Artist's impression of enhanced Pearl’s Hill City Park with new park facilities and contemplative landscapes next to Outram Park MRT station. (Image: Urban Redevelopment Authority)
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SINGAPORE: For the first time in more than four decades, new public housing will be built at Pearl's Hill near Chinatown, with 6,000 housing units to be built over the next 10 years, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) revealed on Friday (Nov 3).
Calling it "hillside living in the city", the new homes will comprise a mix of Build-to-Order (BTO) flats, rental flats, as well as private homes such as condominiums and serviced apartments to cater to diverse needs and lifestyle preferences, URA said in a press release.
Plans are also underway to build homes in Bukit Timah Turf City, Mount Pleasant and the former Keppel golf course site.
These plans to build new housing estates in these locations in central Singapore were unveiled by Minister for National Development Desmond Lee at the "My City, My Home" exhibition held at the URA Centre, and were developed in response to feedback from Singaporeans during URA’s Long-Term Plan Review.
The authority is also seeking public feedback for these plans, which will be exhibited at URA Centre until Feb 2, 2024, said the statement.
As one of the two remaining hills in Singapore, URA said Pearl’s Hill will undergo development as an inclusive and community-centric neighbourhood.
Future residents can look forward to a variety of amenities within a proposed mixed-use development to be integrated with Outram Park MRT station and around the neighbourhood to meet their daily needs, said the statement.
Given Pearl’s Hill's convenient location near the Central Business District, Chinatown Historic District and Tiong Bahru neighbourhood and access to four MRT lines, the area has been gazetted as a car-lite district.
There will be a network of street-level and elevated connections for residents of Pearl’s Hill to promote "a delightful pedestrian and cycling experience".
These connections will also have convenient access to Pearl’s Hill City Park, key transport and amenity nodes, as well as a seamless walking experience towards surrounding urban precincts such as Robertson Quay and Fort Canning Park.
Additionally, the National Parks Board will be enhancing Pearl’s Hill City Park with new park facilities and contemplative landscapes that support the physical and mental well-being of park users.
For homes being developed in Bukit Timah Turf City, URA said they would “take into consideration the heritage and greenery on-site”.
URA is currently studying the possibility of providing a diverse range of housing options, including both private and public housing, as well as complementary amenities to cater to a wide variety of needs.
Selected clusters of former racecourse buildings and structures are intended to be retained and repurposed to create a unique sense of place and identity.
In particular, the character of the future neighbourhood will be anchored on the area’s rich heritage as a former racecourse as well as retaining areas with ecological value and creating a network of green landscapes for ecological connectivity, said URA in their press release.
Residents will also benefit from convenient commuting with access to both the existing Sixth Avenue MRT station along the Downtown Line and the upcoming Cross Island Line Turf City MRT station, which is expected to be ready by 2032.
This article was originally published in TODAY.