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Singapore Turf Club closure could field 30,000 new homes

/ EdgeProp Singapore |

June 6, 2023 1:05 PM SGT

Residential uses may be incorporated both on eastern and western portions of the turf club site as a logical extension of current residential uses, says ERA.

SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - On June 5, the Government announced that the Singapore Racecourse site in Kranji will have to close by March 2027. The 120-ha site will be used for housing and other developments. PropNex CEO Ismail Gafoor says the move “reflects the adaptability in the government’s approach to managing land use in Singapore, where land is scarce, but there are many competing needs for space”.

Potential redevelopment plans for the sprawling site beside Kranji MRT Station will likely add new public and private residential housing, public green spaces, commercial offerings, and other community services to that Northern region of Singapore, says PropNex. (Find Singapore commercial properties with our commercial directory)

The consultancy estimates that more than 30,000 new homes could be built on the site, assuming a gross plot ratio of 2.8 and an average unit size of 1,000 sq ft. However, the actual number will vary based on the final development plans.

Lee Sze Teck, senior director of research at Huttons Asia, observes that although the 120-ha site might be too small to be categorised as a new standalone township, it will extend the already mature Woodlands HDB town. He estimates up to 30,000 new homes could be developed on the land parcel.

Singapore Racecourse - EDGEPROP SINGAPORE

The Singapore Racecourse as it is currently depicted in the URA Master Plan. (Source: URA)

An analysis of the current master plan suggests where the future residential development could break ground, says Eugene Lim, key executive officer at ERA Realty Network. “Looking at the current surrounding land uses as shown in the Master Plan, residential uses may be incorporated both on eastern and western portions of the turf club site as a logical extension of current residential uses,” says Lim.

The western end of the land parcel along Turf Club Avenue might be prime for “low-rise condominiums or landed plots as “there are already existing landed properties at the Jalan Kasau area,” adds Lim. The rest of the site could be filled in with a mix of nature, sports, F&B, retail, and leisure as complementary land uses to support the residential uses in the area.

“The revamping of Kranji as a new town will support the ongoing development of the Woodlands Regional Centre, which is earmarked as the largest economic hub in Singapore’s north region,” says Gafoor, adding this will bolster the workforce to support industries projected to sprout up on Woodlands, Senoko, Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Kadut.

Lee also says that a catalyst is needed to propel Woodlands forward as a regional centre, adding that the closure of the Singapore Turf Club, founded in 1842, will give urban planners the room to rethink how to position Woodlands for the future.

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