Southern phase of North-South Expressway affects Rochor Centre, SJI, Novena Ville

It's a one-way ticket from Rochor to Kallang
Joyce Hooi Business Times 16 Nov 11;

(SINGAPORE) The southern phase of the planned North-South Expressway (NSE) will involve the relocation of the largest ever number of Housing & Development Board flats for an infrastructure project, the Land Transport Authority revealed yesterday.

Some 567 flats in the four-block Rochor Centre will be demolished to make way for a 5.6-kilometre stretch of tunnel that will complete the 21.5-km NSE. The tunnel will run from Toa Payoh Rise to East Coast Parkway.

The total cost of the NSE might be higher than the estimated $7-8 billion which was announced earlier this year, the LTA also said yesterday. The final figure will depend on the outcome of engineering studies and various site conditions.

At Rochor Centre, 389 - or about 69 per cent - of the units are 3-room flats, with an area of 67 square metres each. There are 82 more 3-room flats but they are larger, at 82 sq m. And 91 - or about 16 per cent of the units - are 4-room flats, with an area of 92 sq m each.

An 810-unit HDB development will be built next to Kallang River by mid-2016 for the Rochor Centre residents. They will not have to vacate their old flats before construction of the new ones is complete. Residents will ballot for the unit of their choice and will be offered relocation benefits that are similar to that of the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme's (SERS).

As in SERS, residents will be compensated for their old flats based on the prevailing market value, taken as at yesterday. The price of their new flats will be the subsidised rate, also taken as at yesterday and comes with an additional discount of up to $15,000 for singles and $30,000 for joint singles and families for eligible purchasers of the new flats.

Also, compensation for 'reasonable expenses' will be made. While the compensation monies offered will not be in cash but used to offset the cost of the new home, anything left over will be returned in cash. The same benefits will be given to residents applying for a flat elsewhere.

The new development at Kallang is expected to have a mix of studio apartments, and 3-to-5-room flats. Owners of an existing 82 sq m 3-room flat, however, will have to opt for an 85 sq m 4-room flat at Kallang if they do not want to see a shrinkage in living space. This is because the largest three-room flat available at Kallang is 67 sq m.

Even then, estimated figures in a leaflet that residents were given yesterday showed that 'upgrading' to a 4-room flat with an extra three sq m of space might actually leave the average household in the black. (see table)

The final mix of flat sizes and types is 'subject to review', as it might change, depending on 'feedback from Rochor residents', HDB said yesterday.

Nanyang Pho Leng Building's lot will also be fully acquired, while the lease on Lee Ah Mooi Nursing Home will not be renewed when it expires in 2013.

Twenty-one private properties will be partially affected, such as Novena Ville and 368 Thomson. They correspond to a lot number from which 29.9 sq m and 239.1 sq m of land have been listed as gazetted for acquisition, respectively. BT understands that the land involved will be grass verges or driveways and the buildings themselves will not be affected.

'For Novena Ville, (this might) bring the road nearer to the shopfront. It might create even better exposure to the shopfront, but for al fresco food and beverage outlets, there might be more noise implications,' said Donald Han, managing director at Cushman & Wakefield.

St Joseph's Institution International will see 4,654.3 sq m of its land gazetted for the NSE, one of the largest parcels of partially affected land listed.

The total amount of land acquired for the NSE's southern phase stands at 24,700 sq m. The northern phase, announced in January, involved acquiring 55,800 sq m of land.

The NSE, expected to open by 2020, will connect north-south towns such as Woodlands, Sembawang and Yishun with the city centre. There will be 16 in-ramps and 17 out-ramps in total.

'The immediate impact (on property prices) is probably minimal for the time being. Nearer to completion, there could be a 5-10 per cent increase in values. It will not be as distinct as the kind of pricing for the opening of the North East MRT line or the Circle Line. because MRT stations tend to be a bit more specific when providing access and convenience to residents,' said Mr Han.

Advance works on the NSE will start from 2013 and major construction works will start in 2015.

New expressway sparks big land acquisition
Hetty Musfirah Channel NewsAsia 15 Nov 11;

SINGAPORE: The government has announced the full alignment for the 21.5-kilometre-long North-South Expressway (NSE), with the southern segment unveiled on Tuesday.

The final 5.6-kilometre stretch of the expressway will be an underground tunnel beginning from Toa Payoh Rise and ending at East Coast Parkway.

