New frontier for green townships The blueprint governing Singapores development over the medium term identifies Holland Village, Kampong Bugis and Marina South as districts that will provide 14,500 new homes set amid thoughtfully designed, eco-friendly spaces. People will go to work, not just in the Central Business District, but also in new commercial areas such as the Woodlands Regional Centre, where 100,000 jobs will eventually be created. A new retail belt will come up at Marina Bay. These plans have been laid out in the Draft Master Plan 2013 of the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), which focuses on building townships for all ages that are green, healthy, connected and strong in community interaction and spirit. Six focal points underpin the plans: putting quality jobs closer to home;providing more housing options with good living environments;expanding green and play spaces;enhancing transport links and accessibility;strengthening Singapores identity; andenlivening public spaces. No major adjustments to plot ratios are expected, save for areas identified for development, such as Bidadari and Punggol. In the area of decentralising work spaces, the URA will continue to grow regional centres such as Jurong Lake District, Tampines Regional Centre, Paya Lebar Central and one-north. The Woodlands Regional Centre, part of the North Coast Innovation Corridor, is to be the key commercial cluster in the north, the development of which will be kickstarted by the sale of a commercial site near Woodlands MRT station next month. This regional centre, to house northern Singapores first business park cluster, could put 100,000 jobs on the market when it is fully developed in the next decade or so. Industrial parks such as Seletar Aerospace Park, Defu Industrial Estate and Lorong Halus Industrial Park will continue to be developed; existing industrial estates such as Tanjong Kling and Tukang Innovation Park, Tuas Biomedical Hub and Sungei Kadut will be rejuvenated by JTC Corporation to raise land productivity and keep businesses there competitive. But even as decentralisation plans are made, the city centre will continue to grow. New offices, retail space and homes, as well as redevelopment and sales sites near Tanjong Pagar MRT station are in the pipeline. The URA envisages a new shopping and entertainment belt along Bayfront Avenue, which will stretch from Marina Bay Sands to Marina Bay Station Square, which will create more jobs. As for housing, the land set aside in Holland Village, Kampong Bugis and Marina South makes up part of the land set aside in this Draft Master Plan for half a million homes. Most of the land will be for public housing. Holland Village will be extended by six hectares, anchored by a mixed development project that will have a parking station. Two other residential sites have been earmarked in that precinct, along with pedestrian-friendly streets and a community park. The 18-ha Kampong Bugis site is slated to become a high-density residential precinct offering around 4,000 private homes. The 21.5-ha Marina South area, just off Gardens by the Bay, is set to be turned into a mixed-use residential district offering around 9,000 private homes. Being explored is the idea of having an 800-metre-long underground mall and an elevated walkway from Bay South Gardens to the seafront. Development is expected after 2017 or 2018. Kampong Bugis and Marina South will be testbeds for fenceless residential communities and more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly designs. With creating green spaces a key thrust in this Draft Master Plan, one goal is to have 90 per cent of residents living within 400 metres of a park. Plans are in the works to create more than 60 km of nature trails, 360 km of park connectors and a 150 km Round-Island Route; 900 ha of reservoirs and 100 km of waterways are to be opened up for recreation. On the heels of the recently announced plans to boost public transport under the Land Transport Master Plan 2013, the URA will promote cycling-friendly environments with other agencies. All HDB towns will have their own cycling networks, and cycle paths will grow from 230 km to more than 700 km. In the area of enhancing the Singapore identity, the URA will preserve various landmarks; it plans to gazette more than 70 buildings for conservation, adding to the list of more than 7,100 buildings. The latest additions include the Queenstown Library, Alexandra Hospital and the former Commonwealth Avenue Wet Market. Neighbourhoods such as Holland Village, Serangoon Gardens and Jalan Kayu will join 15 other locations with distinct character, so that their vibe and unique qualities will be preserved and even enhanced. As for plans for Singapore further into the future, the URA envisages a Greater Southern Waterfront, where about 1,000 ha of land - freed up by moving out the City Terminals and Pasir Panjang Terminal from 2027 - will be developed. Plans for this area have not been finalised, but six concepts have been mooted. Among them are a plan to extend the city to this Southern Waterfront, creating a continuous seaside promenade linking places of interest and creating waterfront districts, each with its own character. The public are invited to give their feedback on the Draft Master Plan 2013, as well as for the new cycling routes and plans for the Greater Southern Waterfront. Views can be submitted at the Draft Master Plan 2013 website. The URA is holding a month-long exhibition at the URA Centre from today. Source: Business Times –20 November 2013 Holland V to be extended, with mixed development project Plans to extend Holland Village are afoot, with a 6 ha extension to be anchored by a mixed development, which will be equipped with a basement parking station. The Draft Master Plan 2013 of the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has