'Venice of Punggol' opens

Hoe Yeen Nie Channel NewsAsia 23 Oct 11;

SINGAPORE: It has been four years since Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong sketched out his vision for Punggol, a sleepy suburb located in the northeastern part of Singapore.

It was an ambitious project to transform what some residents have described as a backwater town into a "Waterfront Town of the 21st Century".

An earlier plan to remake Punggol had hit a bump, when the Asian Financial Crisis struck.

Built at a cost of S$225 million, the new waterway by the Housing and Development Board - described as the "Venice of Punggol" - was finally opened on Sunday evening.

Mr Lee, who was speaking at the opening of the Punggol Waterway, recounted how the waterway was originally conceived as a pipeline between Serangoon and Punggol reservoirs and credited former National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan for making the change.

The project cements Punggol's claim as Singapore's first eco-precinct, along with other green features incorporated into the town's design.

The town, one of the biggest in Singapore, will house some 23,000 families by the end of the year.

In sprucing up old neighbourhoods, Mr Lee said the government will partner residents and the community in the effort.

Mr Lee said: "Every estate that we build will have its own unique identity, its own distinct landmarks and its own particular charm. Each estate will not just be a set of block of flats or precincts, but a home for Singaporeans, a community of residents, a place where friendships are made and memories are formed."

In designing the waterway, memories of the area have also been preserved.

Alan Tan, Project Director, Waterway@Punggol, said: "For example at the Kelong bridge, we have some ideas of the poles and stilts, which are remnants of the fishing villages of the past in Punggol town. Also in the past, Punggol had a lot of mangroves, and now we've incorporated some mangroves into the eastern part of the waterway."

The man-made river is expected to become the focal point of the new town.

Mr Lee also reiterated the government's commitment to improve the amenities and conditions in older housing estates like Yishun and East Coast, even as newer ones get a facelift.

The government had announced in February this year that it will set aside S$10 billion over the next 10 years for upgrading projects.

- CNA/fa

New waterway heralds dawn of waterfront living
Carolyn Quek Today Online 24 Oct 11;

SINGAPORE - A space not just for kayaking, cycling and jogging but also a one-of-a-kind waterway unlikely to be built in other estates here - that was how Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong described My Waterway@Punggol as he officially opened it yesterday.

Built over three years at a cost of S$225 million, the 4.2km-long waterway is the centrepiece in the Government's plan to transform the sleepy estate of Punggol into a waterfront town of the 21st century.

At 10 to 85m wide and 3 to 4m deep, the waterway - developed by Surbana International Consultants - spans about 22 football fields and connects to the Punggol and Serangoon reservoirs as well as the Lorong Halus wetlands.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Lee said he was happy to witness the completion of the waterway, a "green lung in the middle of our tight city".

Plans to build Punggol 21 were first conceived in the 1990s but were put on hold when the Asian financial crisis struck, he noted.

It was only after the economy had recovered that the plans were revisited and improved, culminating in Punggol 21 Plus, where waterfront living would become a reality.

The original idea was to build a simple pipeline connecting to Punggol and Serangoon reservoirs, "most practical, but unexciting", said Mr Lee. But it was the then-National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan who suggested a waterway instead.

"Make it something beautiful, something which Singaporeans can enjoy, something which can be special for the residents and which we can build on and appreciate for many more years," Mr Lee recounted of what Mr Mah had envisioned.

Looking ahead, around 21,000 public and private homes will be built along the Punggol waterway, including Waterway Terraces I, the first public housing precinct that was launched there, in June last year.

Three other Build-to-Order projects will also be built along the waterway. And by the end of this year, 23,000 families will call Punggol home.

In 2015, there will be a new commercial hub and town plaza by its MRT station, and the town will be almost as big as Ang Mo Kio.

Mr Lee said the Government is committed to improving amenties and conditions in older estates, too, like Yishun and East Coast, and is investing S$10 billion over the next 10 years in upgrading projects.

Lessons from Punggol's first "eco-precinct", the Treelodge@Punggol - from the use of solar panels to rainwater harvesting - will also be applied to other towns.

But even as Punggol is transformed, its heritage as a fishing village will be honoured, said Mr Lee. For example, a bridge along the waterway - the Kelong Bridge - is designed with stilt-like features along its structure.

Treelodge@Punggol resident Samuel Tan, who lives in a four-room unit overlooking the waterway, said he was pleasantly surprised by how much the waterway had been developed.

"In 2007 when I bought my flat, I thought the waterway would be something simple like a longkang (drain) ... but it has turned out well," said Mr Tan, who is in his 40s and works in the financial services industry.

