Eight Big Splash tenants offered lease extensions

SINGAPORE — Some tenants at Big Splash will have a few more months at the iconic spot in East Coast Park, after an extension on their leases was granted by the National Parks Board (NParks).

They were originally due to move out in October, when the lease for the site expired. But NParks, which manages the area, has offered eight tenants extensions of up to March 27 next year to facilitate “licensees’ relocation efforts”.

These are food and beverage outlets Sushi Tei, Pondok Gurame Indonesian Restaurant, OTK Singapore (which runs Old Town White Coffee) and Crab In Da Bag; bicycle retailer Spring Gear; fishing and prawning shop Fish @ Big Splash; indoor playground Kaboodle Kids; and pre-school Chiltern House.

However, only some tenants, such as Fish @ Big Splash, are planning to stay till the end. Others, such as Kaboodle Kids and Sushi Tei, are closing their doors in January.

In response to TODAY’s queries, Mr Chia Seng Jiang, NParks’ group director of parks, said no further lease extensions would be offered beyond March 27 because of development plans for the area.

With just a handful of shops operating, deserted shopfronts and slow footfall, the landmark, which was built nearly four decades ago, looks like a “ghost town” now, said Kaboodle Kids’ founder and director Tan Mui Jin.

For many, Big Splash is a well-loved spot, with its location near the beach and an accessible drop-off point.

Self-employed mother of three Sherrifer Siew, 36, whose children have been enrolled in the Chiltern House pre-school over the years, said she preferred the area to the pre-school’s new site in Mountbatten.

“(There’s) the park, the beach, the space for the children to run around,” said the Bedok resident, whose three-year-old son is set to enrol next year.

Kaboodle Kids’ Ms Tan said that, while footfall had dwindled, NParks offered lease extensions on the same terms. The agency “could be more supportive of small businesses”, she added. “There are no walk-ins, so how do they expect us to pay rent at the same rate?”

Nevertheless, other businesses were glad that the lease extensions allowed them to capitalise on the festive jump in business.

Ms Janice Lee, Sushi Tei’s finance and administration assistant director, said December is a “super peak” season for the Japanese eatery.

Sushi Tei has indicated its interest to re-tender for a spot in the revamped Big Splash, she added.

For Pondok Gurame, the extension would allow it to confirm bookings made months before, such as a wedding in February, said its general manager Harry Abdullah.

Down the road at Raintree Cove, businesses — including the iconic Long Beach Main Seafood Restaurant — are also expected to shut shop when the site’s tenancy lapses on Feb 28.

But master tenant, Raintree Cove Pte Ltd, has requested a one-month extension to vacate the property, a Singapore Land Authority spokesperson said in response to TODAY’s queries. “The request is being evaluated,” said the spokesperson.

For amusement park Diggersite, which allows children to try their hand at construction machinery, a search for a suitable outdoor location that began two months ago has yielded little so far.

Supervisor Michael Torres said the firm had requested a year’s extension.

East Coast Prawning director Michael Goh, however, said that whether an extension was granted made no difference. “The business here is not very good,” he explained, saying that earnings at the spot where visitors can catch prawns had dipped between 30 and 40 per cent in the past two years.