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Govt mulling large-scale underground developments

SINGAPORE — Signalling for the first time that urban planners are exploring the possibility of large scale underground developments that further “push the boundary of usage”, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said yesterday that a subterranean statutory land use plan could be on the cards.

Jurong Rock Caverns will be South-east Asia’s first underground storage facility for oil and petrochemical products. Photo: JTC

Jurong Rock Caverns will be South-east Asia’s first underground storage facility for oil and petrochemical products. Photo: JTC

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SINGAPORE — Signalling for the first time that urban planners are exploring the possibility of large scale underground developments that further “push the boundary of usage”, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said yesterday that a subterranean statutory land use plan could be on the cards.

Policymakers are currently in the midst of updating the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Master Plan and a draft will be put up for public consultation via an exhibition soon, Mr Khaw noted. “In parallel, we are thinking about the possibility of developing an underground equivalent of the Master Plan to see how practical underground plans can complement the above ground Master Plan to make our city even more exciting and liveable,” he revealed.

Writing on his blog, he added: “We will not rush to do this underground Master Plan. We will also not be able to formulate a comprehensive underground Master Plan in our initial attempt(s). But the earlier we begin this process, the faster we will learn and the easier it would be for us to realise these plans.”

Citing cities in the Scandinavian countries, Canada and Japan, Mr Khaw said there was a full range of possibilities such as underground transport hubs, pedestrian links, cycling lanes, utility plants, shopping areas and other public spaces.

Tokyo, for instance, has automated underground bicycle parking systems while in Oslo, Norway, an underground sports hall and swimming pool double as civil defence shelters during emergencies.

Every day, half a million people pass through the “underground city” at Montreal’s RESO, which comprises 32km of tunnels covering an area of 12 sq km, linking facilities, including offices, hotels, retail shops, cinemas, universities and train stations.

Mr Khaw noted that the Republic has “made good use” of underground spaces for shopping malls and underpasses, as well as 12km of expressways and almost 80km of MRT lines. It has also used subterranean spaces for storage: When it comes into operation next year, JTC’s Jurong Rock Caverns will be South-east Asia’s first underground storage facility for oil and petrochemical products.

The Singapore Armed Forces has also relocated its Seletar East Ammo Depot to an underground ammunition facility — a world’s first when it was unveiled in 2008 — built under a former quarry site in Mandai.

“Still, there is scope to do much more,” Mr Khaw pointed out.

He acknowledged the higher cost of underground developments, “especially if the cheaper alternative of using surface land is available”. Still, “we can try to push the boundary of usage — to experiment, to learn and to evolve practical innovative solutions — so as to prepare for the future”, he said.

Members of Parliament (MPs) and architects whom TODAY spoke to welcomed the possibility of creating “more common space beyond the physical limitations of land”, as Marine Parade GRC MP Seah Kian Peng put it.

Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP Gan Thiam Poh noted that not only will underground developments help address the land scarcity, a subterranean Master Plan will also provide opportunities for architects, engineers and builders here to “try building new things beyond what we already have”.

Mr Frven Lim, Director of Architecture at building consultancy Surbana, said a coordinated approach will give Singapore’s underground ambitions a “greater chance to succeed”.

Still, Mr Seah reiterated that underground projects come with huge price tags. “I support the idea, but it must be used in places where the costs can be justified by the benefits it creates,” he said.

Apart from costs, architect Victor Lee noted the design challenges to maximise the supply of natural air, light and greenery to these “controlled environments”. For starters, Mr Lim suggested that the Government build automated underground car parks. “Parking does not require a high quality space — you don’t need the space to be well lit, you don’t have to walk into it,” he said, adding that these car parks will also generate revenue to offset the costs.

Such car parks are present in France, where motorists leave their cars in a building and the vehicles are moved underground, he said.

“This will be the first trigger to get people to start thinking about how else the underground space can be used.”

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