New town Tengah integrates nature into estate

WHERE?

The new town of Tengah will occupy about 700ha of land - about the size of Bishan town.

It will be bounded by the Kranji Expressway (KJE), Pan-Island Expressway (PIE), Brickland Road and Bukit Batok Road.

The area, which is currently used as a military training ground, will feature five new housing districts: Plantation District, Garden District, Park District, Brickland District and Forest Hill District.

GREEN LIVING: The five housing districts and industrial estate of Tengah. PHOTO: HOUSING DEVELOPMENT BOARD

Also coming up is an "industrial estate of tomorrow" called the Jurong Innovation District. The Housing Board (HDB) says it will offer jobs on advanced manufacturing and engineering-related sectors.

WHAT?

There will be about 30,000 units of public housing and 12,000 private housing units.

According to town planners, they will integrate guidelines from the Smart HDB Town Framework, which was introduced in 2014. This means residents can look forward to smarter homes and estates.

For instance, the frameworktalks about fans that activate based on temperature and humidity levels. It also talks about lights that only come on when sensors detect movement.

WHEN?

The first batch of flats will be launched in the Plantation District from 2018.

FYI:

An exhibition of the plans for Tengah will be held from Sept 9 to Sept 25 at the HDB Hub in Toa Payoh. The public exhibition will open daily from 9am to 8pm.

CAR-FREE TOWN CENTRE

Tengah town centre, set in a lush park, will be the first car-free HDB town centre.

Roads will be constructed underneath the town centre, offering residents a greener, car-lite and pedestrian-friendly environment.

There will also be walking and cycling paths on both sides of the road.

SAFE: There will be dedicated walking and cycling paths on both sides of the road. PHOTO: HOUSING DEVELOPMENT BOARD

Road networks will be able to support self-driving vehicles.

Singapore recently became the first country in the world to have on-demand driverless taxis, and kicked off a limited public trial in the one-north area about two weeks ago.

TEST: A trial for driverless taxis kicked off in the One-North area about two weeks ago. PHOTO: AFP

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

It will also be a convenient area for residents as most bus stops will be within 300m of their homes.

The bus services will be planned to facilitate intra-town connections to key amenities and inter-town connections to nearby MRT stations and key destinations including Jurong Lake District, Jurong Innovation District and Nanyang Technological University.

Tengah will be served by the Jurong Region Line, which is set to be completed in about 10 years.

EXTENSIVE GREENERY

The "Forest Town" concept will be integrated throughout.

A major feature is the 100m-wide and 5km- long Forest Corridor, where rainforest trees will be planted. Residents will be able to enjoy nature up close every day.

SAFE: The town will include a 100m-wide and 5km-long Forest Corridor, where rainforest trees will be planted. PHOTO: HOUSING DEVELOPMENT BOARD

The corridor will also connect the Western Water Catchment Area and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

Hiking trails will also be incorporated into it.

There will also be a large Central Park located at the heart of Tengah. It will be about 20ha, the size of Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West.

It will include a Forest Amphitheatre and water bodies such as the Tengah Pond and Forest Stream.

A continuous stretch of lush greenery called the Forest Fringe will surround the whole town.