Singapore Property | 19,000 new homes planned for Kampong Bugis, Holland Plain and Bayshore

A total of 19,000 units in three upcoming neighbourhoods - Kampong Bugis, Holland Plain and Bayshore - are in the pipeline over the next decade. The precincts will be designed around the vision of a car-lite, inclusive and green future.

By Wendy Wong @WendyWongCNA

16 Oct 2017 12:20PM (Updated: 16 Oct 2017 11:09PM)

SINGAPORE: A total of 19,000 units in three upcoming neighbourhoods - Kampong Bugis, Holland Plain and Bayshore - are in the pipeline over the next decade.

Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong made this announcement on Monday (Oct 16) at the launch of an exhibition showcasing the proposals for the new districts.

“We want to make sure future residential precincts continue to meet the aspirations and needs of Singaporeans,” Mr Wong said.

Mr Wong added that the ideas from the three areas can be scaled and adopted all over Singapore.

"They highlight the possibilities that we can look forward to in the future of residential housing in Singapore,” he said.

With the rise of shared transport and less need for car ownership, roads and car parks will become less necessary, allowing more space to be set aside for community and green spaces in the future, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said.

In line with this, the precincts will be designed around the vision of a car-lite, inclusive and green future.

For example, car parks could go underground, allowing for fewer cars on the road. Seamless networks of walkways, cycling paths and public transport nodes are also among the plans for the new districts.

To create more open, walkable neighbourhoods, private developments will use softer boundaries such as water features and landscaping, replacing gated communities fencing off private condominiums.

Non-residents will be able to use commercial and community facilities on the ground floor of buildings, while private facilities can be located on upper floors.

More green spaces will be created, linking up to green networks islandwide. An automated waste collection system - with separate waste and recycling chutes - will also be implemented.

UPCOMING PRECINCTS BAYSHORE, HOLLAND PLAIN, KAMPONG BUGIS

The largest of the three precincts is Bayshore, a 60-hectare district located beside East Coast Park.

It will have the capacity for about 12,500 public and private homes, and is slated for launch after 2024, when the Bayshore and Bedok South train stations are completed.

A 1km main street is set to run through the precinct, and will be lined with parks, shops and other amenities such as childcare and elderly facilities.

According to URA, the planning of the precinct will anticipate changes in technology over time, to adapt to changing needs.

For example, roads will eventually be reduced from three to two lanes. The future use of autonomous vehicles may also help free up more space for wider pavements and more parks.

Another precinct to be developed is Holland Plain, which will be launched from 2021. Located near King Albert Park station and the Rail Corridor, the 34-hectare area may yield about 2,500 private units.

A wetland park and community plain are planned to cover more than 30 per cent of the entire area. Features such as skyrise greenery within private developments and green routes will also be designed throughout the district.

Such skyrise greenery can help lower ambient temperatures by around 3°C, and help clear storm water runoff, URA said.

The first site to be launched will be Kampong Bugis over the next one to two years. The 17-hectare area - the smallest of the three districts - will house about 4,000 private units.

The area will include three train stations - Lavender, Kallang and the upcoming Bendemeer station.

A master developer will be appointed to plan and implement the precinct's developments and public infrastructure.

Interested developers will be invited to pitch their concepts in line with a set of broad criteria.

The neighbourhood will be designed for residents who use public transport and "active mobility modes" such as cycling and walking. As such, car park provisions can be adjusted to one lot for every two residential units, URA said. Currently, one car park lot is available for every private residential unit.

"For areas near the city fringe where there are MRT stations coming up or existing, we noticed that the car park occupancy for some of these buildings, existing developments, are not that high, and people own less cars compared to other precincts," said Ms Yap Lay Bee, URA's senior director for urban design (east). "There is opportunity to see how car park provision can be lowered and give us more space to do other more meaningful things."

Touted as a 15-minute cycle away from the city, the upcoming precinct will tap into the planned extension of the Bishan-to-City cycling route across Kampong Bugis, linking up park connectors in the area.

For the first time, a district-wide pneumatic waste conveyance system - also known as an automated waste collection system - will be adopted. Buildings will have separate chutes for waste and recyclables, which will be collected from a centralised station.

The announcement of the new neighbourhoods was aimed at assuring both developers and homebuyers, a property analyst told Channel NewsAsia.

"The Government is telling the market that there’s enough projects in the medium term – at least in the next five to ten years – there will be sufficient supply," said Mr Donald Han, managing director of Hospitality Strategies Asia Pacific.

"And the message is not only to potential developers who have been on a bidding frenzy for development sites in the last 12 months, but also at the same time to allay concerns or fears by potential upgraders, buyers, investors who are thinking of jumping onto the bandwagon to buy properties now."

He also added that the three precincts would be attractive to Singaporeans looking to upgrade to better locations.

"One has got the sea, one overlooks parks, one is nearer to the Central Business District," Mr Han said. "So the three precincts the Government mentioned are all ... what we call 'green and blue environment' for residential living."

URA is seeking public feedback on the plans for the upcoming precincts and proposals will be on display at the URA Centre atrium until Nov 20. Members of the public can also give their feedback online at ura.sg/futurehoods.

Source: CNA/nc