Punggol’s latest BTO projects to hark back to town’s history as fishing village and its former zoo

SINGAPORE — The latest public housing projects along the Punggol Point waterfront district will feature elements inspired by one of Singapore’s first zoos and the town’s beginnings as a fishing village.

The Build-to-Order (BTO) flats of Punggol Point Crown and the second phase of Punggol Point Cove are expected to be completed by 2024 and will comprise 2,724 units.

They will be available at an upcoming sales exercise, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) announced in a press statement on Sunday (Sept 1).

Interested buyers may apply for the flats — from two-room flexi to five-room — at the two projects when applications open this month on a date that the HDB has yet to disclose.

Punggol Point is the fifth of seven waterfront-housing districts planned for Punggol town, which is in north-eastern Singapore.

The first phase of Punggol Point Cove, comprising 1,172 units, was launched for sale in August last year, with a nearly full uptake, HDB said. Another 1,179 units will be made available in the second phase of the project.

THE FORMER PONGGOL ZOO

The 1,545-unit Punggol Point Crown project draws inspiration from the now-defunct Ponggol Zoo, located near the Johor Straits between the late 1920s and early 1940s, HDB said.

The zoo, owned by animal trader William Lawrence Soma Basapa, once had about 2,000 birds and 200 animals.

Basapa, who died in 1943, bought 11 hectares of seafront land in Punggol to house his expanding collection of animals and birds, which he relocated from a private zoo at his Serangoon Road family home.

The zoo — which was home to exotic animals from Australia, South Africa and the United States — was a key attraction in pre-war Singapore and was popular with residents and foreigners.

HDB said that the new housing project would celebrate the “colourful history” of the zoo.

There will be five thematic zones named Canopy Level Forest, Forest Floor, Grassland, Shoreline and Tropical Forest.

They will take inspiration from natural habitats, with the landscaping, communal-living and play spaces taking cues from these habitats.

For instance, animal and bird species found in the zoo will feature in the design of the signage, community-living spaces and outdoor furniture.

Native plant species will also figure in each zone. Native edible fruit trees, such as longan and nutmeg, will be a part of the Tropical Forest zone’s landscaping, and coastal trees with bigger leaves will be planted in the Shoreline zone.

In a first for a new BTO development, a special heritage walk will also wind through Punggol Point Crown. Storyboards with information about the zoo’s history, animals and well-known visitors will dot the animal-themed walk. This will allow residents to “appreciate the significance of the zoo in the rich history of Punggol town”, HDB said.

On the ground in certain sections, there will be designs of tiger stripes and animal footprints, along with junction markers celebrating the zoo’s milestone years.

PUNGGOL’S PAST AS FISHING VILLAGE

At the nearby Punggol Point Cove, the housing estate will feature design elements reminiscent of the sea, such as fishing nets and waves, in a nod to Punggol’s beginnings as a fishing village, and later, as a fishing port.

Taking residents back to the kampungs, or villages, of yore, each block will have its own courtyards. “Sky bridges” at the 10th storey will connect most of the blocks, providing more spaces for residents to interact.

As for the landscaped areas, three zones named Beach, Contemporary and Forest will separately evoke the natural character of the Punggol beach, contemporary building designs and a forest along the Old Punggol Road Heritage Trail.

There will also be thematic gardens, such as “rain gardens” that attract dragonflies and flowering gardens with native plants that draw birds and butterflies.

The heights of the blocks at Punggol Point Cove will also be staggered, affording vistas of the sea and Punggol Promenade.