Paya Lebar Air Base’s relocation will allow redevelopment of Hougang, Marine Parade, Punggol

BESIDES freeing up land for 150,000 new homes in Paya Lebar, the relocation of Paya Lebar Air Base will mean the lifting of some building height restrictions around it, allowing for the redevelopment of towns such as Hougang, Marine Parade and Punggol, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the National Day Rally on Sunday (Aug 21).

In these towns, more amenities can be added and better use can be made of the space, he said. “It won’t happen overnight. But over decades, we can completely reimagine the eastern part of Singapore.”

Although the relocation of the airbase is expected to start in the 2030s, the Urban Redevelopment Authority is already engaging the public and industry partners to explore redevelopment concepts, said PM Lee.

The 150,000 new homes that can be built on the vacated land is “roughly what we have in Punggol plus Sengkang today”, he said.

The redeveloped Paya Lebar town can also make use of the air base’s existing 3.8 km runway, he said. As the runway is aligned along the direction of prevailing winds, orienting the future town parallel to the runway will make it naturally breezy.

The runway itself could be repurposed into the town’s central spine, as a green connector or community space running through it, with housing on either side, he said.

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In his speech, the prime minister also assuaged concerns that Singapore might “run out of space” or that housing will not be available or affordable. The government has done its studies and planning, and there will be “enough space for future generations”, said PM Lee.

“Our problem is not finding the space to build enough flats, nor keeping homes affordable for Singaporeans; we know how to do that. Our problem is having enough babies to grow up and live in them,” he quipped.

Click here for the full list of stories from the National Day Rally 2022.