Jurong Lake Gardens West to open in early 2019; largest water lilies collection part of attraction

ASYRAF KAMIL Today Online 24 Mar 18;

SINGAPORE — From the largest collection of water lilies in Singapore, to roaming the gardens in autonomous vehicles, these are some of the attractions Singaporeans can look forward to when construction for the Jurong Lake Gardens (JLG) Central and East completes progressively from 2020 onwards.

JLG West, which is currently under development, will be the first section to open next year, while the construction tender for JLG Central and East – which include the Chinese and Japanese Gardens – will be called in mid-2018.

In a media statement on Saturday (March 24), the National Parks Board (NParks) said that more than 14,000 suggestions and feedback were gathered for the concept design for JLG East and West, which the statutory board then “incorporated” into the project.

“The feedback received strongly supports the proposed concept design for JLG Central and East, especially for features that showcase tropical horticulture, nature and sustainability, and spaces for the community,” said NParks.

During a community tree planting event at JLG West on Saturday, Minister for National Development and Chairman of the Jurong Lake District Steering Committee Lawrence Wong said that the feedback sessions are “an important ground-up process to shape our national gardens”.

He said: “We’ve had a very productive consultation exercise, with many useful suggestions from the public… for more community and family spaces. (This) has enabled NParks to improve the final concept plans for JLG Central and East.”

The public engagement exercise consisted of roving exhibitions, townhall sessions, and online surveys conducted from November 2016 to April last year.

NParks noted from the feedback that many of the buildings and features in the Chinese and Japanese Gardens hold special memories for Singaporeans and that “most of the structures in the Chinese Garden and landforms in the Japanese Garden will be retained”.

“The design for JLG Central hence seeks to retain the natural ambience and key features of the Gardens by working with the existing landforms and key buildings and features, and leveraging on the water surrounding the Gardens,” it said.

NParks added that the public feedback received had also indicated strong support for garden features related to water, which is “in line with the concept design of the Gardens”.

More than 140 varieties of water lilies will be showcased within water terraces at the Aquatic Gardens, making it the largest collection of water lilies here in the Republic. Some 100 varieties of the flower will be new to Singapore, NParks said.

Visitors to the gardens will also be able to get up close to the water lilies to observe and photograph them as boardwalks will extend across the terraced ponds.

There will be a Nature Rambling Trail, where families and children can learn about native riverine environments. There will also be a Water Gallery Trail consisting of outdoor spaces featuring art and plants, said NParks.

NParks also said that it had received suggestions on the use of smart technology to “enhance visitor experience and enable efficient garden management and operations”.

“Useful information related to weather, directions and events listings will be displayed on interactive information screens in the Gardens, which will also be served by a people mover system which includes the use of autonomous vehicles,” said the statutory board.

Visitors who wants to cycle to the Gardens can ride on an East-West cycling route across the Chinese Garden to connect Taman Jurong to Jurong Town Hall and Jurong East.

To inject vibrancy to the Gardens, NParks added there are plans for farmers’ markets and thematic displays for visitors to enjoy.

The public is invited to share their views on the different types of programmes and activities that they would like to see at JLG during a public exhibition at Taman Jurong Community Club, which will be held from March 25 to April 1.



Jurong Lake Gardens to be home to Singapore’s largest collection of water lilies
Loh Chuan Junn Channel NewsAsia 24 Mar 18;

SINGAPORE: The new Jurong Lake Gardens will be home to the largest collection of water lilies in Singapore, with more than 140 varieties, announced the National Parks Board (NParks) on Saturday (Mar 24).

More than 100 varieties of water lilies will be new to Singapore, such as the Australian Giant Water Lily and the Foxfire Water Lily, added NParks.

Visitors will be able to see the aquatic plants up close from boardwalks which will extend across the terrace ponds.

These are part of the concept design for the gardens' east and central zones which was unveiled on Saturday.

Touted as the next national gardens in the heartlands, the Jurong Lake Gardens is part of a larger transformation of the Jurong Lake District.

There are three parts to the gardens - west, east and central - and proposed plans for the latter two zones had been put up for public consultation from November 2016 to April 2017.

More than 14,000 suggestions were received, said NParks on Saturday.

Sharing some of the feedback, NParks said many people noted that the buildings and features in the Chinese and Japanese Gardens - in the central zone - held special memories for Singaporeans.

"The design for Jurong Lake Gardens Central hence seeks to retain the natural ambience and key features of the gardens by working with the existing landforms and key buildings and features, and leveraging on the water surrounding the gardens," said NParks.

The iconic seven-storey pagoda at the Chinese Garden, for example, will be retained.

One new feature will be a water gallery trail where boats can travel along the banks of the lake surrounded by a swamp forest.

As public feedback showed that people wanted more public spaces for activities, the northern shore of the gardens will be transformed into a space comprising a lawn, a pavilion housing food and beverage outlets and a youth park.
ill also be transformed into a space comprising a lawn, a pavilion housing food and beverage outlets and a Youth Park.

To make the area more accessible, an East-West cycling route will be provided across the Chinese Garden to connect Taman Jurong to Jurong Town Hall and Jurong East.

A public exhibition on the new Jurong Lake Gardens will be held from Mar 25 until Apr 1, where people are invited to share their views on the programmes they would like to see at the new gardens.

A construction tender for the central and east zones will be called in the middle of this year, and works are expected to be completed progressively from 2020.

As for the western part of the gardens, works started in April 2016, and it is slated to open early next year.

Source: CNA/ad