Raj Nadarajan/TODAYOasis Terraces, HDB’s first new generation neighbourhood centre in Punggol Drive, Feb 17, 2019.17 FEBRUARY, 2019
SINGAPORE — Cascading garden terraces overlooking the Punggol Waterway, access to a polyclinic and childcare centre, and more than 100 shops across seven storeys — these are what Punggol residents can look forward to at their new neighbourhood centre.
Touted as the Republic’s first “new generation” neighbourhood centre, Oasis Terraces was officially opened by Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong on Sunday (Feb 17).
Five more of such neighbourhood centres will be completed in the next three years in Hougang, Punggol, Sembawang and Sengkang, announced Mr Wong. They are developed by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) as the landlord, taking residents’ feedback into account.
The five upcoming ones are:
- Buangkok Square (which will begin operations this year) and Hougang Rivercourt (to be completed next year) in Hougang.
- Canberra Plaza in Sembawang, to be completed this year.
- Anchorvale Village in Sengkang, to be completed by 2022.
- Northshore Plaza in Punggol, located next to Samudera LRT Station, also to be completed by 2022.
Unlike private developers, Mr Wong said in a speech at Oasis Terraces’ community plaza that HDB is “not out to maximise commercial returns” and can ensure that neighbourhood centres are well-integrated with overall plans for their respective towns.
"We can include more public spaces in the neighbourhood centres for residents to gather and mingle, to achieve our social objectives of strengthening family bonds and facilitating community integration," he added.
The HDB conducted a series of focus group discussions with Punggol residents during the early stages of planning for Oasis Terraces, to ensure it would benefit them.
The residents shared that they wanted shops and facilities to open till late, while those with young children wanted more family-friendly dining options, as well as sports and recreation facilities.
Mr Wong said that HDB allocates shops through a tender process that is “not just based on highest price, but also on qualitative factors such as the proposed business concept and operating model”.
This allows HDB to better manage the tenant mix according to the neighbourhood’s demographics, he added.
MORE ON OASIS TERRACES
Comprising 18,000sqm of retail space, Oasis Terraces is located next to Oasis LRT Station with sheltered walkways linking the two.
It is the first neighbourhood centre to have:
- A polyclinic (Punggol Polyclinic) and childcare centre.
- Smart and sustainable features such as a rainwater harvesting system, motion-sensor lighting and sensor-activated fans.
- An “entrepreneur cluster”. It allows aspiring business owners to try running their own stores at lower fit-out costs and rents, as it comes with fittings like flooring and lighting. It will house 10 online-to-offline businesses selling niche products and services, such as eco-friendly steel products.
Here are some other features and facilities of Oasis Terraces:
- 92 retail and food and beverage outlets
- 12 education/enrichment centres
- A 24-hour fitness centre
- NTUC FairPrice supermarket, which opens till 11pm
- A food court with 15 food stalls, managed by Koufu’s Gourmet Paradise
- A collection lobby with parcel lockers and charging points for electronic devices and tablets
- National Kidney Foundation dialysis centre
- Garden terraces that cascade from the rooftop sky garden to the Punggol Waterway bank. They feature different facilities for different age groups, such as a water park and rain garden
- A 72sqm rooftop community garden and fitness corner
- A sheltered community plaza with a view of Punggol Waterway
No comments:
Post a Comment