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SINGAPORE : The government will spend about S$30 million to develop key features of the new Punggol Waterfront Town.
Most of that amount - S$25 million - will go towards the man-made Punggol Waterway, which will be constructed next year.
The waterway will be the focal point of activities, according to plans by the Housing and Development Board (HDB).
Professional planners have been invited to submit designs and concepts to develop the areas along the waterway.
Punggol residents have a lot to look forward to. They will soon have plenty of activities that are centred around a new 4.2-kilometre waterway.
The waterway will connect Sungei Serangoon and Sungei Punggol. It will snake through various areas, including the proposed Town Centre - bringing water and water activities closer to residents.
Dr Johnny Wong, Deputy Director, Building Technology Department, HDB, said: "We are hoping that it will promote activities like canoeing, some passive walking along the waterways, and even alfresco dining. So we are quite excited about this project."
Architects, engineers and landscape planners have been invited to enter the Punggol Waterway Landscape Masterplan Design Competition. Interested groups were brought to the sites of some of the developments - including the waterway - on Wednesday.
The waterway will be built mostly on vacant land, so that there will be minimal disruption to the surrounding areas.
Mabel Goh, Director, Design Link Architects, said: "We have done quite a fair bit of public housing and it's not new to us. The exciting thing is to redesign public housing with spaces, balconies overlooking the waterways and even private space to integrate with the waterways..."
Leonard Ng, Landscape Architect, Atelier Dreiseitl Asia, said: "It has to be considered in the urban context. We have to relate it to the buildings around it, to the open spaces, the parks around, and how the edge of the river can connect the people and engage the people.
"And so the challenge would be how to carry that out while still being mindful about the safety and security aspects."
The winner of the competition will be announced in November and stands to win S$300,000 and will work with the HDB to develop the Punggol area.
Punggol Town will have 96,000 housing units eventually, with 60 percent allocated for public housing and the rest for private housing.
The residential areas will also house eco-friendly features and be a showcase for green technology. - CNA/ms
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