ST : Major facelift for three more estates

Nov 29, 2010

Major facelift for three more estates

They will be revamped under Remaking Our Heartland scheme; more details to be out soon

By Rachel Chang
THREE more towns will soon be given wholesale facelifts under the Housing Board's masterplan to rejuvenate housing estates, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the People's Action Party conference yesterday.

This follows the progress made on the initiative's first three pilot towns - Punggol, Yishun and Dawson - where waterfront parks, cycling paths and designer HDB blocks are now being built.

He did not elaborate further, saying only that the names of the three estates would be announced soon.

Contacted by The Straits Times, the Ministry of National Development said more information would be announced 'within the coming weeks'.

During his speech, Mr Lee dwelt at length on this initiative, known as Remaking Our Heartland (ROH), which was first announced in the 2007 National Day Rally.

'Those were slides,' he recalled, referring to the artists' impressions he showed the audience then. 'Now we have the reality.'

Beyond standard HDB flat upgrading works such as new doors and better bathrooms, the ROH programme visualises a holistic transformation of the neighbourhood, building on qualities unique to that town's history and geography.

For example, in Dawson, which was the first public housing estate built in the 1970s, a canal park lined with heritage boards will link up the estate's new HDB blocks.

The boards will incorporate Dawson memorabilia collected from the community, such as a pair of 1973 cinema ticket stubs from one of Queenstown's first movie theatres.

Punggol, which is set to be Singapore's first 'eco-town', will have solar panels and rainwater recycling facilities, as well as a 4.2km waterway running through the neighbourhood on which residents can canoe. And in Yishun, a middle-aged town, a waterfront park will be built by Yishun Pond, and its existing amenities such as the library will be upgraded.

Under the ROH initiative, award-winning architecture firms have been enlisted to design these new developments.

In announcing the expansion of the programme, Mr Lee said he had 'every confidence that we will deliver on these plans, and build a first-class city and a first-class home'.

This is 'provided Singaporeans support the plans, support the Government, work with us, make it happen,' he added. 'And it will happen.'

'Then we will make this one of the best countries in the world to live, to work, to play and to retire in.'

rchang@sph.com.sg



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VISION TURNED REALITY

'Those were slides. Now we have the reality.'

PM Lee Hsien Loong, referring to the artists' impressions he showed the audience at the 2007 National Day Rally



Children enjoying the playground facilities (above) at Dawson Estate in Queenstown last week. -- PHOTOS: LIANHE ZAOBAO,HDB