New housing areas in Dover, Defu, Newton and Paterson unveiled

80,000 homes to be built islandwide under URA's 2025 draft masterplan

- Ng Keng Gene

New neighbourhoods are set to be established in areas such as Dover, Defu, Newton and Paterson, offering a mix of public and private homes islandwide.

Also in the pipeline are new office spaces and amenities in Bishan, more parks in Singapore's north-west, as well as community hubs in Sengkang, Woodlands North and Yio Chu Kang fashioned after Our Tampines Hub.

These development plans were laid out on June 25 at the launch of the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) Draft Master Plan 2025 exhibition, which presents the agency's latest blueprint that will guide Singapore's development for the next 10 to 15 years.

Besides new housing areas and recreational facilities, the draft masterplan also includes proposals to revitalise Singapore's city centre and preserve its heritage by conserving buildings like the NatSteel Steel Pavilion and former Pasir Panjang English School.

The launch follows an extensive public engagement campaign since October 2023, with the URA getting feedback from nearly 220,000 people through exhibitions, dialogues, focus groups and surveys.

National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said this was the URA's most extensive public engagement yet, and that the exhibition brings together ideas that Singaporeans have put forth into a "shared vision" for the coming years.

Homes will be built in areas such as Kranji, Dover and Newton, he said at the launch at The URA Centre in Maxwell Road.

At least 80,000 public and private homes are slated to be introduced across more than 10 new housing areas islandwide over the next 10 to 15 years, under the 2025 draft masterplan.

New amenities and recreational spaces will be built in the upcoming Dover-Medway neighbourhood, which is near one-north and education institutions such as the National University of Singapore and Singapore Polytechnic.