Jurong isn’t just the next town in S’pore, URA wants to turn it into the 2nd CBD too

Gone are the days where Jurong is the industrial and less atas area in Singapore. From the trio of malls in Jurong East to the Jurong Lake project, you would’ve thought that’s the end of the development of the Jurong area and the focus will be switched to the Northeast, but nope, we thought wrong.

If you’re a frequent goer of Chinese Garden (like me), you’ll always be reminded of the Jurong Lake project when you see the sign declaring that the area will be closed off from 1 Aug just before you enter the boardwalk area. You might even be reminded of the Singapore-KL high-speed rail that never seems to materialise and wonder if you live to see it’s completion.

Westies, guess what? There’s even more exciting news (or worse news, depending on your perspective) coming our way. There are plans to redevelop the Jurong Lake area into the 2nd CBD of Singapore. Here’s what you got to know!

Development of Jurong Lake district into Singapore’s second Central Business District
Yup, you heard that right. According to a report on todayonline, URA planned to transform the area into “a new mixed-use business precinct, that will house the upcoming Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) terminus”, which will be seamlessly integrated “with Jurong Gateway and Lakeside precincts, as well as Teban Gardens and Pandan Gardens to the south.”

What you can expect based on URA’s guidelines
URA envisions the area to be a 24/7 hub where you can expect to have recreational activities like retail, entertainment and food among many others in the area with homes and common recreational activity areas.

In addition, the area around the High-Speed Rail (HSR) will be a mixture of businesses and services like R&D, education and training, and business incubators.

The number of cars will be minimised and focus will be placed on making the entire area accessible via public transport with “a comprehensive infrastructure network that caters to green transport options”.

Heritage places like the Jurong Lake, Jurong River and the former Town Hall will be developed to form the core identity of the area, and together with the science centres, bring local and foreign visitors to the area for leisure.

Also expect to see plenty of underground solutions (we’re thinking underground malls or underground spaces, etc.) since land is such a big constraint in Singapore and this was one of the requirements for entry of proposal.

What we think you can expect from this 2nd CBD
Well, we’ve heard about the exciting things you can expect for this upcoming development. Now, here’s what we think is going to happen as well.

Prices of residences nearby are going to skyrocket.

And the rental business in the area is going to boom as well, especially when you consider how many expats are looking for places close to their workplaces.

But that’s not all: the prices of everything (food, shopping, etc) are going to skyrocket as well.

And for those who stays in the east and realise they got to go on a journey to the west to work instead of central: can you say jin dulan?

What do you think of URA’s plan? Let us know!

This article was first published on goodyfeed.com