New park, cycling paths and sheltered linkways to be built at Raffles Place

SINGAPORE — The area around Raffles Place MRT Station will be beautified and greened further by the first half of 2021, as part of plans to redevelop the former Golden Shoe Car Park site into an integrated development.

Announcing the enhancements on Friday (Feb 9), the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Land Transport Authority and National Parks Board said that works are expected to start in 2019 and will be implemented by property firm CapitaLand, in tandem with the company’s redevelopment of the site.

A new park, spanning about 1,000sqm, will be built at Market Street, allowing people to reach nearby points of interest such as the Singapore River and Boat Quay.

Plans are also in the works to build a 30m sky garden housing meeting facilities, an amphitheatre and quiet corners for people to work outdoors.

New cycling paths will be set up along Market Street, Malacca Street and Phillip Street, connected to upcoming cycling paths planned as part of the Central Area cycling network. Footpaths along these streets are to be widened, with a series of sheltered linkways to be built along Malacca Street, connecting Raffles Place MRT Station to nearby developments.

Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony of the Golden Shoe Car Park redevelopment on Friday, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said that even as the Government develops new areas around Singapore, such as the Punggol Digital District, they must not neglect the Central Business District.

“We hope that Raffles Place will be an area that is not only bustling with the working crowd in the daytime, but will also be a place where people will want to visit to gather and interact at night,” he added.