Leisure Plan drawn up to enhance recreational options in Singapore

In the near future, one will be able to stroll, jog or cycle around the whole of Singapore just by following an extensive route.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is developing a 150-kilometre round-island path as part of its Leisure Plan.

Overview of Gardens by the Bay site

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan revealed details of new recreational options at the Architectural Design Awards 2008 ceremony on Wednesday.

The round-island route will be developed over the next 10 to 15 years, but up to two-thirds of the path – which includes the Punggol Coastal Promenade – could be ready in just five years.

At three and a half times the length of the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE), the route will comprise existing and new park connectors, waterfront promenades and other trails.

It will also cover leisure destinations at the Marina Bay, Changi Point and the upcoming Jurong Lake District.

Mr Mah said: “We may be the first and only people in the world to be able to take a relatively easy walk around our whole country. You can spend a morning with your family at East Coast Park, enjoy the sea breeze at the new coastal promenades at Punggol and Woodlands, or take an evening stroll through our hilltops at the Southern Ridges.”

Besides visiting the rustic countryside and farms at Lim Chu Kang, the more adventurous will also be able to trek along new nature trails to the 17-hectare Kranji Marshes.

Furthermore, the National Parks Board will be launching a Wetland Master Plan in the Sungei Buloh area to promote “bio-learning” activities.

Cheong Koon Hean, CEO of URA, said: “We already have the very beautiful Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, which we will enhance. We will add 21 hectares of park land around it to protect the ecology of the entire system.

“The agri-tainment sites have been introduced because a lot of people just want to get away and experience farmstays, so we are creating opportunities to do that. Some sites will be tendered out for agri-tainment use.”

Singaporeans can also look forward to more quiet retreats, which will be made available with 900 hectares of new green spaces, including the new Gardens by the Bay and the Diary Farm Nature Park.

Authorities also plan to triple the existing park connector network from the current 100 kilometres to 360 kilometres within 15 years.

Waterways like the one in Bukit Chermin will be made more accessible. At the same time, urban planners are considering converting some of the black-and-white bungalows there into boutique hotels or spas.

The URA has also come up with ideas to transform Singapore into a 24/7 city. One way is to create more lifestyle hotspots like the one at Dempsey Hill. In the years ahead, new chill-out places will be found at the Lakeside Village in Jurong and Kallang Riverside.

Some other leisure plans will be happening much sooner this year. Come July, the National Heritage Board is holding a Night Festival at the Bras Basah area, followed by the Singapore Tourism Board’s Singapore River Festival in September.

Besides hosting more programmes, URA said improvements like better night-lighting, new street furniture and more attractive activity spaces will be introduced to create a better ambience for people to enjoy the nightlife in Singapore. – CNA/so

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 21 May 2008

No bids received for Race Course Rd/ Bukit Timah Rd hotel site

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has said it did not receive any bids for the hotel site at Race Course Road/Bukit Timah Road when the tender closed at noon on Wednesday.

URA added that it will announce its plans for the site after a decision has been made.

URA launched the hotel site for sale by public tender in February this year.

It was one of the two hotel sites to be sold through the confirmed list under the Government Land Sales Programme for the first half of this year.

URA said the site is located above the Little India MRT station and has an area of about 0.9 hectare and a maximum permissible gross floor area of 31,440 square metres. – CNA/ms

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 21 May 2008

Government to spend S$30m on Punggol Waterfront Town

The government will spend about S$30 million to develop key features of the new Punggol Waterfront Town.

Most of that amount – S$25 million – will go towards the man-made Punggol Waterway, which will be constructed next year.

The waterway will be the focal point of activities, according to plans by the Housing and Development Board (HDB).

Professional planners have been invited to submit designs and concepts to develop the areas along the waterway.

Punggol residents have a lot to look forward to. They will soon have plenty of activities that are centred around a new 4.2-kilometre waterway.

The waterway will connect Sungei Serangoon and Sungei Punggol. It will snake through various areas, including the proposed Town Centre – bringing water and water activities closer to residents.

Dr Johnny Wong, Deputy Director, Building Technology Department, HDB, said: “We are hoping that it will promote activities like canoeing, some passive walking along the waterways, and even alfresco dining. So we are quite excited about this project.”

Architects, engineers and landscape planners have been invited to enter the Punggol Waterway Landscape Masterplan Design Competition. Interested groups were brought to the sites of some of the developments – including the waterway – on Wednesday.

The waterway will be built mostly on vacant land, so that there will be minimal disruption to the surrounding areas.

Mabel Goh, Director, Design Link Architects, said: “We have done quite a fair bit of public housing and it’s not new to us. The exciting thing is to redesign public housing with spaces, balconies overlooking the waterways and even private space to integrate with the waterways…”

Leonard Ng, Landscape Architect, Atelier Dreiseitl Asia, said: “It has to be considered in the urban context. We have to relate it to the buildings around it, to the open spaces, the parks around, and how the edge of the river can connect the people and engage the people.

“And so the challenge would be how to carry that out while still being mindful about the safety and security aspects.”

The winner of the competition will be announced in November and stands to win S$300,000 and will work with the HDB to develop the Punggol area.

Punggol Town will have 96,000 housing units eventually, with 60 percent allocated for public housing and the rest for private housing.

The residential areas will also house eco-friendly features and be a showcase for green technology. – CNA/ms

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 21 May 2008

New foreign brands to set up shop at 313@Somerset in 2009

Some popular international brands will come to Singapore by the end of 2009 when 313@Somerset opens its doors to shoppers for the first time.

The new mall opposite Centrepoint is being developed by Australia’s Lend Lease, which had put in a record bid for the site.

Now, six months into its leasing campaign, Lend Lease said that interest from both local and foreign retailers has been overwhelming. Work is still in progress, but about 200 local and foreign brands are waiting to call the place home.

Lend Lease is not revealing just yet about who are coming to town, but it said the names will be big.

Mike Kenderes, Development Director, Lend Lease Retail, said: “We are in very close discussions with major fashion retailers in the mid-range offer. We’re also looking to secure some international brands that are new to this market – which are taking a little longer.”

Lend Lease is putting together a strong fashion mix in the mid to upper mid-range price bracket. It hopes this will go some way in turning the spotlight onto the Somerset stretch, which has in recent months fallen behind new malls down the road.

Mr Kenderes continued: “There’s three shopping centres being developed at the moment. We’re excited as there will be a new critical mass at this end of Somerset Road.

“There are key department stores already existing – John Little, Marks & Spencer, Robinsons. We think they anchor the area and that’s why our offer is very much suited around speciality retail.”

Lend Lease is not planning to have an anchor tenant. Instead, it said that its largest space will go to a ‘food loft’. And already, four of Singapore’s main food outlet operators are competing to run it.

Lend Lease said that despite the number of recent retail developments here, Singapore still has the capacity for more.

Lend Lease also owns and manages Parkway Parade and said that it is open to looking at more opportunities around the island. – CNA/vm

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 21 May 2008

Banyan Tree signs contract for Angsana Resort & Spa in the Carribean

Mainboard-listed Banyan Tree Holdings has signed a management contract for an Angsana Resort & Spa in the island of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean.

Banyan Tree said the Angsana Resort & Spa Saint Lucia is the group’s fourth foray into the Caribbean.

Angsana Saint Lucia is an integrated resort project that will comprise a full scale resort with related facilities and amenities including a marina and a commercial centre.

The development which will also include residences for sale is slated for completion in 2011. – CNA/vm

Source : Channel NewsAsia – 21 May 2008