Lakeside Garden opens to public under first phase of Jurong Lake Gardens

Channel NewsAsia 27 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE: Lakeside Garden, the 53-hectare western section of Jurong Lake Gardens, opened to the public on Saturday (Apr 27).

This is the first phase to open as part of the 90-hectare Jurong Lake Gardens - Singapore’s third national gardens and its first in the heartlands.

Lakeside Garden, which comprises Jurong Lake Gardens West and the former Jurong Lake Park, was developed with an emphasis on nature, community and play, said the National Parks Board (NParks).

Located along Yuan Ching Road and next to Lakeside MRT station, the garden includes a play area named Forest Ramble for children aged between five and 12 years old. The 2.3-hectare area is the largest nature play garden in the heartlands and has 13 different adventure stations for children, NParks said.

Children also get a water play area with a shallow tidal pool and sand-based ripple pool at Clusia Cove, located at the northern part of Lakeside Garden. An eco-pond and a cafe can also be found here.

A boardwalk takes visitors through a restored freshwater swamp forest with around 50 species of plants, including Rasau trees, Nibong and Sealing Wax palms. Rasau Walk is connected to the adjacent Grasslands area and wetland trails, which have a variety of habitats where grey herons, oriental pied hornbills and smooth-coated otters live.

"Lakeside Garden has been developed sensitively to retain the serenity of the area while incorporating spaces for the community and recreational needs," NParks said in a press release.

To celebrate the garden's opening, the inaugural SGF Horticulture Show, an offshoot of the Singapore Garden Festival, will be held from Apr 27 to May 5.

A carnival was also held on Saturday to mark the opening of PAssion WaVe @ Jurong Lake Gardens, the first waterfront facility in the west by the People’s Association. The facility offers waterfront sports ranging from paddle-boating to kayaking and lifestyle programmes on food and beverage and health and wellness.

Sport Singapore has opened an ActiveSG Park within the garden. The park features an integrated lap and training pool, a wading pool, an outdoor fitness area and a gym.

With the opening of Lakeside Garden, NParks said it will proceed with the next phase of development by calling the construction tender for Chinese and Japanese Gardens, and Garden Promenade. The remaining sections of Jurong Lake Gardens will open progressively from 2021 onwards.

Source: CNA/cy(gs)


Lakeside Garden opens with grassland and wetland trails, waterfront activities
Venessa Lee Straits Times 27 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE - Children mimicked the actions of a Paradise Tree Snake - climbing a tree-like structure before gliding down slides - at a play area that lets them emulate the movements of different animals.

Adults wandered through a grassland area with 300,000 plants and tall grasses, which vaguely resembles something from the fictional Lord Of The Rings' Middle-earth.

These were some of the activities, including a carnival and the inaugural SGF Horticulture Show, lined up for visitors at Lakeside Garden to mark its official opening on Saturday (April 27).

The garden at 104 Yuan Ching Road revolves around the themes of "nature, play and the community", the National Parks Board (NParks) said in a statement.

"The garden has been developed sensitively to retain the serenity of the area whilst incorporating spaces for the community and recreational needs."

Its opening marked the completion of the first phase of Jurong Lake Gardens, Singapore's first national gardens in the heartland.

At 53ha, Lakeside Garden makes up more than half of the 90ha Jurong Lake Gardens, the third national garden after the Singapore Botanic Gardens and Gardens by the Bay.

Lakeside Garden, the western portion of Jurong Lake Gardens, has features such as a restored freshwater swamp forest as well as grassland and wetland trails, where visitors may spy grey herons, oriental pied hornbills and smooth-coated otters.

At the 2.3ha Forest Ramble - which NParks described as the largest nature playgarden in the heartland - children can enjoy activities at 13 adventure stations, where they emulate the movements of native squirrels, crabs and other animals.

Nature playgardens - like the one that opened at HortPark in March - incorporate more natural elements, such as trees, dirt and sand, to encourage exploratory play.

Besides housing Singapore's biggest allotment garden, which has 300 plots, Lakeside Garden boasts PAssionWaVe @ Jurong Lake Gardens, by the People's Association (PA). It is the first waterfront facility in western Singapore, offering kayaking and pedal-boating, among other activities.

The SGF Horticulture Show, which is organised by NParks and will run until next Sunday, features exhibits and competitions with categories such as terrariums, succulents and carnivorous plants. It is an offshoot of the popular Singapore Garden Festival.

Those who visited the carnival got to try their hand at latte art, piloxing and other arts, food and lifestyle offerings.

SOME ATTRACTIONS
BIRDS' NESTS: HERON ISLAND

Some of the 10 species of herons at Jurong Lake Gardens might roost atop platforms at this 4,000 sq m island, where visitors can observe the broody birds at a distance.

SWAMP AND LAKE VIEWS: RASAU WALK

A restored freshwater swamp habitat with 50 species of plants and a 300m boardwalk that takes visitors to the edge of Jurong Lake.

TIDAL PLAY: CLUSIA COVE

Two water-play pools, which mimic ripples, tidal movements and coastal currents. Children can learn about the dynamics of water through play.

DO LAPS: ACTIVESG PARK@JURONG LAKE GARDENS

Test the waters of a lap and training pool, a wading pool and fitness spaces like a 1,000 sq m gym.

SURF'S UP: PASSION WAVE@JURONG LAKE GARDENS

The first waterfront facility in the west of Singapore offers access to not just sports such as kayaking. Inclusive access is assured with its first integrated pontoon which connects the boathouse to the water seamlessly.

At night, visitors were treated to a free concert with the theme "East Meets West", the 11th instalment of NParks' Rockestra concert series.

The initial reviews of Lakeside Garden were enthusiastic.

Ms June Oei, a retiree in her 50s, called it "world-class".

Engineer Yee Ming Fatt, 36, said his five-year-old son enjoyed playing at the garden.

"There aren't many nature spaces in the west where children can play," he said.

NParks said the next phase would be to call the construction tender for the Chinese and Japanese Gardens in the central section of Jurong Lake Gardens, as well as the Garden Promenade in the eastern part.

These two remaining sections will open from 2021.

Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for National Development and Second Minister for Finance, officiated the opening on Saturday.

Also at the event was Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who is also the Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies.

Mr Wong said in a speech that familiar landmarks like the seven-storey pagoda would be retained in the central section of Jurong Lake Gardens, and that a new Science Centre is being developed in the eastern part.

Plans for the development of Jurong Lake Gardens, envisioned as a people's garden, drew more than 32,000 suggestions from residents and stakeholders.

The feedback was incorporated into the design, said Mr Wong, who chairs the Jurong Lake District Steering Committee.

"Jurong Lake Gardens is an integral part of our development plans for Jurong Lake District," he said.

Mr Wong cited developments such as Jurong Gateway, which has two hospitals, offices and shopping malls, and two existing MRT lines, as well as the upcoming Jurong Region and Cross Island lines.

He said he was confident that Jurong Lake District would become "the largest commercial and regional centre outside the city".

Within this district, Jurong Lake Gardens would be "a beautiful green oasis", he added.