Reviving Punggol

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This story was printed from TODAYonline

Horse-riding to be part of Punggol's 'rustic charm'

Thursday • December 21, 2006

Ansley Ng
ansley@mediacorp.com.sg

PLACID Punggol will soon get a facelift to morph into a vibrant seaside town, with sea sports clubs, seafront restaurants and even a horse-riding centre to turn on its "rustic charm".

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) yesterday released sale conditions for a reserve 1.16-hectare site at Punggol Point that will house a food-and-beverage development.

Other than restaurants that are likely to sprout along the coast, new attractions would include a horse-riding centre, a park and a park connector to join Punggol Park to Sengkang Park.

The URA said the horse-riding centre, which was proposed after residents showed interest, is expected to be released for tender in the first half of next year, while the park connector would be completed by 2009.

But the sale site for food-and-beverage development will only be launched for tender when the Government accepts the minimum purchase price from an interested party applying for the site to be put up for tender.

The successful developer will have up to four and a half years to complete the project. The developer can build to a maximum of 3,000 sq m gross floor area.

The URA said it has spoken to potential investors and "there are interested parties for the food-and-beverage development in the Punggol Point area".

The Rustic Coast Proposals, part of the 2002 Parks and Waterbodies and Identities Plan, aimed to link five coastal areas — Pulau Ubin, Changi Point, Pasir Ris, Coney Island and Punggol Point — and introduce new attractions and activities in the coastal areas, the URA said.

According to the plan, the area would boast a 15-km-long water frontage with a waterfront promenade that is 15m wide. There will also be "six to eight" recreation clubs with different themes — such as Beach Club or Country Club — run by Safra or NTUC, where people can access all clubs with just one membership.

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