Arab Street car park site to make way for new SUSS and Islamic studies campuses

[SINGAPORE] A land parcel of about 80,000 sq ft in the Bugis area, bounded by Ophir Road, Victoria Street and Arab Street, has been earmarked for redevelopment into new educational campuses.

The site, which has a gross plot ratio of 4.2 and currently houses a car park, was designated for commercial and residential use under the 2019 Master Plan.

A rezoning for educational institution use, proposed on Oct 17, will pave the way for the development of new campuses for the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and the Singapore College of Islamic Studies (SCIS).

Huttons Asia senior director of data analytics Lee Sze Teck noted that the site for the two campuses is centrally located, with the Bugis MRT interchange nearby providing accessibility for the students.

He added that while new homes are being introduced to make the downtown area a more vibrant place to live, work and play, the education aspect could be enhanced to complement the residential and retail uses.

ERA Singapore’s key executive officer Eugene Lim noted that the move to rezone the site use “supports efforts to revitalise the city centre by bringing a fresh and younger crowd”.

“The presence of students is likely to increase foot traffic to nearby shops, benefiting local businesses. Retailers may then respond by introducing more appealing and innovative offerings that suit students’ needs.”

Lim said a similar transformation took place at Fortune Centre, which was revived by the opening of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Nafa) and Lasalle College of the Arts nearby.

He added that the rezoning aligns with other initiatives such as the Strategic Development Incentive and the CBD Incentive Scheme, which aim to transform the urban environment. “Placing tertiary institutions alongside business hubs helps foster stronger industry-academia collaborations and synergy between companies and universities.”

In March, the Ministry of Education announced that SUSS would get a new campus – expected to be ready by the mid-2030s – on the former site and vicinity of Rochor Centre. The site, bounded by Rochor Road and Ophir Road, is adjacent to the Arab Street car park site.

The ministry said the accessibility of the central location would be a boon for both full-time students and working adults seeking further education.

SUSS offers programmes that cater to different learners, including working adults; many classes are held after work hours. It currently offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programmes through its five schools: the S R Nathan School of Human Development, School of Business, School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences, School of Science and Technology, and School of Law.

Chan Chun Sing, who was minister of education before the general election in May 2025, noted earlier this year that SUSS was occupying multiple rented premises, including space in the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) in Clementi Road and facilities in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. He said this was “not ideal” and that it was “time for SUSS to have its own, consolidated campus to accommodate its growing enrolment”.

ERA’s Lim said that with SUSS relocating to the new site, its Clementi campus would be returned to SIM.

The university has so far produced more than 47,000 graduates, and has more than 21,000 students in full and part-time studies. The new campus can reportedly accommodate about 40,000 students across all its programmes, up from the current 31,000.

In August, the government announced the establishment of the Singapore College of Islamic Studies, which will have its own campus at the former Rochor Centre site, next to the new SUSS campus. The college is expected to take in its first cohort of 60 students in 2028.