 10ha next to Sungei Pang Sua will incorporate elements of the Keretapi Tanah Melayu railway line that ran in the area. Two parks will be situated along Sungei Mandai – one in an upcoming residential estate at the former Singapore Racecourse in Kranji, and another farther north that will be about 5ha in size and include mangrove habitats. Also on display at URA's exhibition were winning proposals for the Jurong Hill and Jurong Bird Park area that were submitted for an ideas competition launched in October 2024. The authorities plan to transform the 39ha site into an area for work and play that is integrated with the Jurong Industrial Estate. An artist impression of a future park at Sungei Pang Sua. PHOTO: NATIONAL PARKS BOARD The competition drew 10 submissions in the professional category, which was open to those trained in architecture, urban design, urban planning, real estate, environmental planning and related fields, and 27 in the open category, which welcomed submissions from the public and tertiary students. Topping the professional category was architectural assistant Kenneth Chiang, 29, whose entry featured a central loop connecting research labs, commercial offices and play areas. One idea in his plan was to house a museum dedicated to Singapore's industrialisation in Jurong Hill Tower and its surrounds, from where visiting foreign dignitaries once enjoyed panoramic views of the Jurong Industrial Estate. Architectural assistant Kenneth Chiang proposed that the iconinc Jurong Hill Tower could be repurposed as a museum that showcases Singapore's industrial heritage. PHOTO: KENNETH CHIANG The winning entry in the open category – by a team of students and fresh graduates who studied urban planning and architecture and who call themselves Bird's Eye View – proposed that the former Jurong Bird Park's Waterfall Aviary be repurposed as a wellness facility with pools, saunas and steam rooms. Meanwhile, in the heart of the city, a new park will be created by combining the existing Istana Park, Dhoby Ghaut Green as well as a 500m stretch of Orchard Road and include a play area inspired by nature. Pedestrian connectivity between this park and Fort Canning Park will be improved with a new elevated pedestrian bridge. An artist's impression of an elevated link, which is under study, to connect Dhoby Ghaut Green to Fort Canning Park. PHOTO: NATIONAL PARKS BOARD A pedestrian and cycling bridge will also be built by 2029 near Benjamin Sheares Bridge to link Marina Centre and Bay East Garden, where the Founders' Memorial is slated to open in 2028. This bridge will give cyclists a more direct link between the city and East Coast, said URA. On Singapore's southern coast, a continuous waterfront promenade will be developed in phases, alongside developments that are part of the Greater Southern Waterfront. The waterfront promenade will allow users to get from West Coast Park to Marina Bay. They will pass areas such as a new residential estate at the former Keppel Club, as well as the Keppel Terminal and Keppel Distripark, where new homes will be built under the next phase of the Greater Southern Waterfront's development. Ng Keng Gene is a correspondent at The Straits Times, reporting on issues relating to land use, urban planning and heritage. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