It will pass along Thomson Road, Bukit Timah Road and Ophir Road before leading to the East Coast Parkway Expressway.

In January, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) had announced the alignment for the northern segment between Admiralty Road West and Toa Payoh Rise.

When ready by 2020, NSE, which is Singapore's 11th expressway, is expected to cut travel time for motorists by up to 30 per cent.

For example, a journey between Yishun and the city currently takes about 30 to 35 minutes.

With the NSE, the same journey can be completed between 20 and 30 minutes.

LTA chief executive Chew Hock Yong said: "We were looking for the southern segment to link up in a nice way to the ECP so it has to take a certain alignment that comes round that way into city.

"The city is very built-up so the southern segment is all underground, and as much as possible, we follow the alignment of existing rounds, so as to minimise the acquisition of private properties and we use state land to build the expressway."

But several properties will have to make way for the southern segment.

Two full lots and 21 partials lots will be acquired.

They include four HDB blocks of flats at Rochor Centre which has been around since 1977.

This will be the largest acquisition of HDB flats to date.

Mr Chew said: "We studied the alignment, and in the city it gets very crowded and at that area, there are MRT lines that are running there.

"There's the Bugis MRT station and there's the Downtown Line station being constructed, there is a canal running along Rochor Canal and for engineering reasons, the road has to be of a certain level of straightness... because the cars would have to travel at a certain speed.

"So taking all that into account, that was the alignment that we have to settle on and unfortunately it will affect the blocks that are there."

Residents of 567 flats at Rochor Centre will be offered relocation benefits similar to those offered under the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS).

Eighty-three per cent of the flats acquired are three-room units.

HDB will build about 810 units of new flats at Kallang as replacement housing for the residents affected.

Located next to Kallang River, residents will also be well-served by a good transportation network, with the Kallang MRT station being a five-minute walk.

Some 187 rental shops and eating houses at Rochor Centre will also be affected.

They will be given a 10 per cent preferential discount off the monthly rental rates when they successfully tender for other HDB rental commercial properties, or when they take over other HDB rental commercial properties through assignment.

Nanyang Pho Leng Association, located at Keng Lee Road and which has been in operation since 1970, will have to make way for the NSE.

The Nanyang Pho Leng Building is home to a Teochew clan association, which has more than 1,000 members.

LTA said the association will be given assistance in their purchase of and relocation to a replacement property.

Land acquisition notices have been handed out since 12pm Tuesday and the Singapore Land Authority has gazetted the lands affected by the acquisition.

Some state properties will also be making way for the NSE.

They include Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home and Victoria Street Wholesale Centre.

They will be able to complete their current tenancy or licence when the NSE works starts.

The lease for Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home has been extended till September 2013.

Advance works for the NSE will start progressively from 2013, and major construction works will start in 2015.

The construction of the NSE will benefit residents living in the north and north-eastern sectors of Singapore as it caters to the expected growth in traffic demand generated by new developments there.

It will connect towns along the north-south corridor -- Woodlands, Sembawang, Yishun, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan and Toa-Payoh -- to the city centre.

Running parallel to the Central Expressway, NSE will help to alleviate the traffic load on the heavily-utilised expressway, as well as the major arterial roads nearby such as Thomson Road and Marymount Road.

The NSE is expected to cost the government some S$7 billion to S$8 billion.

- CNA/wk

Rochor residents sad to leave
Joanne Chan Channel NewsAsia 15 Nov 11;

SINGAPORE: HDB residents affected by the land acquisition of Rochor Centre have said they are sad to leave their convenient and familiar surroundings.

Come 2016, the 567 households there will have to say goodbye to their estate.

This is to make way for the North-South Expressway's (NSE) southern stretch that will be an underground tunnel from Toa Payoh Rise to East Coast Parkway.

Some residents have been living there for more than 30 years, since the development went up in 1977.

They were informed of the land acquisition exercise when HDB officers went door-to-door on Tuesday to distribute the notification letters and information kits.

Sixty-two-year-old resident Sae-Huan Sinet said: "I'll miss this place, and I'm worried if the new place will be as convenient, if it's as convenient for elderly residents."

Another resident, Madam Tan, who is in her 70s, said: "Many of the neighbours here are my relatives, living in flats above and below mine."

