Reclaimed ‘Long Island’ off East Coast could be about twice the size of Marina Bay: Desmond Lee
The proposed Long Island will integrate seaside safety procedures with future reclamation programs for the area, in view of the long-term influence of environment difference that includes increasing water level. “Mean sea levels surrounding Singapore are predicted to rise by as much as 1m by the end of this century. When high water coincide with storm surges, water level can climb by as much as 4 to 5m above mean sea level. This is a very significant concern, because about one-third of our island is beneath 5m above mean sea level, and in danger of being swamped by the sea,” Minister Lee describes.
The principle of Long Island would certainly “plan coastal projection seawards”, permitting the presenting East Coast Park to be kept mainly in its existing state, Minister Lee states. It is going to also develop an enclosed waterbody, which will turn into a freshwater basin in time, putting on Singapore’s water supply while even being a place the general public can utilize for water events.
Lee Sze Teck, top director of data analytics at Huttons Asia, estimates that at 800ha, Long Island would certainly be comparable in size to the Kallang-Whampoa estate and could possibly house in between 30,000 and 60,000 all new homes with a great mix of business, leisure and eco-friendly components.
He proceeds: “The possibilities of developing a 2nd Sentosa are low as the government wants to produce an inclusive community enabling every person availability to great homes and not just for the rich.” He also watches that the project will prompt further investment into transportation connectivity, with the potential for an MRT or LRT expansion to spread from the Thomson-East Coast Line to Long Island.
Around 800ha across 3 tracts of land can potentially be recovered off East Coast Park in near future decades, offering location for new homes and services. Called “Long Island”, the land would certainly be about two times the dimension of Marina Bay, claims Desmond Lee, Minister for National Development and Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration.
Speaking at a residency improvement activity at East Coast Park held on Nov 28, Minister Lee notes that the project would develop possibilities for future generations of Singapore. “They might build homes, create employments, build support services and facilities that they need, and include around 20 km of new seaside and reservoir parks, extending from the existing East Coast Park,” he includes.
” It is strongly likely that the allotment for public housing will be greater than private real estate on Long Island,” Huttons’ Lee claims, adding that the HDB apartments will likely be launched either under the Prime or Plus model.
Technical research studies will definitely be carried out to evaluate the feasibility of the project, with the researches anticipated to take about 5 years. At the same time, residents and stakeholders are going to be engaged to supply feedback and ideas on the plan. Provided the scale of the property development, complete preparation and implementation of Long Island “will take years”, Minister Lee says.
In any case, the future projects on Long Island will likely work for existing private projects along the East Coast, most of which are freehold, Huttons’ Lee concludes. “It might even increase the potential for en-bloc down the road.”
