Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Boom Time for Punggol

As published in Today's paper
17 Oct 2012

HDB's 5 development revelations for Punggol

As published in the Singapore Business Review 

Waterfront housing districts are under way.

According to HDB, Punggol is at its halfway development mark. Besides being the largest developer, HDB is also the master planner of Singapore’s public housing estates. Working together with partner agencies such as URA, NParks, LTA and PUB, HDB’s vision for the next phase of Punggol’s development will be guided by five new key ideas:

1. Signature Waterfront Housing Districts

The next phase of development in Punggol will see signature waterfront housing districts, each with its own distinct character, created to give residents a stronger sense of attachment to their neighbourhoods. This is also in line with the HDB Roadmap’s first key thrust to develop Well-Designed towns.

Punggol residents can look forward to seven different waterfront housing districts – Waterway East and Waterway West Districts which are currently already under development and new areas at Northshore District, Matilda District, Punggol Point District, Crescent District, and Canal District. Of which, the Northshore and Matilda districts are likely to start development first within the next five years, subject to demand.

2. Punggol Downtown: A New Destination for the North-East Region

As the Punggol community grows, the town centre will be further expanded into the new “Punggol Downtown”. There will be more civic spaces, such as the Punggol Town Square, as well as mixed uses to introduce greater vibrancy into the new downtown area.

Some of the new plans include introducing a waterfront Market Village bordering on the south of the Coney Channel, a Learning Corridor designated to house future educational institutions, as well as a Creative Cluster, designed to host new commercial activities.

3. An Even Greener Punggol

Even as Punggol urbanises and develops, residents at Punggol can look forward to a greener town. More green parks and green corridors will be integrated with the waterfront promenades. As HDB’s first Eco-Town, Punggol continues to serve as a good platform for the pursuit of green initiatives and sustainable solutions. This is in line with our Roadmap’s second thrust to develop sustainable towns.

The existing My Waterway@Punggol and the Punggol Waterway Park will be enhanced, with green spaces expanding towards the north. Collectively, these open spaces, in which the town centre, sports complex and Learning Corridor are located, will form the “Green Heart” of Punggol.

4. Great Places for the Community

As Punggol moves forward in the development of its “hardware”, the importance of building cohesive and resilient communities is not forgotten. In line with the third thrust of HDB’s Roadmap to develop community-centric towns, more civic and recreational spaces will be created to provide the physical setting for community gatherings and events. For instance, a new Town Square will be developed in the heart of Punggol town, in addition to more community facilities and a new hawker centre for residents.

5. Moving Around Punggol

As we witness Punggol’s development unfold and the community grow, there is a need to improve the connectivity within Punggol. The transport infrastructure will be enhanced, and cycling tracks will be built in tandem with new roads to encourage clean commute.

Punggol to get 7 signature waterfront housing districts

AsiaOne
Tuesday, Oct 16, 2012

SINGAPORE - HDB today unveiled the next chapter of Punggol's development with a plan expected to take Punggol through the next five to 15 years and beyond.

Notably, Punggol's next phase of development will see seven signature waterfront housing districts, each with its own distinct character, created to give residents a stronger sense of attachment to their neighbourhoods.

This was announced by National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan at the HDB Awards ceremony.

Signature Waterfront Housing Districts: Punggol's next phase of development will see seven signature waterfront housing districts, each with its own distinct character, created to give residents a stronger sense of attachment to their neighbourhoods.
Photo: HDB
The districts to be developed are Waterway East and Waterway West, which are currently already under development, and new areas at Northshore, Matilda, Punggol Point, Crescent and Canal districts.

In addition, HPB is looking into developing the area's town centre into a new "Punggol Downtown" - which will feature more civic spaces such as a town square and waterfront market village.

Residents can also look forward to more recreational spaces and commercial amenities such as a new sports complex, horse riding centre, community club and hawker centre.

As Punggol urbanises and develops, HPB said it will be building more green parks and green corridors to be integrated with the waterfront promenades.

The existing My Waterway@Punggol and the Punggol Waterway Park will be enhanced, with green spaces expanding towards the north.

Collectively, these open spaces - in which the town centre will be located - will form the "Green Heart" of Punggol, while green linear corridors spreading out from the Green Heart will be available for recreational use such as jogging, cycling and brisk walking.

As the town's population is expected to grow, Punggol's transport infrastructure is to be enhanced, with cycling tracks to be built in tandem with new roads to encourage clean commute.

"As HDB's first eco-town, Punggol continues to serve as a good platform for the pursuit of green initiatives and sustainable solutions," Mr Khaw said.

This is also in line with the Government roadmap's second thrust to develop sustainable towns.

More details will be available closer to the actual launches, Mr Khaw said.

yamadak@sph.com.sg

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Punggol town phase 2 development unveiled

Channel News Asia
16 Oct 2012

SINGAPORE — As Punggol moves into the next chapter of its development, it could potentially become Singapore’s biggest housing town — twice that of Ang Mo Kio today — and feature the Republic’s newest seafront public housing estate.

National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Tuesday outlined several new ideas characterising Punggol Phase II, which will cover developments over the next 15 years and beyond.

