Jurong to transform from industrial zone to Lake District
Jessica Cheam
The Straits Times
Saturday, 5 April 2008
An impression of Jurong Lake District in the future. -- Photo: URA
Lakeside, will provide attractions with an education element to attract families. -- Photo: URA
Mention Jurong now and it conjures images of industrial land and sleepy suburban homes - but within the next decade, this district will get a stunning makeover that will transform it into Singapore's only lakeside destination to live, play and work.
The blueprint for Jurong - to be re-branded Jurong Lake District - was unveiled by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan on Friday at the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) annual seminar for industry players.
The ambitious plan, to be developed over the next 10 to 15 years, involves enlarging waterways, building 1,000 new private homes, 2,800 hotel rooms and adding 500,000 sq m of office space. New tourist attractions, public parks and water activities will also add sparkle to the rejuvenated town.
Jurong Lake District will consist of two complementary precincts - Jurong Gateway and Lakeside - around the Jurong East MRT Station and Jurong Lake in the west region of Singapore.
New homes, offices and retail space will sprout around the Jurong East MRT Station, to be known as Jurong Gateway, making it an attractive commercial hub serving the west region, outside the city centre.
Next to it, a unique leisure destination, Lakeside, will provide attractions with an education element to attract families.
Located around the Jurong East MRT Station, the new plans for the 70 ha Jurong Gateway is to develop it into a vibrant commercial hub with a good mix of office, retail, residential, hotel, entertainment, food & beverage and other complementary uses.
It will be the biggest commercial hub outside the city centre. New waterways and pedestrian linkages will provide seamless connections between the two precincts.
An integrated network of pedestrian walkways between buildings and public facilities will also be created. New landscaped open spaces and park connectors at the street-level and skyrise greenery in buildings will add to the already lush and scenic areas.
Speaking to a 500-strong audience, Mr Mah said Jurong East is perceived by many Singaporeans as a suburban residential and industrial area 'located far away from the citiy centre'. 'However, Jurong is a gem that has yet to be uncovered and refined,' he said.
URA's chief executive Mrs Cheong Koon Hean added: 'Jurong Gateway and Lakeside are precious gems which offer exciting opportunities for the development of leisure attractions and the biggest commercial hub outside the city centre.'
'To realise this vision, the planners have developed strategies that capitalise on the wonderful assets these areas have. These include building upon the strategic location of Jurong Gateway which is well served by road and rail, and in the midst of a large population and customer catchment.
'The lake and its greenery are also unique features which can be enhanced. We would like to bring about a transformed image for this area. The Jurong Lake District will become a much sought after lakeside destination for business and leisure.'
The total potential area for development is 360 ha, close to the size of Marina Bay. The existing Chinese and Japanese Gardens will have added new facilities and activities to make them more attractive for both residents and tourists.
URA said all the attractions around the Jurong Lake will be developed with 'a sensitive approach to the surrounding environment and natural greenery'.
Site Plan Of Jurong Lake District
Jurong Lake DIstrict In The Future
Blueprint for Jurong Lake District unveiled
Jurong Gateway: Biggest commercial hub outside the city
Located around the Jurong East MRT Station, the new plans for the 70 ha Jurong Gateway is to develop it into a vibrant commercial hub with a good mix of office, retail, residential, hotel, entertainment, food & beverage and other complementary uses. It will be the biggest commercial hub outside the city centre.
Jurong Gateway is one of the three regional centres identified under the Concept Plan 1991, as part of a decentralisation strategy to sustain Singapore's growth. While Marina Bay and the city remain as the main commercial centres, new commercial hubs like Jurong Gateway will also be developed outside the city centre to provide more choices of attractive business locations and bring jobs closer to homes. The other two regional centres are Tampines and Woodlands.
Jurong Gateway offers a highly attractive location outside the Central Business District for company headquarters, business services as well as companies in the science and technology sectors. Companies that set up their offices at Jurong Gateway will be able to:
- gain ready access to a large labour and customer pool from more than one million residents in the surrounding towns of Clementi, Bukit Batok, Jurong East and Jurong West.
- enjoy the close proximity to a substantial cluster of multinational and global businesses of more than 3,000 companies around the International Business Park and the Jurong and Tuas Industrial Estates.
