Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay are the key attractions in the Marina Bay area (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore)
SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - Beyond the immediate concerns and macroeconomic uncertainties, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong reminds Singaporeans to look to the long term in his National Day 2022 message on Aug 8.
“I am speaking to you from Gardens by the Bay,” he says. “This is the Gardens’ 10th anniversary, but the Gardens were decades in the making.” Lee points out that where he was standing used to be open sea. About 50 years ago, land reclamation works began to create Marina South and a future downtown.
“And we decided that the new downtown should not just be office and residential buildings, but would have at its heart an iconic green public space,” continues Lee. “Thus was Gardens by the Bay conceived, designed and built.”
Gardens by the Bay opened in 2012. Works are underway at Bay East Garden, where the Founders’ Memorial will be sited, he adds.
“This is how we do things in Singapore — always daring to dream, setting our sights on the next frontier, and searching for better solutions and fresh possibilities,” emphasises Lee. “We look and plan ahead not just for the next five or 10 years, but for the next 30 or 50 years and beyond.”
Last year, URA launched the Long-Term Plan Review. “They consulted and engaged many people, old and young, looking for ideas to reimagine our city and island for the next bound,” says Lee. “The ongoing exhibition at the URA Centre showcases concepts for major developments, and ideas to create new communities and green spaces. These concepts represent our collective dreams and aspirations for what Singapore can become. They will transform the way we live, work and play, while strengthening our roots and heritage. There is a lot for Singaporeans to look forward to.”
In this issue of EdgeProp Singapore, we cast the spotlight on two areas in the Central Area where transformation is taking place: the Newton-Novena enclave and Outram neighbourhood. Both areas will benefit from their proximity to a master-plan healthcare and medical cluster.
In the Newton-Novena area, it is the HealthCity Novena, a 17ha healthcare integrated master plan development. Scheduled for completion by 2030, it will link Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, as well as all public and volunteer healthcare facilities.
HealthCity Novena will focus on creating a holistic ecosystem, including health services, research and education, commercial, leisure and public services. In the 2019 Master Plan, more residential developments could be located in the vicinity of the Novena HealthCity.
One of the largest ongoing infrastructure projects in Singapore is the construction of the 21.5km North-South Corridor (NSC). Overseen by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the NSC has been billed as Singapore’s longest Transit Priority Corridor. Introduced by LTA in 2017, the Transit Priority Corridor integrates dedicated bus lanes, wider footpaths for pedestrians and dedicated cycling paths.
One of the aims of the NSC is to alleviate road traffic along the heavily utilised Central Expressway and major arterial roads such as Marymount Road, Thomson Road and Newton Road. Tunnelling works to facilitate the construction of the NSC underneath Thomson Road started in 2020. When completed, it will benefit residents in the Newton-Novena area.
Meanwhile, the major catalytic project in the Outram area is the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Campus. SGH will undergo major redevelopment, and the future SGH Campus will spread across 43ha with interconnected zones for patient care, research and education. It is a 20-year master-plan development.
Outram will also benefit from greater connectivity and accessibility with the opening of the third phase of the Thomson-East Coast Line, which includes the Outram MRT Interchange Station, which will be linked to three lines.
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