1,600 HDB flats, integrated sports facilities to be built on redeveloped Farrer Park site

SINGAPORE — Around 1,600 Housing and Development Board flats will be built on a 10-hectare site in Farrer Park, which will be redeveloped over the next three years into a public housing estate with integrated sports and recreational facilities, the HDB, Sport Singapore, Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said on Monday (April 25).

Earmarked for residential use in the Master Plan since 1998, the brownfield site's development will allow the Government to meet the strong housing demand over the next three years, the agencies said in a joint release.

The site is roughly the size of 19 football fields and is located relatively close to the city centre, with the Little India and Farrer Park MRT stations nearby. It is bounded by Dorset Road, Keng Lee Road, Hampshire Road and Race Course Road.

Brownfield sites are land that was previously developed.

In their statement, the agencies emphasised the importance of retaining the sporting heritage and significance of Farrer Park, adding that they had consulted stakeholders, including Friends of Farrer Park, members of the heritage community, the sports community, and residents of the surrounding area on the redevelopment plans since 2018.

"Many had shared that the sporting heritage and memories of the area make Farrer Park endearing, and hoped that the new housing developments would include the integration of sports facilities," they said.

Farrer Park was the site of Singapore’s first horse racecourse established in 1843 and was also where the first flight demonstration in Singapore took place in 1911.

A former boxing gym, Farrer Park Swimming Complex and Farrer Park Tennis Centre currently sit on the site. 

The agencies have also been "in close discussion" with users of the current site to facilitate transition plans for their activities and operations, said the joint statement.

The area has also served as a training ground for many past and present national athletes and has since the 1950s been closely associated with the country’s sporting heritage.

The three agencies announced on Monday that taking on board public feedback, about 20 per cent of the site will be set aside as open spaces for sports and recreational uses, with these facilities "seamlessly integrated" with the housing projects.

The facilities include a 1.2-hectare central green space comprising a field and park and a new sports centre that will house swimming pools and other sporting facilities on the site of Farrer Park Swimming Complex, they said.

The boxing gym, a former training ground for the Singapore Amateur Boxing Association and venue for boxing tournaments, will be retained and converted to a multi-purpose community sporting space. 

There will also be playgrounds, fitness corners and a jogging track that winds through the estate, where the multi-storey carpark will be specially designed so that the ground floor can be set aside for sporting activities. 

"These facilities will be open to everyone, from existing and future residents of the area to visitors, bringing the community together to create new shared experiences," added the agencies.