Rooftop badminton court among upcoming facilities in housing estates

A badminton court on the rooftop of a multi-storey carpark, a 400m running track that weaves in and out of Housing Board blocks, and more sheltered multi-use courts so that games do not have to stop when it rains.

These are among plans for new sports facilities that will be built in housing estates across the island over the coming years, under an initiative to make a wider range of exercise equipment and play spaces available in public housing estates.

More MPs and town councils are tapping the Sport-in-Precinct (SIP) scheme to build these facilities in housing estates, checks by The Straits Times show.

At least five estates are getting SIP projects by the end of 2026, with tenders for another two projects set to be called in 2025, according to MPs.

They are among 24 SIP projects currently in various stages of development across Singapore.

About 10 SIP projects have been completed since the scheme was launched in 2014. The initiative involves MPs and town councils working with Sport Singapore (SportSG) to plan for and conceptualise these facilities, which are funded by the national agency.

ST spoke to six MPs, who said the SIP projects will make sports facilities more accessible for residents of varying ages and abilities. They hope this will encourage residents to maintain an active lifestyle.

The new facilities will also bring residents closer together and foster strong community bonds, they added.

The SIP projects are part of the Sports Facilities Master Plan, which, among other things, aims to improve accessibility to sporting facilities by locating them within a 10-minute walk from housing estates by around 2030, said a SportSG spokesperson.

 

Among the SIP projects that will open in 2025 is one in Choa Chu Kang Avenue 7 that includes a sheltered basketball court, fitness corner and playground.

These will be built beside a BMX track that will be part of the Singapore Cycling Federation’s upcoming BMX Academy in Brickland.

Mr Don Wee, an MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC, said he hopes that residents in his Brickland ward, which has many young families, will benefit from a diverse range of activities, such as cycling workshops for children.

Students at the nearby APSN Delta Senior School, a purpose-built vocational school for those with special needs, will also be able to play wheelchair basketball at the SIP facility’s sheltered basketball court, said Mr Wee.

The integrated project is expected to be fully completed in June, he said.

MPs who spoke to ST said the SIP projects in their wards tap underutilised spaces in public housing estates.

Ms Rachel Ong, an MP for West Coast GRC, said the rooftop of the multi-storey carpark at Block 19A Dover Crescent will be transformed into a facility that features a 200m running track, sheltered multi-use courts for sports like badminton, a fitness corner, table tennis tables and a mezzanine level with an events space.

“The top floor of the carpark has always been underutilised because not many vehicles are parked there. So we thought to maximise it and turn it into a sports and recreation venue where there is something for everyone,” she said.

Ms Ong, who added that the project was designed in consultation with residents who shared what their preferences were, said construction works are set to begin in April.

Meanwhile, residents in Zhenghua will get a 400m running track that snakes between blocks 615 and 623 in Senja Road, where a new SIP facility will be built.

Mr Edward Chia, an MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, said some residents had shared that they would like a place to train for the 2.4km run – part of the individual physical proficiency test that full-time national servicemen and operationally ready national servicemen have to do – but did not want to have to drive or take public transport to stadiums in the west.

Mr Chia added that the project, which also involves upgrading an existing basketball court at the estate and building a shelter over it, has been designed as a circuit of play spaces and fitness stations for both adults and seniors.

Construction is expected to start in the first half of 2025, he said.

The SportSG spokesperson said grassroots advisers, residents and other stakeholders have given positive feedback about the existing SIP projects, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, which underscored the importance for people to have recreational and sporting spaces close to their homes.

 

Sembawang resident Ansar Khan, 43, said the opening of the SIP facility next to Block 508C Wellington Circle in September 2022 meant that he now only has to walk across the road from his block to exercise at a fitness corner, instead of walking five minutes to another block.

“This fitness corner has a lot more variety – there are ropes you can hang on to train your strength and magnetic bell weights. Sometimes, I also bring my two kids with me because they find the exercises interesting,” said the civil servant, who has lived in the area for about 10 years.

He added that there are also QR codes at the fitness corner that residents can scan with their phones to learn the correct techniques for each exercise.