Proposal for section of Orchard Road to have lush greenery, sheltered escalators and garden playgrounds
The plans were announced by the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the National Parks Board on Feb 13.
SINGAPORE — Visitors leaving the Singapore Botanic Gardens can enjoy a slow walk to Chinatown amid lush greenery, if future plans by the Government come to fruition.
More trees and shrubs may be added to a 6km corridor of Orchard Road between the Singapore Botanic Gardens and the Pearl's Hill City Park. The Istana Park, which is within this corridor, could be expanded up to three times its current size.
There could also be new play areas for children at the Fort Canning Park.
These plans were announced by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and the National Parks Board (NParks) on Thursday (Feb 13).
The Government is undertaking this project after a survey by 1,500 members of the public found that most people wanted more green spaces and family areas along Orchard Road.
Work on these plans is still ongoing and will likely be firmed up within the next five years, said Ms Chou Mei, the URA’s group director for Conservation and Urban Design.
Among the plans for the Istana Park are a glasshouse that will showcase some of Singapore’s early botanical experiments, such as varieties of begonias and orchids, and “festive fields” that will feature different flowers based on various festive seasons.
To make way for the extension to the Istana Park, the Government also proposed to move the section of Orchard Road that runs along it and divert it to Penang Road, which will then be turned into a two-way street for road traffic.
The Fort Canning Park could also see a new play area for children that includes trampolines and climbing structures. Nine of its gardens were restored as part of its first phase of redevelopment that ended in May 2019.
After the redevelopment, the Jubilee Park saw an increase in footfall, with 73,000 visitors in January this year, said NParks.
Plans have also been drafted to add covered escalators on the slopes of the Fort Canning Park to allow easier access to shoppers leaving the Dhoby Ghaut area..
The Fort Canning Centre, which hosted the Bicentennial Experience exhibition, may be repurposed as a gallery showing the history of the Fort Canning Hill, with the addition of F&B outlets and an area for workshops to be conducted.
The Government has also reserved space for a new waterfront hotel along the Singapore River and next to Liang Court, whose owners recently announced that the building would be redeveloped in the near future.
Roads between this new hotel and the renovated Liang Court might be transformed into a pedestrian promenade, said URA and NParks.
