[SINGAPORE] The cityscape is set for more housing and community spaces, as well as new models for regional hubs and industrial areas, as part of long-term plans to shape a more vibrant and inclusive city.
These plans were announced by Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat on Wednesday (Jun 25) at the unveiling of Draft Master Plan 2025, which showcases Singapore’s land-use blueprint for the next 10 to 15 years.
The draft master plan, which took in feedback from almost 220,000 people, is shaped around four themes: shaping a happy healthy city, enabling sustainable growth, strengthening urban resilience and stewarding Singapore’s nature and heritage.
The Business Times highlights some of the upcoming developments.
New housing estates
New homes and neighbourhoods will be introduced in the Newton, Paterson and Greater one-north areas.
In Newton, a new neighbourhood next to the Newton MRT station will yield homes around Newton Circus, Scotts Road and Monk’s Hill. A high-density, mixed-use development near the MRT station and Newton Food Centre will provide residents with amenities and more food options.
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At Paterson, a new mixed-use neighbourhood will have retail, food and beverage (F&B) outlets, offices and residences above the Orchard MRT station.
The Greater one-north area will see new public and private homes at Dover-Medway along Dover Road and Mediapolis. More amenities and recreational spaces will be added, and connectivity strengthened in the area.
In the east, redevelopment of the Paya Lebar Air Base area will begin, starting with a new Defu neighbourhood right beside the airbase. The area will also have more walking and cycling paths, new transport links and more offices.
Other new housing estates will come up at the Sembawang Shipyard area, once its operations cease in 2028; the former Singapore Racecourse at Kranji; and the Greater Southern Waterfront, with Keppel Terminal and Distripark being its first residential precinct.
Existing towns such as Pasir Ris and Yishun will be rejuvenated with new homes and amenities as well. Overall, at least 80,000 public and private homes are expected to be introduced across more than 10 new housing areas islandwide.
Supporting seniors’ housing needs
Assisted-living options and active ageing centres will be provided across more neighbourhoods to support seniors to live healthily and independently.
These include public community care apartments with on-site social and care services, as well as private assisted-living flats offering care and wellness amenities.
More recreational spaces, stronger transport connectivity
New integrated community hubs will be added in towns including Woodlands, Yio Chu Kang, and Sengkang, with more sites under study. These hubs, located near transport nodes, will house sports, recreational, healthcare and retail facilities.
More than 25 parks and over 50 km of park connectors will be completed in the next five years, with concept studies planned for more than 100 hectares of land that can be potentially developed as parks. The cycling network will also expand to 1,300 km.
A new pedestrian bridge linking Marina Centre and Bay East Garden will be built, providing direct access between the city and the East Coast.
Studies are also under way for the upcoming Tengah Line, which will serve the west and north-west, and Seletar Line, which could serve Woodlands, Sembawang, Sengkang West, Serangoon North, Whampoa, Kallang and the Greater Southern Waterfront.
Decentralising Singapore’s commercial spaces, refreshing business hubs
To strengthen the Northern Gateway as an economic hub, a new multi-modal transport hub linking MRT and bus services will be built beside the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link, as part of a larger business-white development. Such sites allow industrial developments to have a greater proportion of non-industrial uses.
More business-white sites will be introduced around key transport nodes in Jurong and Tuas industrial estates, thus supporting new business models, offering greater flexibility and optimising land use.
On a regional level, the Bishan Town Centre will see a new polyclinic, and more offices, retail and F&B options, among others. Several government agencies are now exploring relocating offices there to kick-start business node development.
The authorities will also continue revitalising the city centre, namely Orchard Road and Marina Bay, with a new destination park and better connectivity between attractions.
Strengthening urban resilience
Environmental modelling tools are under development with local universities to facilitate more data-driven and scenario-based urban planning.
Land reclamation plans for Long Island are under way for coastal protection, water and flood resilience, and to meet future land needs.
There are also plans to expand the use of underground spaces – for example, for the storage of construction material at Gali Batu in Woodlands.
Preserving Singapore’s cultural heritage
More than 20 buildings will be proposed for conservation. These include NatSteel Steel Pavilion, Jurong’s first heavy industrial factory; the former Pasir Panjang English School, which will be integrated into a residential development; and 20 buildings at Bukit Timah Turf City, as part of the area’s transformation into a new housing estate.
New “identity nodes” at Siglap, Moonstone Lane Estate and Newton will be preserved and spruced up, and existing “identity corridors” at Katong will be enhanced with a new pedestrian mall. Identity nodes and corridors refer to distinctive neighbourhoods and areas that are being safeguarded and enhanced to strengthen Singapore’s sense of identity and history.
Meanwhile, the Bendemeer and Potong Pasir areas will see new parks and cycling paths.