- tap on a large talent pool from the many surrounding tertiary institutions and research hubs like the Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, One-North and the Science Park 11 Jurong Gateway is already a major transport hub.
The Jurong East MRT station is the interchange station for the East-West and North-South MRT lines. It is well served by three MRT stations and a bus interchange. Jurong Gateway is also well connected to the rest of the island by two major expressways. It is only about 20 minutes away from the city centre by car or train and just 15 minutes to the Second Link.
More new spaces to come
With more than 50 ha of vacant land available for development, Jurong Gateway will provide about 750,000 sq m of commercial space, more than two and a half times the size of Tampines Regional Centre today.
The 750,000 sq m of commercial space consist of:
- 500,000 sq m of office space and
- 250,000 sq m of retail, food & beverage and entertainment space.
About 2,800 hotel rooms will also be introduced at the fringe of Jurong Gateway, next to Lakeside, to meet the increasing demand for hotel rooms and to cater to the new leisure attractions and businesses that will be introduced around Jurong Lake and Jurong Gateway.
In addition to the commercial space, at least 1,000 new homes will be added around the Jurong East MRT station, providing more opportunities to live and work in the area.
Seamless connections, more greenery
Singaporeans and visitors can look forward to seamless connections and more greenery at Jurong Gateway.
From Jurong East MRT station, pedestrians can walk conveniently and comfortably to most developments and public facilities around the area through an extensive network of walkways. They can also stroll to attractions at Jurong Lake area through a new pedestrian walkway.
There will be an experience of lush greenery with new landscaped open spaces and park connectors introduced at the street-level. Skyrise and rooftop greenery will also be encouraged on many of the buildings in the area.
Key buildings will have scenic views of the lake. For example, buildings around the Jurong East MRT station will step down towards the lake, allowing most developments to have panoramic views of the lake.
Lakeside: New waterfront playground
Jurong Lake and the area around it, known as Lakeside, is the other area in the Jurong Lake District. Spread over 220 ha of land and 70 ha of water, Lakeside is envisaged to be developed into a major leisure destination for Singaporeans and tourists.
The attractions at Jurong Lake will be differentiated from others located in Marina Bay, Southern Waterfront and Mandai.
Singaporeans can look forward to enjoy greater access to the lake with additional green spaces and new attractions around the lake for the whole family.
Bringing the lake closer
There will be greater access to the lake from Jurong Gateway. One idea is to create new waterways to bring the experience of the lake closer to the main commercial hub. Another idea is to create a landscaped walkway from Jurong Gateway to the Lakeside.
New green spaces, better access to the lake
A new public park will be developed at the western edge of Jurong Lake, next to Lakeside MRT station. The waterfront promenade along Jurong Lake will be enhanced as well, making it easier and more pleasant for residents and visitors to enjoy breathtaking views of the lake.
New water activities like kayaking and dragon-boating will be introduced in the lake by the end of 2008 as part of Public Utilities Board (PUB)'s Active Beautiful Clean programme. PUB will also be implementing more public amenities such as boardwalks, fishing points, wetlands and water features at selected stretches of the lake by the end of 2009 to allow people to enjoy more of the lake.
New attractions around the lake
Land is available for four to five attractions around the lake catering to families with young children. Possible attractions could be those with edutainment theme or nature-based attractions leveraging on the lake, or attractions with hotels, food & beverage and retail uses.
They will complement the attractions that are already in Jurong, for example, the Jurong Bird Park, Science Centre and Singapore Discovery Centre. Blending in with the garden and lake settings, these new attractions will offer fresh recreational opportunities around the lake.
The first anchor attraction is the new world class Science Centre. It will be moved next to the Chinese Garden MRT station. The new Science Centre will not only be bigger and more accessible, the new location also provides exciting opportunities to extend the learning experiences beyond the centre to the lake and surrounding green spaces.
A new lakeside village will be created next to the Jurong Lake. Just 10 minutes walking distance away from Jurong Gateway, the village offers an alternative shopping and dining experience, with food & beverage, retail and entertainment uses and boutique hotels by the lakeside.
This village will be connected to Jurong Gateway through a network of walkways, making it a natural gathering place for residents, visitors and people working nearby.