Singapore is planning to redesign its southern coastline. The 120-kilometre-long waterfront will stretch from Pasir Panjang Terminal to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and offer many opportunities to imagine and build the city of the future, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
As part of this transformation, new residential buildings are being built in the city’s waterfront districts of Marina East and Nicoll – an area between Marina Bay and the Singapore Sports Hub in Kallang.
Singapore’s south coast will ultimately consist of the Greater Southern Waterfront, Marina Bay, Kallang Basin and the future Long Island project, which could see 800 hectares of land reclaimed in front of East Coast Park.
Speaking about these plans in his first speech on National Day on August 18, Prime Minister Wong said that “these major investments will take decades to bear fruit,” as well as the plans to reclaim and develop Marina Bay, which began immediately after Singapore’s independence in 1965.
“We can now lay the foundation for a better Singapore in the decades to come,” the Prime Minister said during the rally, which is considered the most important political speech of the year.
The continuous 120-kilometer coastline, which also includes the shores of Sentosa and Brani islands, will be made accessible through waterfront promenades and parks, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said in a statement.
Commenting on the plans to redevelop the city centre, Prime Minister Wong noted that three bodies of water – Marina Bay, Marina Channel and Kallang Basin – will form a “continuous waterfront promenade in the heart of our city”.
In his speech at ITE College Central in Ang Mo Kio, he highlighted five waterfront residential and mixed-use districts that are planned to be built near these waters.
Of the five, Nicoll and Marina East are yet to be developed. Plans for Kampong Bugis and Marina South were previously announced, and Tanjong Rhu has existing houses and new apartments are in the planning stages.
Noting that Nicoll and Kampong Bugis are close to historic districts, Prime Minister Wong said the two districts would be used for new residential and leisure purposes, allowing “a new generation of Singaporeans to realise their ideas for our ever-evolving city”.
URA said detailed plans for the Nicoll precinct, which covers about 59ha, are being reviewed in conjunction with the future Bay Central Garden. Together, Bay Central, Bay South and Bay East gardens form Gardens by the Bay.
Prime Minister Wong said authorities would build a pedestrian bridge to connect Bay South Garden with Bay East Garden and the Founders’ Memorial, with the opening scheduled for 2028.
Bay East Garden and the Founders’ Memorial are located in the 150-hectare Marina East, which, according to URA, is to become primarily a residential area with a variety of accommodation options.
Sports, leisure and health facilities as well as schools and parks are to be built in the district. Detailed development plans are currently being examined, the agency said.
Marina East and the 45ha Marina South, where development is already underway, can be sustainable and car-free, with cycle lanes and pedestrian-friendly streets, said Prime Minister Wong. Marina South will house more than 10,000 apartments.
It is also reviewing detailed development plans for Kampong Bugis, a future 17.4-hectare residential neighbourhood that was supposed to house 4,000 private homes but was removed from the URA’s list of sites for government land sales in 2022 due to delays in land reclamation work.
Soil treatment was required because chemicals typically found in soils used for gas production were found on the site where the Kallang Gasworks used to be located.
New homes will also be added to the existing 5,000-plus homes in the 88-hectare Tanjong Rhu. The build-to-order projects Tanjong Rhu Riverfront I and II, which started in June, are the first public housing projects in 60 years.
URA chief executive Lim Eng Hwee previously told The Straits Times that Singapore’s two cruise terminals, HarbourFront and Marina South, will be merged as part of plans to “connect the entire waterfront”. The Singapore Cruise Centre at HarbourFront is set to be relocated, while the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore was reportedly considered for expansion in 2018.
