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Upgraded swimming complex, new park connector part of Ang Mo Kio rejuvenation plan

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Residents in Ang Mo Kio can look forward to an upgraded swimming complex and a new park connector as part of a rejuvenated town centre.

The current Ang Mo Kio Swimming Complex in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, which has a lap pool, will be renamed the ActiveSG Park @ Ang Mo Kio.

It will house several new sports facilities such as a sheltered swimming pool, a gym and an indoor fitness studio.

More details on ActiveSG Park @ Ang Mo Kio, including its timeline for completion, will be revealed later by national agency Sport Singapore.

Housewife Saeadah Ahamed, 56, who has lived in the estate for 25 years, said: “I am quite excited because I can take my two-week-old grandson to use the new facilities, like the sheltered swimming pool.”

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said residents in Ang Mo Kio have many things to look forward to in the Year of the Rabbit, including the rejuvenation of their estate.

Speaking at a Chinese New Year community event on Saturday at Ang Mo Kio Central Stage in Avenue 6, PM Lee, who is also an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, noted it was one of the older towns in Singapore.

PM Lee said: “We have kept it a vibrant, happy place. And every year, we refresh our plans, we roll out ideas for new homes, improve schools, new parks, new cycling ways, new facilities, keeping everything up to date, but this is a work which never ends.”

An exhibition showcasing the redesign and upgrading of the amenities and facilities in Ang Mo Kio over the next few years was opened on Saturday and will run till Jan 28.

PM Lee had announced the rejuvenation of Ang Mo Kio town centre in August 2022, and the first phase of the town centre’s upgrading project will stretch from the square outside AMK Hub and 51@AMK to the outdoor shopping street, through to the Ang Mo Kio Central Stage.

It will end near Block 720 in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6, close to Jubilee Square.

Work on the first phase of the town centre’s upgrading project will start in the first quarter of 2023 and will be completed by the end of 2024.

The town centre will be upgraded with sheltered rest areas and improved barrier-free access for the elderly and wheelchair users.

The current playground beside Ang Mo Kio Central Stage will be revamped and named the Saga Seed Playground.

Children will be able to walk on hammocks or tumble on sprawling nets there, inspired by the red seeds of the saga tree.

Said PM Lee: “So, every year, we think of what are we going to do next year and every few years, we review our plans, and we look ahead and put all the ideas together, and we show the residents.

“This is what we can look forward to.” 

Among other plans for Ang Mo Kio is a new park at Lentor Hills Estate, about 8ha in size and scheduled to be completed progressively starting from the end of 2024.

The park will link the Central Catchment Nature Reserve to Khatib Nature Corridor. It will combine an existing forested hillock with a new therapeutic garden and a nature play garden.

The park will also be connected to a new 1km-long park connector at Lentor Canal that will be completed by end-2024.

The park connector will link residents to a larger recreational network including Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park and other neighbouring green spaces, providing more opportunities for nature-based activities.

There will also be more new public housing projects like Yio Chu Kang Beacon near Yio Chu Kang MRT station, which is expected to be ready in 2024. 

New and extended MRT lines are also in the works. The Cross Island Line Phase 1, which comprises 12 stations from Aviation Park to Bright Hill, is expected to be completed by 2030.

Ang Mo Kio