Letter from Michael Tan Jiak Ngee, Straits Times Forum 21 Apr 08;
I READ with interest that the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is opening up land outside the central area (for example in Balestier) for hotel development.
I commend the move. It will help meet the high demand for rooms now and in the years ahead. It will also help to ameliorate the growing congestion in the Central Business
District.
The choice and location of new tourism projects are significant for Singapore. I feel we can and should do more to exploit our valuable waterfront assets.
It is noteworthy that Sentosa has made successful inroads in the tourism sector and, lately, the luxury residential market. It is not by coincidence our two integrated resorts are situated near the waterfront.
I wonder if the URA and the Singapore Tourism Board have studied the feasibility of creating our own 'Gold Coast' at the East Coast Park.
It is an exquisite diamond waiting to be cut and polished.
The land area is massive, stretching from the Big Splash to the Lagoon, with lush vegetation and trees nestling the waterfront. It has all the qualities to be transformed into a major tourism/leisure hub with an array of iconic waterfront hotels and related amenities.
Such a hub at the East Coast Park will not encroach on the present activities of Singaporeans in the area. Good planning can ensure that the interests of both tourists and Singaporeans are met.
Another idea which may seem to be a long shot is for an 'experimental eco-theme hotel' to be built at one of our major reservoirs.
Obviously, the design must blend in with the rich vegetation and tranquillity. It will offer a select group of discerning tourists, and Singaporeans, a new kind of 'natural habitat experience'.
While the two major integrated resorts, together with other exciting facilities, will undoubtedly take Singapore tourism to new heights, it will be unwise to believe that their magic will last forever.
We need to continue to innovate and reinvent to broaden our international appeal - thus staying ahead in the expanding global tourism market.
Some comments on the Straits Times Forum to the article
Gold Coast in Australia also know as Surfers' Paradise because of her beautiful waves, beautiful beaches and clear blue water. What we have at East Coast Park. Full of flotsams and jetsams in the water and on the beach. How to be a Gold Coast in Singapore??
Posted by: Sangeba888 at Tue Apr 22 23:18:43 SGT 2008
Dear Michael,
Have you ever been to the Gold Coast? If so you would have noticed the following:
1 Miles and miles of pristine beach with powdery white sand.
2 Crystal clear, unpolluted water.
3 Beautiful climate with low humidity and clear blue skies.
Is there any connection with the east coast whatsoever?
Posted by: jockstrap at Tue Apr 22 00:21:34 SGT 2008
Two words which totally dismantle this great suggestion ... Eastern Anchorage
Posted by: BBJ at Mon Apr 21 21:09:50 SGT 2008
they are not up to the job. still too much restrictions and 'no no no' to anything out of norm. so it will always be East Coast - with trees lined up in straight lines. the rigid inflexible mindset of planners precludes any resemblance to Gold Coast.
limboonhee April 21, 2008 Monday, 07:00 AM
East coast is already overcrowded, especially during weekends. Can't we have just a little bit of peace and tranquility? Where can we go for relaxation during weekends now?
lancelin Default April 21, 2008 Monday, 07:59 AM
Let's see if the writer, if living at East Coast, would be so enthusiastic if a massive hotel were to be built between his bedroom window and what was once his sea view?
Perhaps if living there he would also like to volunteer his home as a "local inland attraction" - window entertainment for those at the luxury resort who cannot afford the sea-facing rooms?
readi April 21, 2008 Monday, 08:18 AM
In any development, there are impacts to existing users and residents and to the environment that we leave behind for future Singaporeans.
To see only the money to be made without considering these impacts will indeed be, as the writer himself put it: "unwise to believe that their magic will last forever".
A truly sustainable development will need to consider the long term impact, and many issues. Some of these are highlighted in this post http://wildfilms.blogspot.com/2008/0...oasts-and.html
wildsingapore April 21, 2008 Monday, 09:44 AM
Since we are going to develop west coast, why don't we incorporate this idea into that plan.
hebimaruko April 21, 2008 Monday, 10:49 AM
I live in the east coast and pay a high price for what mm lee once said about the lucky residents of marine parade hdb dwellers, they have got a million dollar view for a song. So lets keep it that way, besides how can we compare to the gold coast. Lets be realistic. Lets harness our strength. We cannot be the wall street, the london, the monaco, the macau the switzerland and now the gold coast all at once. we seem to forget that we are just 700 sq kilometres of an island which a former president of a neighbouring country once said we are but a red dot. The URA has done a tremendous job keeping all of us from running into each other, lets keep the greenery in east coast and let us enjoy our green lung.
TeoWilly April 21, 2008 Monday, 12:53 PM
I believe Disneyland or DisneySea, will be coming to Marina South soon. Commercial premises have already vacated from Marina South. Gold Coast I think may have to wait.
Sangeba888 April 21, 2008 Monday, 01:33 PM
Does the letter writer even realize that the tiny strip of "beach" which is our East Coast is gradually eroding away?
Whatever is left of the beach is almost always littered with debris and rubbish from the busy anchorage just off the East Coast.
It is a far cry from the Gold Coast.
flameback April 21, 2008 Monday, 05:32 PM
Marina South is being developed into the new Gardens at the Bay lah. Hasn't it been in the news enough for the average man on the street to register its development?
flameback April 21, 2008 Monday, 05:34 PM
No!!! Leave East Coast Park the way it is. Green. Relaxing, tranquil.
angelawangyixin April 21, 2008 Monday, 05:53 PM
Suggesting creating a "Gold Coast" in East Coast Park is like suggesting building a theme park with safari rides in Bukit Timah Reserve. Please keep whatever we have left of nature.
angelawangyixin April 21, 2008 Monday, 06:16 PM
Related links
Making money from our coasts and waterlines
some issues to consider on the wildfilms blog
