New sports centre, polyclinic, library and town park in Toa Payoh to be ready by 2030
CONSTRUCTION of the Toa Payoh Integrated Development, which will comprise a regional sports centre, polyclinic, public library and regional town park, is expected to be completed by 2030, national agency Sport Singapore (SportSG) announced on Sunday (Feb 26).
Among the proposed sporting facilities are swimming pools; indoor sports halls; sheltered tennis, futsal and netball courts; a gymnasium; fitness studios; and a football stadium. There are also plans to house the national training centres for aquatics, netball and table tennis there.
The development will occupy a 12-hectare space between Lorong 6 Toa Payoh and the Pan-Island Expressway.
SportSG chief executive Lim Teck Yin noted how the current Toa Payoh Sport Centre has been a venue for many major events held in the Republic, such as the South-east Asia Peninsular Games in 1973, the SEA Games in 1983, 1993, 2015, and the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010.
The International Table Tennis Federation Women’s World Cup was also staged at the indoor sports hall in Toa Payoh in 2011.
Mr Lim said: “Above all, many residents come to the sport centre for their weekly sporting activities and exercise. The new integrated development is part of our efforts to bring quality sporting infrastructure closer to the community.
“Once completed, it will build on its heritage and be a boon to sports fans and the active lifestyles of many Singaporeans. With the amenities and services provided by our co-location partners, Singaporeans can look forward to a more vibrant space to create new memories and experiences together.”
The Toa Payoh Integrated Development and Punggol Regional Sports Centre are part of the Sports Facilities Master Plan, a key initiative of national sports blueprint Vision 2030.
The Punggol centre was originally scheduled to be completed by 2023 but will be ready at the end of 2024. It will have a 5,000-seat football stadium, a swimming complex with five pools, an indoor sports hall with 20 badminton courts and a team sports hall with three convertible basketball courts. It will also have a gym, fitness studio, sheltered tennis and futsal courts, a water activity centre and an archery training centre.
The Toa Payoh project is a multi-agency collaboration by SportSG, the Ministry of Health, National Library Board, National Parks Board and National Healthcare Group Polyclinics.
A public road show held at the weekend at the HDB Hub atrium in Toa Payoh lets residents view the design for the upcoming development and share their feedback.
“We will continue to rejuvenate our town, so that Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC and Marymount SMC will remain a good home for residents of all ages,” said Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport Chee Hong Tat, who is an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, in a statement.
“I thank our agencies and partners for working together on this project, which will allow our residents to benefit from the upgraded polyclinic, library, park and sporting facilities.”
In 2014, the National Parks Board called a tender for a feasibility study to look into bringing together Toa Payoh’s park, library and stadium with the aim of improving residents’ quality of life.
Possible changes in Toa Payoh were first mentioned in the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Draft Master Plan 2013. Singapore’s second-oldest housing estate after Queenstown, Toa Payoh was picked partly because it already has facilities like a town park and library. THE STRAITS TIMES
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