Dakota Crescent to be redeveloped with new flats; iconic playground stays

SINGAPORE — Dakota Crescent will be redeveloped into a mixed-use area that will include new Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats.

Announcing the redevelopment in a Facebook post on Monday (Dec 11), Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said the “refreshed Dakota Crescent” will also feature adaptive re-use of some of the old buildings, convenient amenities, as well as vibrant community spaces”.

He added that the “iconic” Dove Playground – a centerpiece of the Dakota Crescent neighbourhood – will be preserved and repurposed for civic and community uses when the estate undergoes major redevelopment. “This will provide more public housing options near the city, and allow another generation of Singaporeans to build their own special memories of Dakota Crescent,” Mr Wong said.

Dakota Crescent was first developed in 1958 by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), even before the formation of the HDB, as a public rental housing estate. Member of Parliament for Mountbatten Lim Biow Chuan had highlighted in parliament last year that the Dakota Crescent estate was one of the Republic’s first public housing projects, and urged the government to reconsider its plans for redeveloping the estate.

Noting that the Ministry had looked into various possibilities for the estate, Mr Wong said that the authorities “will continue to engage stakeholders and involve the wider community as we redevelop (the) area”.

The historic Dakota Crescent estate has struck a sentimental chord among Singaporeans. A documentary that is part of the Discovery Channel’s Singapore Stories series had previously focused on the 59-year-old estate, while rapper Shigga Shay had used the Dove playground as a location for his music video “Lion City Boy”.