Cross Island Line, residential development works at Turf City to begin after tenants' lease ends in Dec 2023
The Cross Island Line station at Turf City is among six new stations slated to open in 2032.
Google Street View of The Grandstand at Turf City.
SINGAPORE: Works on the new Cross Island Line (CRL) station at Turf City as well as preparations for the future residential development at the site will begin progressively after the tenants’ lease ends on Dec 31, 2023, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said on Friday (Sep 23).
Transport Minister S Iswaran announced on Tuesday that six more stations on the Cross Island Line will be opened in 2032.
The stations are Turf City, King Albert Park, Maju, Clementi, West Coast and Jurong Lake District, forming Phase 2 of the Cross Island Line.
The Cross Island Line is Singapore's eighth MRT line and the longest fully underground line at more than 50km. It will be constructed in three phases.
The station at Turf City will improve public transport accessibility and connectivity for the area, said SLA and URA in a joint release on Friday.
“The redevelopment of brownfield sites such as Turf City will allow the Government to make optimal use of the land and transport infrastructure,” they added.
Brownfield sites include golf courses and industrial areas with expiring leases.
The authorities said detailed technical studies such as environmental and heritage studies are being carried out to ensure that any development at Turf City will be sensitively integrated with its surrounding environment.
“Where feasible, we will retain and integrate key existing natural and heritage elements into the future master plan for the area,” they added.
Agencies will also engage with relevant stakeholders to share more about the plans for the site and seek their feedback when ready, authorities said.
RESIDENTIAL USE
Turf City in Bukit Timah has been slated for residential use since the 1998 Master Plan.
“This is to cater to future housing demand and provide a variety of housing choices in terms of location, density mix and forms to meet the diverse housing needs and aspirations of Singaporeans,” SLA and URA said.
Last September, tenants at Turf City were given a final 18-month extension of their lease until end of 2023.
In the news release on Friday, SLA and URA reminded tenants that no further extension will be granted as the site is required for future residential development.
Turf City, which has been managed by SLA since 1999, is currently occupied by 15 tenants for various uses including retail, F&B, sports and recreation, childcare centres and motor vehicle showrooms.
The original tenancies for these interim uses were for periods up to Dec 31, 2020.
Since 2019, there have been two successive 18-month tenancy extensions to give tenants more time to firm up their transition and winding down plans, said SLA and URA.
“This provided most Turf City tenants with around a four-year lead time to plan their transition,” they added.
Agencies have already been engaging tenants to assist them in firming up their transition plans and will continue to engage them closely and share information on available sites for open tender, the authorities said.
All tenants can consider participating in open tenders for state land or properties, taking into account the final lease deadline in making their transition plans.
SLA said that it will also work closely with tenants on the return of state land or properties at the Turf City site on or before the Dec 31, 2023 deadline.
Last year, one of the tenants, Bukit Timah Saddle Club was asked to return an area of about 0.8ha from the first half of 2023.
The 0.8ha area within the club's premises is needed for a worksite to support tunnelling works for the Cross Island Line, SLA and URA had said.
