Letter from Syu Ying Kwok, Straits Times Forum 15 Nov 07;
AS AN avid gardener, I was thrilled by the unveiling of Gardens by the Bay by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan. At $900 million and 54ha, it is a lot of public money and a lot of space for the first phase, especially in land-scarce Singapore.
Dr Tan Wee Kiat, National Parks Board adviser and project director of Gardens by the Bay, promised that it would be a garden for the entire family, and would include indoor event spaces and retail and F&B outlets.
To maximise resources, we should not only try to incorporate as many functions and uses into public space and gardens, but also ensure that such public facilities are financially independent.
The $900 million price tag will look small, compared to the lifetime maintenance cost of the gigantic park. The only way for a public garden to be financially independent is to have a five-star management team running it.
The management must be able to constantly generate enough interest to pull in a large crowd, which in turn would support the large number of retail and F&B outlets. Revenue from these commercial tenants will go into maintaining and rejuvenating the garden. This is easier said than done as top talents in events, F&B, tourism and retail are needed in the management in order to pull it off.
To help fund the project, the sports and fitness facilities in the garden could be sponsored or co-sponsored by big-name sports companies.
Our local Qian Hu could sponsor the fishes for the ponds. The 'Super Trees' could be sponsored by banks and insurance companies to signify growth. Pharmaceutical companies could sponsor the conservatories with underground labs researching tropical plants. Small plots could be rented out to property developers to put up showrooms of their condos.
Thus my question: Would Gardens by the Bay be financially independent? Would the rental revenue be able to cover its maintenance? Are we going to have a top management team running the facility?
As we move forward to be globally competitive, the receipts from taxes will continue to come down. Thus the Government must be able to constantly think up different strategies to help run and fund public facilities. If we are unable to do so, at the end of the day the task of maintaining such public facilities would fall back on taxpayers.
Sustainable business plan for the Gardens
Straits Times 21 Nov 07
I REFER to the letters, 'Would Gardens by the Bay pay for itself?' (ST, Nov 15) by Mr Syu Ying Kwok and 'Qian Hu ready to play a part in Gardens by the Bay' (ST, Nov 17) by Mr Kenny Yap.
Gardens by the Bay is an important and strategic part of Singapore's plan to build a vibrant new downtown at Marina Bay. When completed, the Gardens is expected to attract 2.7 million tourists annually, and contribute approximately $1 billion in incremental value to the economy over 10 years.
It will also enhance the value of the surrounding properties by an estimated $8 billion.
However, the value that the Gardens will bring to Singapore should not be measured just in dollars and cents. It will be a green oasis in the heart of our city that all Singaporeans can enjoy with their families and loved ones.
It will introduce a new dimension to enhance the experiences that our parks and gardens offer to Singaporeans, and set us apart from and place us ahead of aspiring garden cities in the world as we transform Singapore into a 'City-in-a-Garden'.
We appreciate Mr Syu's interest in the project and agree with him on the need to be innovative and efficient to keep ahead of our competitors in this globalised, competitive world.
We also agree that for this to happen, we must find partners and/or sponsors to work with. To this end, the National Parks Board (NParks) has been in discussions with various potential partners and sponsors.
We are also working out a sustainable business plan for the Gardens, while mindful that we need to keep it accessible to all Singaporeans. For example, to defray the running cost, commercial spaces have been set aside for retail and food-and-beverage outlets, as well as events.
NParks has put in place an experienced and dedicated team to oversee the development and management of the Gardens. We are confident that it will be a well-managed, world-class development.
We thank Mr Syu and Mr Yap for their comments and interest in the project. When the Gardens' Visitor Centre opens in January next year, we welcome enquiries and group bookings, via our website, for a tour of the centre.
In the meantime, we invite interested members of the public to log on to the Gardens' website at www.gardensbythebay.org.sg for more information.
Kenneth Er
General Manager
Gardens by the Bay
National Parks Board
