The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) announced yesterday that the Kampong Bugis precinct will be comprehensively developed into a new people-centric, car-lite waterfront residential precinct in a lush park setting.
According to SLA’s plan, Kampong Bugis will be an open and inclusive neighbourhood with new community facilities, to foster more interaction among residents.
The existing Kallang Riverside Park will be transformed into a lush and vibrant waterfront park. To provide a pedestrian-friendly environment and promote active mobility, the precinct will include a comprehensive network of pedestrian and cycling paths that will connect seamlessly to key public transport nodes.
The precinct will also include features that support environmental sustainability such as a precinct-wide pneumatic waste conveyance system for more efficient waste collection, and storm water treatment system.
To realise the planning vision for Kampong Bugis, SLA intends to use a Master Developer to oversee the master planning and development of the precinct, including parks, public spaces, roads, and precinct-level infrastructure systems. This approach supports better integration among buildings and public spaces, connectivity, amenities and other infrastructure.
As part of its redevelopment plan, SLA will acquire two part-lots of private land to merge with the surrounding State land to facilitate comprehensive redevelopment of Kampong Bugis. It gazetted the acquisition of the affected land on 19 April. SLA promised to work closely with and assist the affected landowner through the process.
SLA will also carry out remediation works on the former Kallang Gasworks site, to support redevelopment of the area. As the land was previously used for gas production, remediation works will ensure that the quality of the soil will be suitable for its intended use, in accordance with established international standards.
History of Kallang Gasworks
The former Kallang Gasworks occupied an area of approximately 3.14ha. It was constructed in 1862 for gas production which was a common mode of energy generation at that time, and was the only plant which manufactured gas using coal in Singapore. When Kallang Gasworks ceased operations, gas production was relocated to Senoko Gasworks in July 1997 by Singapore Power Pte Ltd. The site has been cordoned off.
Remediation works
To support the redevelopment of Kampong Bugis, SLA has conducted an environmental site assessment. The environmental site assessment found chemicals in the soil such as aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals. Such chemicals are typically found in land that has been used for gas production.
The soil needs to be remediated so that the site can be developed for other uses. The remediation works will ensure that the quality of the soil will be suitable for its intended use, in accordance with established international standards. Similar works have been successfully carried out in countries such as UK (e.g. the former King’s Cross Gasworks) and Australia (e.g. the former Newstead Gasworks). SLA has appointed a consultant with experience in this field to supervise and validate the remediation works.
The remediation works will entail treating the soil using thermal methods and soil washing. The treatment process will be carried out in enclosed facilities with appropriate control measures in place. The appointed contractor for the remediation works will also be required to comply with the Environmental Protection and Management Act (EPMA) and its regulations, as well as the Workplace Safety and Health Act.
Preliminary works are expected to commence in November 2018, and the entire remediation process is expected to be completed in July 2022.
The site of Kampong Bugis is near the former Johore Factories along the Kallang River and across the Singapore Sports Hub. It will be a much-awaited mixed-use development in District 12, right at the fringes of Singapore’s Central Business District (CBD).
Location and Accessibility wise, Kampong Bugis is just a short distance from important places like the CBD, City Hall, Marina Bay, Orchard Road, or Bugis Street. It’s also near several recreational hotspots like the Singapore Flyer, ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Golf Course and Marina Bay Sands.
Approximately 500 meters away is the Lavender MRT Station, where one can easily catch a ride on the East-West Line. Also nearby are the Kallang (East-West) and Stadium (Circle Line) MRT Stations. The site is also near major thoroughfares like PIE, CTE, ECP, KPE, and Nicholl Highway, whcih one can access to drive to various destinations in the Lion City without much difficulty.
Kampong Bugis will also be located near several prestigious primary and secondary schools including, Stamford Primary School, Hong Wen School, Geylang Methodist Primary School, St Margaret’s Primary School, Geylang Methodist Secondary School and Dunman High.
The vicinity also boasts several prominent preschools including Ameba Schoolhouse, Christ Church Kindergarten, and School House By the Bay. Nearby tertiary schools include Singapore Management University, Lasalle College of the Arts and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.
Kampong Bugis has been identified by the Urban Redevelopment Authority to be one of Singapore’s key growth regions, along with the Jurong Lake District.
Jurong Lake District looks bright with HSR construction slated to begin 2019
For the Jurong Lake District area, the high-speed rail project (which will connect Singapore to Kuala Lumpur) is expected to deliver higher property prices and rev up commercial and retail activity in the precinct. The project is expected to cut travelling time from Singapore to Johor’s Iskandar to just 15 minutes from station to station. The Singapore government announced in August last year that in the next few years, it is considering the sale of large land parcels in Jurong Lake District. It aims to create 100,000 new jobs and add 20,000 new homes.
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