"A change of environment might not be a bad thing. As long as we have a flat to live in, it's ok," said 62-year-old resident Chan Tuck Wah.

Residents who are affected will be offered a new flat in Kallang.

HDB said most residents will be able to move to a brand new flat that is at least of equivalent size.

In some cases, HDB said residents may also enjoy net proceeds.

For instance, a three-room Rochor flat of 67 square metres -- the most common unit-type -- has an estimated market value of S$445,000.

About 70 per cent of the residents own such units.

A new flat in Kallang, after factoring in a S$30,000 discount, will cost S$342,000.

The subsidy will only apply to home owners who have not enjoyed more than one housing subsidy so far, and do not own private property.

Home owners will be given an additional S$4,800 to cover other expenses such as stamp fees.

This means a flat owner stands to gain more than S$100,000 in proceeds.

Work on the NSE will start in 2013, but work will be conducted in phases.

Residents will be able to stay in their homes until their new flats in Kallang are completed in 2016.

Commercial tenants of Rochor Centre will also be moving out.

Those who took over the premises before 1999 will receive payouts of S$60,000 each.

An additional S$30,000 will be given to those who choose to continue business at an alternative premise.

But tenants said the compensation is too little.

Hiap Guan Goldsmiths & Jewellers manager Sammy Fong said: "This S$60,000 has been offered for many years; there's been no change in the amount over the years. It's not a big sum of money."

Turning Point Academy owner Amy Koh said: "I'm about to renovate my shop. The deposit has been paid. If I go ahead with the renovation now, when the government takes back the land, I'll not be able to earn back the money spent."

Another building that will make way for the new expressway is the 41-year-old Nanyang Pho Leng Building.

The building is home to a Teochew clan association, which has more than 1,000 members.

Channel NewsAsia understands there are hundreds of ancestral tablets housed on the third floor of the building, which will need to find new homes or be returned to the members.

The clan association directors could not be reached for comment.

- CNA/wk

More than 500 homes to make way for highway
North-South Expressway to cut travel time by 30%
Christopher Tan Straits Times 16 Nov 11;

A 5.6KM-LONG three-lane dual carriageway running beneath some of the busiest parts of the city will form the southern stretch of the North-South Expressway.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced yesterday that the fully underground stretch will go through areas such as Novena, Kampong Java, Rochor and Ophir Road before joining the East Coast Parkway near Suntec City.

It will be completed some time in 2020 and will cut peak-hour travelling time by up to 30 per cent.

Like the northern segment announced in January, there will be land acquisitions, the LTA said at a briefing held jointly with the Singapore Land Authority and Housing Board.

All in, 24,700 sq m of private land will be acquired along the 5.6km stretch, on top of 55,800 sq m acquired for the 16km northern stretch.

They comprise two full lots - Rochor Centre and a clan building - and 21 partial lots.

The acquisition of Rochor Centre in Rochor Road is the biggest of its kind here to date, and involves 567 Housing Board flats in four blocks, 187 shops and eating houses and three communal facilities.

Over at Kampong Java, the 40-year-old Nanyang Pho Leng Building will also be acquired. It houses a clan association for descendants of immigrants from Pho Leng county in China's Guangdong Province.

The 21 private properties that will have bits of their land acquired include SLF Building, St Joseph's Institution International and the Singapore Polo Club.

Two properties on state land will also be affected - the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home in Thomson, which dates back to the 1960s, and the Victoria Street Wholesale Centre, a favourite haunt for people wanting to stock up on festive goodies.

Major construction will start from 2015

Tenants will have to move out when their leases expire by 2013.

Properties on 16 other pieces of state land will also be affected in some way, including five rented landed properties in Halifax Road and two blocks of walk-up apartments in Toa Payoh Rise. These buildings are currently state properties let out for residential use and the lease will be allowed to run out.

Transport researcher Lee Der Horng of the National University of Singapore said highway construction abroad which cut through communities can cause 'a lot of hassle' for governments. This is especially so in bigger countries, where there are often alternative routes.

'In Singapore, our situation is different,' he said. 'Land is limited. So planners face a dilemma here.'

Rochor Centre residents will be paid prevailing market rates for their flats. They will also have the option to move to new HDB flats to be built in Kallang, next to the river and near the Kallang MRT station.

These displaced owners get to buy the new flats - which will be up in mid-2016 - at subsidised prices frozen at today's rates, said the HDB. On top of that, they get a 20 per cent discount.