"Punggol Town will be big," said Mr Khaw, speaking at the HDB Awards 2012. The number of apartments will increase from the current 26,000 to nearly 100,000.

There will be "distinctive districts, each with a unique character and identity" to give residents a strong sense of attachment to their neighbourhoods, he said. For instance, there will be seven different waterfront housing districts.

Waterway East and Waterway West Districts are currently already under development, while the Northshore and Matilda districts are likely to start development first within the next five years, subject to demand.

The Northshore District, to the north of Punggol Town, will feature Singapore’s newest seafront public housing and Punggol’s tallest residential buildings. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) will explore new building forms for the district.

The Matilda District will be developed along Punggol’s western waterfront, as its landscape and architecture draws inspiration from the rich history of the area.

There will also be "attractive public spaces to encourage community activities", said Mr Khaw, citing a new Punggol Downtown with a new town hub and town square.

And even as Punggol urbanises, there will be "abundant greenery" to soften its high density, assured Mr Khaw.

More green parks and green corridors will be integrated with the waterfront promenades, according to the HDB in a news release. The existing My Waterway@Punggol and the Punggol Waterway Park will be enhanced, with green spaces expanding towards the north.

There will also be green linear corridors for recreational activities such as jogging, cycling and brisk walking. An example is the Old Punggol Road, which will be kept as a linear 1.5km heritage trail.

The HDB said: "Residents can look forward to more recreational spaces and commercial amenities such as a new sports complex, a Horse Riding Centre, and a hawker centre.

"Community interaction will also be enhanced with the upcoming Punggol Town Square and a Community Club where residents can gather and organise local community events."

"These ideas for Punggol underpin the planning philosophy that we are adopting for all HDB towns: make space for greenery, support an active citizenry, create opportunities for residents to mingle and bond, retain social memories and sharpen the character of each HDB town," said Mr Khaw.

"If we execute it well, we can create gems out of our HDB towns," he continued. "Execute it well, we can live very comfortably, despite a higher population density."

One analyst said the new developments will bode well for home owners in the area.

David Poh, director of Propnex, said flats in Punggol have already been doing well in the resale market.

He said: "If the government is putting in more development plans into Punggol —— like seafront housing, more amenities, more facilities, more infrastructure —— I think it will further enhance the value of Punggol flats and I’m sure the prices of Punggol flats will continue to rise."

HDB will hold an exhibition to gather feedback on the development plans from the public.

The first phase of Punggol development began in 1996, with the announcement of the Punggol 21 Vision.

—TODAY/CNA/ac/ir

Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Sakura Charcoal Grilled & Shabu Shabu Restaurant

Sakura International Buffet Restaurant
600 Ponggol Seventeenth Ave Marina Country Club Singapore
Tel: +65 6385 8197

Opening Hours
Mon–Sun: 5pm – 10pm
Sat–Sun & PH: 12pm – 4.30pm

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Monday, October 01, 2012

PM has fond memories of sleepy, rural Punggol


By Andrea Ong
The Straits Times
Sunday, Sep 30, 2012

SINGAPORE - Sleepy Punggol Point, once known for its rows of seafood eateries, may no longer be a place in the Singapore of today, but it still has a place in Mr Lee Hsien Loong's heart.

The Prime Minister can remember the first time he visited the area in 1967, when he was a 15-year-old boarding the ferry from Punggol Point to the Outward Bound School.

"Punggol was a very rural environment," he said, recalling how he would get "suddenly lost" on orienteering exercises in the kampung and secondary jungle areas.

"Today, you can't get lost in Punggol any more," he said with a tinge of nostalgia.

Mr Lee was responding to a question on whether he loved or missed any part of Singapore which has since been built over.

The importance of memories in defining the "soul of the nation" was a key theme of the Prime Minister's National Day Rally last month. In his speech, he reminisced about vanished places dear to him, and stressed the importance of memories of old places and friends in keeping Singapore the best home.

His memories of Punggol Point, however, were more recently sparked by a visit on Sunday to the "beautiful new town" of Punggol West.

Dramatic transformation

The area has undergone an extensive makeover over the years, from pig farms being resettled from the 1970s and bustling seafood restaurants moving out in 1994, to the building of new housing estates.

In 2007, Mr Lee unveiled plans for Punggol 21-Plus, setting the stage for the homes, parks and watersports facilities that have since sprung up there. The centrepiece is the 4.2km-long Punggol Waterway, which he opened last year.

And while he has fond memories of the old Punggol, the new Punggol is "better", said Mr Lee of the town, which will be almost as big as Ang Mo Kio.

"There's one 'Ang Mo Kio' coming up, south of the Punggol Waterway. And north of Punggol Waterway, another 'Ang Mo Kio' will rise one day, progressively."

At the same time, Mr Lee took comfort in the fact that a bit of the old Punggol has been retained. Kelong Bridge, one of five footbridges along the waterway, looks like one of the old fishing villages which used to dot Punggol's shoreline.

A stretch of Old Punggol Road, which used to lead to Punggol Point, and an old bus stop have also been conserved.

"I'm not sure if the bus still stops there any more, but they've kept the old bus stop," he quipped. "I think it's a nice microcosm of how Singapore has changed in one generation."

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