Upgrading of private estates back on track after delay

Works on estates like Frankel were suspended because of the pandemic

- Gabrielle Chan

Having lived in Frankel estate for nearly two decades, retiree Chua Joo Bin, 72, is glad that his quiet East Coast enclave will be getting a multi-generational spruce-up.

Besides upgraded drains that will double as footpaths and new estate markers for the enclave, the community park in Greenfield Drive will be upgraded with new playgrounds, exercise corners and the addition of a new multi-purpose hall, about 200 residents heard during a dialogue on March 10 at Kampung Siglap Lifeskills Training and Retreat Centre.

Works were supposed to commence in 2019, but were suspended due to the pandemic, said Mr Edwin Tong, an MP for Marine Parade GRC, who shared the proposed plans with residents alongside officers from agencies such as national water agency PUB. Frankel estate falls within Mr Tong's Joo Chiat ward.

Frankel estate's facelift was first announced in October 2019, when it was named as one of 10 private estates to be upgraded under the 10th and latest batch of the Ministry of National Development's (MND) Estate Upgrading Programme (EUP).