Displaced Rochor Centre shop tenants will also be compensated, as long as they are Singaporeans who secured the premises before March 4, 1999, or took over from another tenant before June 1, 1999.

If they are small and medium-sized enterprises continuing their businesses in a new location, they will get an extra $30,000 in relocation help. They will also get a 10 per cent discount on HDB rental shops.

Advance work for the expressway, which includes detailed engineering studies, will start from 2013. Major construction of the entire 21.5km stretch - which runs almost parallel to the Central Expressway - will start in phases from 2015.

It will serve the northern towns, which have far outgrown the capacity of the 20-year-old Central Expressway.

The new expressway, the 11th in Singapore, will have 16 entry ramps and 17 exit ramps, plus a number of slip roads. It is estimated to cost $7 billion to $8 billion, although LTA chief executive Chew Hock Yong said the eventual cost might be higher.

Unlike the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway which opened in two phases, Mr Chew said the new expressway will open in one go. Opening in stages, he said, could have adverse impact on traffic flow along the corridor.

The LTA said that when the highway is in operation, it will shave up to 30 per cent off peak-hour travelling time.

For instance, a 30- to 35-minute journey between Yishun and the city will be completed in 20 to 30 minutes. A similar trip to and from Bishan will take 10 to 15 minutes, down from 15 to 20 minutes today.

Dr Lee of the NUS commented, however, that there seem to be a lot of entrances and exits, which can prove to be 'challenging' to motorists.

He said too many entrances and exits could disrupt traffic flow. He added a better way would be to have fewer access and exit points, which means drivers have to travel a slightly longer way to and from the expressway, but will experience a far smoother drive once they are on it.

Mr Chew assured motorists that the highway will be designed in a way that ensures smooth flow.

The road (almost) not taken
Christopher Tan Straits Times 16 Nov 11;

THE North-South Expressway (NSE) will be one of the most challenging - and possibly the most disruptive - infrastructural projects here.

The northern stretch - which is largely a surface road - stirred up controversy when it was announced in January. Many residents, in condo projects such as Nuovo and Castle Green, were concerned about the noise, dust and degradation in air quality during construction and when the highway is finally completed.

The southern stretch presents challenges of its own. Although less than 6km long and making up merely a quarter of the entire NSE, the fully underground portion of the three-lane dual-carriageway entails massive excavations through one of the most built-up districts.

It has also triggered a number of land acquisitions, including Rochor Centre. The latter consists of 567 Housing Board flats, 187 shops and eating houses, and three communal facilities - making it the single biggest property acquisition here.

Asked why the road could not avoid Rochor Centre altogether, for instance by veering to the east, Land Transport Authority (LTA) group director of engineering Paul Fok said an expressway needed to be as straight as possible to accommodate the higher speeds.

The authority later elaborated that it had considered 'all possible alignments', but was unable to avoid the acquisition of Rochor Centre due to site constraints along the Bukit Timah Road-Sungei Road-Rochor Road-Ophir Road corridor which is highly built-up.

'Besides the many buildings in close proximity to the roads, there are five underground MRT stations... There is also the Rochor Canal to consider,' it said.

In short, Rochor Centre has to go.

The complexity of the expressway - Singapore's 11th - may explain why engineering studies alone will take nearly three years to complete.

That's not all. The NSE has been on the drawing board for more than a decade. Several feasibility studies have been done on it, with some dating back to the early noughties.

Retired LTA traffic planner Joseph Yee recalls there were six to eight alternative alignments.

One notable alternative was actually adding an upper deck to the Central Expressway (CTE), which was eventually deemed too complex and not feasible.

Another was to link up and expand existing roads such as Lornie and Farrer roads to form an expressway.

The LTA also considered running the southern stretch through Orchard Road, or slightly to the west, through areas such as Telok Blangah.

Yet another had a portion going under the nature reserve.

The final alignment is one that starts from Yishun in the north, forming almost a straight line drop towards the city, and running parallel to the CTE most of the way.

'It's probably the cheapest and most efficient alternative,' said Mr Yee.

Nearly half of the 21.5km NSE - or 10.2km - will be underground, with the 5.6km southern stretch announced yesterday being fully subterranean.

