Reclaimed ‘Long Island’ off East Coast could be about twice the size of Marina Bay: Desmond Lee
Lee Sze Teck, senior director of data analytics at Huttons Asia, determines that at 800ha, Long Island would be comparable in size to the Kallang-Whampoa estate and could possibly house between 30,000 and 60,000 new homes with a good mix of business, recreation and environment-friendly elements.
The principle of Long Island would “project coastal projection seawards”, enabling the existing East Coast Park to be kept mostly in its current state, Minister Lee states. It is going to likewise produce an enclosed waterbody, which will become a freshwater basin with time, adding to Singapore’s supply of water while also being an area the public can utilize for water activities.
Regardless, the future projects on Long Island will likely work for present private properties along the East Coast, most of which are freehold, Huttons’ Lee reasons. “It may perhaps even enhance the capacity for en-bloc in the future.”
Speaking at a housing development activity at East Coast Park held on Nov 28, Minister Lee mentions that the project would develop prospects for years to come generations of Singapore. “They can build homes, produce work, establish support services and facilities that they require, and include around 20 km of new coastal and reservoir parks, expanding from the existing East Coast Park,” he adds.
Technical researches will be carried out to examine the workability of the program, with the researches anticipated to take around five years. Simultaneously, residents and stakeholders will be engaged to give feedback and strategies on the plan. Provided the scale of the development, complete preparation and implementation of Long Island “will take years”, Minister Lee claims.
Close to 800ha across 3 tracts of land might potentially be recovered off East Coast Park in near future years, offering location for brand-new homes and facilities. Called “Long Island”, the land would be around twice the dimension of Marina Bay, claims Desmond Lee, Minister for National Development and Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration.
” It is very likely that the allotment for common housing will certainly be more than nonpublic housing on Long Island,” Huttons’ Lee states, adding that the HDB flats will likely be released either under the Prime or Plus model.
The proposed Long Island will integrate coastal safety procedures with future reclamation plans for the location, in view of the extended influence of environmental difference which includes rising sea levels. “Mean sea levels across Singapore are forecasted to rise by up to 1m by the end of this century. When high tides coincide with hurricane rises, water level can increase by approximately 4 to 5m over mean sea level. This is a really significant concern, since around one-third of our island is beneath 5m above mean sea level, and susceptible of being flooded by the sea,” Minister Lee describes.
He continues: “The chances of developing a second Sentosa are poor as the government intends to develop a comprehensive society allowing everybody connectivity to excellent residences and not just for the rich.” He even watches that the program will certainly prompt further investment right into transportation connectivity, with the possibility for an MRT or LRT expansion to branch off from the Thomson-East Coast Line to Long Island.
