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Apr 15, 2011

Over 10,000 new high-rise flats near MRT stations

By Esther Teo, Property Reporter


MORE than 10,000 new high-rise homes will spring up near MRT stations in the mature towns of Bishan, Queenstown and Commonwealth in the next 10 to 15 years, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said yesterday.

This will include both public and private housing towers of more than 30 storeys, so as to intensify land use to meet the rising demand for homes, he said.

The Government will concentrate higher density housing near transport hubs to give more people direct access to public transport, Mr Mah added. The challenge, however, will be to ensure that these homes remain liveable.

'Where the infrastructure is already built, it gives us more scope for intensification and providing more homes. It will be rolled out over time in conjunction with the take-up rate.'

Mr Mah was speaking at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Corporate Seminar at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel yesterday.

Already, developer CapitaLand has announced plans for a condo of at least 36 storeys on a land parcel near Bishan MRT station that it was awarded in February.

Mr Mah also spelt out the broad themes for the Concept Plan 2011 - reviewed once every 10 years and to be unveiled in the fourth quarter of this year.

The plan maps out the direction for land use and transportation plans over the next 40 to 50 years.

One key principle will be to provide adequate housing as the population grows, in areas such as Choa Chu Kang, Punggol, Sengkang and Yishun.

Choa Chu Kang, for example, has already been earmarked for development and expansion, which will begin as early as next year, Mr Mah said.

The new Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College West is already in operation and facilities like neighbourhood parks and places of worship will be developed to support the new population.

Looking beyond the medium term, new towns and housing areas such as Tengah in the north-west region near Choa Chu Kang will also be opened up.

'This will not happen immediately, but we need to plan well ahead of time, and build infrastructure in advance so that the new towns can be developed when needed,' he added.

Bringing jobs closer to home will also be another key thrust - a strategy which also serves to reduce the peak hour stress on traffic infrastructure here.

The concept plan will look towards more equal job-to-worker distribution across the island. This means injecting more housing in the central and western regions, where there are proportionally more jobs than homes now.

More commercial and industrial activities, however, will be placed in the north and north-east, where there are more homes than jobs. This will help take some stress off transport networks and reduce commuting times, Mr Mah added.

Other key points in the plan include expanding leisure options and greenery through innovative architecture and the extension of park connectors, as well as reviewing town planning strategies to allow the elderly to grow old at home.

Mr Mah encouraged further cross-sector collaboration such as in conserving the built environment. He invited the public to put forward more innovative ideas to make better use of old spaces.

Yesterday, URA chairman Alan Chan also touched on URA's milestone year in 2010, highlighting the completion of various projects in the central and suburban areas such as Marina Bay Sands, Punggol Promenade and the iconic helix bridge.

'In our effort to conserve our built heritage and strengthen our sense of identity, we have worked closely with the local community to identify a number of significant buildings for conservation. These include a collection of bungalows at Rochester Park and Nepal Park,' he said.

The URA also received the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Global Awards for Excellence for its work in transforming the Southern Ridges into a leisure spot.

This is the second time URA has won a ULI award, and is the only organisation in the world to have done so twice.

Mr Colin Tan, research and consultancy director at real estate firm Chesterton Suntec International, said he was looking forward to finding out exactly where and how commercial activities will be placed in the north and north-east.

'If jobs for the people can be provided where they live, it would definitely help to alleviate the north-south movement with the Central Expressway already barely coping now,' he added.

Punggol resident Jeremy Tan, 28, a sales representative who takes more than an hour to get to work, said: 'It'll be nice to work closer to home, of course, but it all depends on whether my company decides to move here or not.'

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