It will have five ventilation buildings. They are at Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West (opposite the library); Kampong Java Park; near the junction of Marymount Road and Braddell Road (at the corner of Raffles Junior College); Thomson Flyover; and near the Nicoll Highway (before the NSE joins the East Coast Parkway).

These buildings, which suck out vehicle exhaust gases from the tunnels, as well as blow in fresh air, are usually sited as far away from residential and activity centres as possible.

Construction works on the NSE will begin in earnest in 2015, and will last at least five years. The LTA will adopt the cut-and-cover method of excavation. It explained that the expressway was too big for it to use the boring method, which is less disruptive and often safer.

Seeing how the southern stretch passes through a densely developed part of Singapore, it is not hard to imagine the construction period will be nightmarish for those living and working near the alignment.

The Novena portion, for instance, is flanked by developments that are already hugging Thomson Road. It is a site of perennially heavy congestion, which wor-sens when the Novena Church holds services.

Building diversions in such an area will be challenging because there is practically no room to do so. Contractors might have to erect a temporary viaduct - as they did in Cross Street to facilitate the construction of Downtown MRT Line Stage 1. It is something the LTA does not rule out.

In the meantime, it is best for motorists who can avoid the construction sites to do so. Only thing is, with the ongoing Mass Rapid Transit works, and more to come in the next few years, finding detours will be tougher and tougher.

Long-time residents sad to leave
They are resigned to news, but say they will miss city location and their great views
Royston Sim Straits Times 16 Nov 11;

RESIDENTS in Rochor Centre were yesterday largely resigned to news that they would have to move.

Some said they were sad because they had lived there for more than 30 years and enjoyed the central city location.

Others, on the higher floors, said they would miss seeing the fireworks during National Day Parades and views of buildings such as Marina Bay Sands.

Retiree Wong Tong Hoe, 72, said he enjoyed an excellent view outside his 17th-floor flat. He has lived there with his wife and son since 1978. But he added: 'Even if we feel sad, it can't be helped.'

He will accept the offer to move into new flats in Kallang, but said it will take time before he and the rest get used to the new surroundings and neighbours.

His neighbour, Mr Too Chiang Keong, 70, said he did not want to move, but it could not be helped.

The Government will acquire 567 residential units across four Housing Board (HDB) blocks at Rochor Centre for the North-South Expressway. It is the largest number of flats affected by a land development project here.

Besides the blocks which are painted green, red, yellow and blue, the sprawling Rochor Centre complex houses shops, eating houses and three communal facilities - a kindergarten, a Residents' Committee centre and a home for the aged.

The HDB will build 810 new units next to Kallang River as replacement housing, to be ready in 2016.

Ms Nargis Banu, 34, who has lived in Rochor Centre for seven years, said she would miss the convenience of having facilities such as a supermarket and a bank right below her home.

Her twin four-year-old sons attend the kindergarten in the centre, while her seven-year-old daughter attends Stamford Primary School, a five-minute walk away.

She said: 'I'm quite sad. I'm not sure what to do, whether to take the new place at Kallang or go somewhere else.'

Ms Sumathi Thanmugham, 51, who has lived there for more than 30 years, likes how it is served by many bus services and is near the Bugis MRT station.

Her workplace, Stamford Primary School, is also a short walk away. 'My parents are old and my father is a stroke patient so I can rush back if anything happens,' the support officer said. 'This place is like heaven. I'd rather stay. It's quite sad to need to count the days to the year we leave.'

Rochor Centre falls within the constituency of Moulmein-Kallang GRC MP Denise Phua, who said she was grateful that the HDB has put in effort to offer her residents a good package.

She noted that the new flats in Kallang had an 'excellent location' and lifts on every floor, and said residents or families could choose to apply together to be close to one another.

'My concern is that residents might be tempted to cash out and sell off their flat with the accompanying relocation benefits,' she said. She urged them to 'think long-term and buy the new Kallang flat of their choice'.

IT engineer Wong Wai Leong, 38, another long-time resident, said he expected to move sooner or later. 'It's prime land. I just didn't expect we would receive notice so soon,' he said.

Some residents, like Ms Joanna Ong, 20, will be glad to move. 'I'm very happy. My home is so old,' said the store assistant. 'I live on the highest floor, and when it rains, sometimes my ceiling leaks. I've been hoping for some time now that our block would go en bloc. I'm looking forward to a new house.'

Additional reporting by Jennani Durai and Feng Zengkun