For the younger and politically apathetic generation of Singaporeans, an exciting announcement from the 2019 National Day Rally was the development of the Greater Southern Waterfront, also known as the “Keppel Club BTO”. For sure, there are tons of young, wannabe property gurus camping on the HDB BTO site eagerly waiting balloting to open.
Location
You can think of the GSW as Marina Bay, with two arms, one extending to the left and the other to the right. In the west it ranges for Pasir Panjang, and in the east to Gardens by the bay, the area also extending to include the Sentosa region. The GSW was compared by PM Lee to being like Punggol. But, rest assured, he was only joking!
The Lumina Grand EC Marina South, Harbourfront, and Pasir Panjang are already developed, and they also have a lot of economic and historic significance. In fact, one of the key developments here is that the historical ports of Tanjong Pagar and Pasir Panjang, both used for shipping, are being moved to Tuas Port. The GSW is six times larger than Marina Bay, with a total of 30km of coastline.
Keppel Golf Club: To be Redeveloped into 9,000 private and public homes
The new “Keppel Club BTO’s” will be included in one of the phases of the GSW development. This country club near Telok Blangah has a lease that expires soon, the government wanting to use the site for housing. What’s really exciting for Singaporeans is that some of the units will be public housing (HDB BTOs). You don’t have to be a genius to realise the potential hill, previous investments in Pinnacle@Duxton flats that were bought for $450K being sold for in excess of 1 million. However, when taking in to consideration the value of the land, it’s unlikely that many of the homes to be built will be public. You only have to look at the area, the yachts and the luxury condos, to realise that this area will never be turned into a public housing estate.
Circle Line and New Thomson East Coast Line; New MRT Stations by 2025
Currently, the GRT is not really accessible by MRT. At present, it can only be reached by Pasir Panjang, Labrador Park, Haw Par Villa, and Harbourfront on the Circle Line. By 2023, new access will be available on the East Coast Line in addition to the Circle Line.
Brani Terminal: A Second Sentosa
Pulau Brani, presently home to the Port of Singapore’s Brani Termina, will go the way to Sentosa. Like all the PSA ports, Pulau Brani will be relocated to Tuas. This will ensure that land is freed up, and will be used for new attractions that could include a Universal Studios. To date, confirmed attractions include a “Downtown South”. Plans for this area aren’t that new, initial announcements already have been made more than a year old.
Sentosa Rejuvenation
Sentosa is due some redevelopment, with talks in place of how to improve both leisure and infrastructure amenities having started back in 2018. To date, there are 3 new hotels on Altura EC the island, with more new attraction already confirmed. One of these is at the former site of Underwater World, where Siloso Green, a development of bars, eateries, and shops will be built. This new attraction will come in the form of fake shipping containers, fake containers replacing the real ones that are currently on site!
Old Power Stations
In the next 5 to 10 years, the old power stations between Pasir Panjang port terminal and Labrador Nature Reserve are to be developed. The two disused power stations that date back to the 1950’s and 1960’s will be redeveloped into a lifestyle destination, in a similar way to the already redeveloped St James Power Station. A competition was held by the URA where members of the public could vote Tengah Plantation Close EC on how the power stations would be redeveloped, the winner yet to be announced.
Mini Cable Car at Mount Faber, Possibly by 2023
The final part of the GSW development that made it to the URA Master Plan of 2019 was Mount Faber. The area enjoys an excellent location, but to date is not an area that enjoys high levels of footfall. A cable car is therefore being considered that will bring people up to the top of the hill, the attraction also allowing Singaporeans to access the Southern Ridges and over to Kent Ridge.
Nature Trails, Waterfront Promenade, Rail Corridor, and More
The GSW is how to a surprising amount of nature and greenery, including Kent Ridge Park and Mount Faber. There are no current plans to demolish these natural habitats, in fact, quite the opposite. There are plans to add more trails to connects these green space in the West, South, and East of GSW, the most note-worthy being a trail planned for Pasir Panjang Linear Park. A waterfront promenade is also amongst the URA’s plans, which will line the majority of the Western coast of the GSW. Lastly, on its reopening, the Rail Corridor will run through part of the Greater Southern Waterfront.