'Venice of Punggol' the pride of former backwater
PM opens waterway, says Govt is committed to upgrading amenities in housing estates
Cai Haoxiang Straits Times 24 Oct 11;

THE Government is not only committed to ensuring that every Singaporean has a home, but also to improving amenities and conditions in housing estates, especially older ones, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said last night.

Each estate has its own unique identity, landmarks and charm, and all are places where friendships and memories are developed, he said.

'Each estate will not just be a set of blocks of flats or precincts, but a home for Singaporeans, a community for residents, a place where friendships are made and memories are formed,' he said when opening the 4.2km-long Punggol Waterway, whose development reflects the kind of enhancements and amenities residents can look forward to.

Built at a cost of $225 million, the waterway runs through Punggol estate. Yesterday, some 10,000 residents turned up to take part in waterfront activities such as cycling and kayaking.

Others took their evening stroll on the boardwalk, flew kites in the adjacent green open spaces, or admired the cascading water curtains along a 280m-long Heartwave Wall that features murals on the area's rich history.

Punggol resident Dorrynn Ong, 40, is pleased to have the waterfront where her two sons, aged seven and two, can go cycling.

'At least we now have our own park. I don't need to go to Pasir Ris any more,' said the housewife, who has lived in a five-room flat there for 10 years.

IT manager Alan Ng, 39, was impressed by the waterway and the town's development. 'Upgrading is good for the people. And if there is a theme to an estate, the resale value will go up.

'Punggol is now young and vibrant, interesting and new, with water sports and a link to Coney Island. It used to be that you could find towns near the sea only in East Coast and West Coast,' he said.

At the opening, PM Lee said the Government is investing $10 billion over the next 10 years to improve amenities and living conditions in older estates such as Yishun, East Coast and Ang Mo Kio. Plans were first announced in February, and he said the Government will partner residents and the community in these efforts.

It has been a long journey to complete the Punggol Waterway project, he said.

Punggol used to be a fishing village and farming area, and a relative backwater. PM Lee recalled going to Punggol Point to eat at its famous seafood restaurants, and to the area for an orienteering exercise when he attended the Outward Bound School.

'We had to navigate from point to point with a map but without a compass. It was quite possible in those days to be lost in Punggol because there were no roads, no signs; some attap houses and tracks, and you had to find your way around. But we got lost,' he said.

In 1996, the Government announced plans to develop the area, with private and public housing, MRT and light rail lines and water sports facilities, marinas and a waterfront park. But the project, Punggol 21, was halted in its tracks by the Asian financial crisis in 1997.

After the economy recovered, the Government revisited its plans for Punggol, and in 2007, PM Lee unveiled Punggol 21-Plus, which includes the waterway as the rejuvenated estate's centrepiece.

He said yesterday that some have called the waterway the 'Venice of Punggol', and promised more developments to come. By the end of the year, 23,000 families will be living in Punggol, and by 2015, there will be a new commercial hub and town plaza by the Punggol MRT station.

Punggol will be almost as big as Ang Mo Kio. 'Not at all an ulu (Malay for remote) town as it was many years ago,' he said.

PM Lee expressed his hope that Singaporeans would support 'the overall direction and thrust' in the Government's upgrading efforts, and that residents would keep the waterway clean so that others can enjoy facilities such as the promenades and greenery, and 'the Singapore that we have built together'.

Waterway idea came from Mah Bow Tan
Straits Times 24 Oct 11;

IF NOT for former national development minister Mah Bow Tan, a pipeline would have been all that connected the Punggol and Serangoon reservoirs.

But when the plans went to Mr Mah, he decided to develop a waterway instead so that Singaporeans would have something to appreciate and enjoy, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.

In giving credit to Mr Mah, PM Lee said there would otherwise have been a 'most practical, most unexciting' pipeline in Punggol.

'Mr Mah said, 'No, don't build a pipeline. Let's make this a waterway, make it something beautiful which Singaporeans can enjoy, something special for the residents which we can build on and appreciate for many more years to come.'

'It's because of that decision that we have this successful project in Punggol. Some people even call it the 'Venice of Punggol'.'

PM Lee added, to applause from residents: 'Mr Mah Bow Tan is not able to be with us today, but I think we all owe him, especially the Punggol residents, a big vote of thanks for this and many other things which he has done for us.'

The waterway is the centrepiece of Punggol town, which was built with an environmentally friendly focus. It includes the HDB's first green housing project, Treelodge

@Punggol, which has solar panels, energy-saving lifts and a water catchment area on the roof.

Water entering the waterway is filtered and cleansed by gravel drains and 15 types of water plants along the banks.

Nearby, a 160m stretch of Old Punggol Road and an old bus stop have been conserved.

Also present at the event were Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan, Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, and Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MPs, among others.

CAI HAOXIANG