Letter from Heng Cho Choon, Straits Times Forum 25 Feb 08;
THE report, 'Jurong Lake area: Big changes planned' (ST, Feb 20) gave an optimistic account of plans the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has in the pipeline. I hope those proposals - to turn the area into a commercial, retail and entertainment centre - when materialised, will not result in another fiasco like Tang Dynasty City and the moribund Chinese Garden.
My visit to the Chinese Garden two months ago set me thinking why there are so few visitors to this sprawling garden with its inconspicuous fountains, dilapidated buildings, god-forsaken pagodas and drink kiosks with only a few miserable customers. In the lake lie the forlorn row- boats which were an attraction to courting couples in their heyday.
Next to this garden is Jurong Park which was once used by many schools for their annual cross-country races. The cement tracks and stone benches are worn down and the place is filled with litter.
Across Sungei Jurong lies Jurong Country Club with its pristine and manicured lawns, and this golf course is always bustling with night golfers.
Mosquitoes breed in abundance in the Chinese Garden and since that visit I have avoided this once beautiful park which used to attract hordes of morning joggers.
I have always made a weekly pilgrimage to those fascinating places in Johor like the Jusco supermarkets in Tebrau City and Permas Jaya, and the Danga Bay entertainment resorts. On weekends, Tebrau City teems with shoppers and bargain hunters, while Danga Bay comes alive at night with children, shoppers, diners and pub crawlers.
Our URA planners should visit these places which never fail to pull in the crowds from both Johor and Singapore.
Danga Bay has both cheap cafes and pasar malam stalls on the pavements and also air-conditioned Chinese restaurants for the jet-setters. The famous Grand Straits Garden Restaurant next to Danga Bay is a favourite watering hole for drinkers from near and far, and its Chinese cuisine draws the crowds, including tycoons, bankers, politicians and businessmen.
My fervent hope is that the 'big changes' will signal a resurrection on our doorstep of another Chatuchak Market in Bangkok, another Danga Bay or another Gurney Drive in Penang, where tourists from near and far will not hesitate to make a beeline.