also identified two residential plots, which have not yet been designated for private or public housing. Together, the plots are expected to yield about 1,500 units. Of the three development plots, the mixed-use one, to include private housing, will likely be the first to be rolled out; development is likely to begin by 2015. The developer who wins the tender for this site will be required to build a basement carpark big enough to serve Holland Village. The number of lots required is still being worked out. The extension, which abuts the existing Holland Village, encompasses the six HDB housing blocks vacated under the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme in 2011, their adjacent land parcels (including the to-be-closed Buona Vista Swimming Complex) and the carpark now serving Holland Village. An access road will be built adjacent to the Holland Village extension area, to channel traffic away from the centre of Holland Village to the car park. The HDB is to design and develop pedestrian-oriented streets and new public spaces, including urban plazas and a community park. A network of pedestrian walkways will be built so that the surrounding public housing developments will continue to enjoy easy access to Holland Village and the Circle Line MRT station. Holland Village is one of three Singapore neighbourhoods identified as places of character and charm, the atmosphere of which is to be retained. (Serangoon Garden and Jalan Kayu are the other two.) In the case of Holland Village, the intimate streetscapes, urban village vibe, and eclectic mix of retail shops and services will be preserved. The new buildings to come up in the area will be scaled sensitively to sit with the rest of Holland Village. New buildings will therefore go from low-rise to medium-rise the further they are from the existing Holland Village; the residential towers to be developed on the residential plots will be set back so as not to overwhelm the human scale of the area. The extended Holland Village will be bounded by Holland Drive, Holland Road, and Holland Avenue. Source: Business Times –20 November 2013 9,000 private homes to come up in Marina South A tract of waterfront land spanning 1,000 ha, referred to as the Greater Southern Waterfront in the Draft Master Plan 2013 of the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), will be the next major growth area in the city. Specifically, the 21.5 ha of development area in Marina South will yield about 9,000 private homes. Development will start after 2017/2018, when the Thomson Line is nearer completion. Residents and visitors to the area will be able to shop in an 800m long underground mall between the two Thomson Line stations serving the area, namely Marina South and Gardens by the Bay. This frees up the ground-level space above the mall for a pedestrian walkway. Separately, an elevated landscaped walkway will take pedestrians from the Bay South Gardens to the seafront; cycling paths will thread through other parts of Marina Bay. In a district to shape up as one of Singapores most environmentally friendly, fewer cars could well be seen on its roads - courtesy of a network of underground carparks that the URA is looking into. If feasible, these carparks will enable motorists to drive from one building to another while underground. Taking a helicopter view of the Greater Southern Waterfront area, the URA has outlined six broad ideas that will guide the development of the area: Opportunities to live, work and play: Projects will integrate residential, commercial and recreational use. Labrador and Marina South could become lively mixed-use residential districts offering fenceless developments equipped with community amenities. Pulau Brani could offer opportunities for sustainable island living and leisure activities in the longer term. Extension of city to waterfront: There will also be an opportunity to create a waterfront city seamlessly integrated with the rest of the city, along with a waterfront central business district. More public spaces: The Central Linear Park could be extended, and a pedestrian axis towards the waterfront could be created. This axis could be designated car-free, opening up avenues for vibrant street life. A 30 km waterfront: This could stretch from Labrador to Marina South. Green, open spaces: An eco-corridor could provide an unbroken connection between the Gardens by the Bay and the island-wide green network. Embedded in this corridor would be inviting public spaces for community interaction and events. Possible reservoir: A future reservoir could be created between Tanjong Pagar and Pulau Brani to retain rainwater from the Greater Southern Waterfront and store excess water from Marina Reservoir. Source: Business Times –20 November 2013 Kampong Bugis: Model for fewer cars, sustainable water practices The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has a vision for Kampong Bugis, and it is to turn it into a precinct with fewer cars, where commuters get about seamlessly on foot or public transport - by bus, train or water taxi. Located at the convergence of two major waterways - Rochor Canal and Kallang River - the area has also been identified as a pilot area for a high-density, water-sustainable precinct. This means developments there will incorporate effective stormwater management and urban design features such as vegetated swales, bio-retention basins and detention ponds to manage rainwater runoff. Development of the 18 hectares of land in Kampong Bugis may begin after 2016. Of this area, about 80 per cent will be given over to about 4,000 units of private housing. To support the envisaged reduced dependency on cars, developers will be encouraged to set up car-sharing and bicycle-sharing schemes, which will operate alongside the network of bus services and two MRT