URA reveals plans to rejuvenate Tampines, Bishan town centres

Homes could be built above and around Tampines MRT station, and office towers could spring up near the Bishan transport hub, under newly unveiled plans to redevelop both these town centres.

- Ng Keng Gene Correspondent

These plans to rejuvenate developed town hubs were made public by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Oct 24, as part of an exhibition showcasing current and future economic hubs.

Also in the pipeline could be a new industrial park in Seletar, near Seletar Aerospace Park.

URA said in the exhibition that it is planning to rejuvenate the area around Tampines MRT station, the Tampines Regional Centre, which was established in 1992.

It plans to build new mixed-use developments, which will have homes, commercial spaces and an integrated transport hub, on the area now occupied by Tampines Bus Interchange and the MRT station.

There, the authorities plan to add a new public space "to activate the heart of Tampines Regional Centre", and make bus-rail transfers more convenient.

The redevelopment will also make it easier for people to walk to nearby areas such as Our Tampines Hub, Sun Plaza Park, and the Housing Board neighbourhood centre at Tampines Central 1.

URA said this could be done by building sheltered paths and underground passages.

For Bishan, URA plans to develop new offices and work spaces in the empty plots of land around the Junction 8 mall and Bishan Bus Interchange.