stations in the area. The upshot of promoting these greener, alternative modes of travel is that future residential projects in the area will need to provide fewer car park lots. Preliminary feedback from developers has been positive, with many of them noting that demand for car park space is already generally lower in places nearer the city centre. Although the proposed concept of greener commutes and being car-reduced is not expected to rock the boat significantly, public feedback is being sought in this area. Another facet of the URAs vision for Kampong Bugis is fenceless housing, to encourage community interaction. Such a fenceless precinct, as distinct from the conventional gated condominium approach, entails through-block links, courtyards and open spaces; developers will also be encouraged to include community amenities such as childcare centres, kindergartens, cafes, clinics and playgrounds in their plans. These amenities will be set amid greenery. Kampong Bugis, with its urban features supporting water-sustainable practices, is expected to enhance sustainable water management practices here and to become a new high-density model for sustainable water practices internationally. Source: Business Times –20 November 2013 INDUSTRIAL MARKETJTC factories in Kadut, Yew Tee, Kranji face relocation Businesses located in JTC-owned factories in the Sungei Kadut, Yew Tee and Kranji areas may have to relocate as part of changes Singapore will undergo according to a new Master Plan that is still in a draft stage. The industrial property landlord and developer said yesterday that it will assist firms through the process of relocation. We will definitely come in to facilitate. In terms of the timing, thats where we need to be practical and realistic and we need to accord sufficient time for the phasing out to happen, said JTC assistant chief executive officer of Cluster Development Group 2, Eunice Koh. She added that there will be clarity only in the year 2015 on what the Master Plan would entail for the three industrial estates, as the review of the plan is still ongoing. On whether it is certain that all firms currently located in the three areas will have to relocate, Ms Koh said: We dont know the extent until 2015. The industrial estates at Sungei Kadut, Yew Tee and Kranji together house the operations of many firms from the furniture, timber, construction and engineering industries. JTC said that it currently does not have details on the number of firms with operations in these industrial estates. Ms Kohs comments were made yesterday after JTC held a closed-door meeting with some industrialists who have their firms in the affected areas, at the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI). The chamber helped to facilitate discussions between JTC, the industrialists and their respective trade associations. JTC is now working to help 116 firms whose leases expire between next year and 2019. The affected industrialists are worried about their future because of the uncertainty over the renewal of their leases. The Master Plan, which decides how land will be used in the future, is still in the works, although a draft is being made public today. At yesterdays meeting, JTC said the affected firms can apply to extend their leases until 2020. To do so, companies will have to fill in a one-page form. A JTC officer will then engage the individual firms and assess their application. Criteria that they will be assessed on include their value added and productivity projections over a three-year period, which starts from the time the lease extension is granted. Said JTCs Ms Koh: There must be a productivity increment, so they have to declare it and at the end of three years we have to look at it again. We are looking at whatever the members are achieving (currently), plus a certain growth. That is a reasonably achievable level . . . It is the spirit of improvement that we are trying to encourage. Ms Koh added that JTC hopes to process all applications by June next year. SCCCI president Thomas Chua said that industries such as the furniture and timber sectors are very happy with JTCs gesture. At the very least, it gives industrialists a timeline so that they can continue to make plans for the business, said Mr Chua in Mandarin. We have come to a happy conclusion. Freddie Ng, president of the Singapore Timber Association, said: Most of our members leases expire in 2015 and 2016, so actually this is quite urgent . . . In view of (how) the Master Plan is still on review, JTC has come up with this solution to extend (our lease) to 2020, of course with certain criteria . . . so my members are definitely aware that they have to pay attention to productivity and value add. He added that JTCs offer is very welcome news because from now to 2020, my members have seven years to plan to bring in what is necessary to do value adding. Of the 116 firms whose leases are up in the next six years, 76 are from the timber trade. Tony Pang, assistant honorary secretary at the Singapore Furniture Industries Council, said that the five affected furniture firms - which include his company V-Mark Woodcraft - will now be able to continue with their business plans knowing that they have seven years, up till 2020, to work with. The offer to extend their leases means that the firms can still continue with their business knowing that there is seven years to play with, said Mr Pang. They can manage cost, they can rethink their business strategy for management in line with the new labour situation we are facing in Singapore right now, and then plan ahead for the future growth of the company. So this news we are getting today is very beneficial and we are very thankful for it. Source: Business Times –20 November 2013
Posted on: Wed, 20 Nov 2013 04:27:29 +0000
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