'rural' Singapore - Lim Chu Kang

[redstone]

So commercialised...

[Srakovski]

I think i can try to take some pics of Lim Chu Kang. Live near that area, can cycle there!

[Srakovski]

Here are some pic i took in the evening.. may be a little blur and dark as i was on the road enjoy!

[RafflesCity]

was that along Lim Chu Kang Rd?

its dark but seems very peaceful...just beware the mosquitoes!

[Srakovski]

Originally Posted by RafflesCity

was that along Lim Chu Kang Rd?

its dark but seems very peaceful...just beware the mosquitoes!

Yeah there were lots!

[RafflesCity]

SLA awards 3 land parcels in Lim Chu Kang for agri-tainment

28 Dec 06



SINGAPORE: Singapore's all set to have its first agri-tainment areas with farm stays, outdoor recreation in the wild and even an outdoor spa in rustic Lim Chu Kang.

Three land parcels – the size of nine soccer fields – have been awarded for use as agriculture cum recreation and entertainment.

The Singapore Land Authority has awarded the contracts for the 20-year land leases to two companies.

HLH Agri R&D won the bid at S$880,000 for the biggest land parcel, which at 50,000 square metres, is about the size of six soccer fields.

Yoli Technologies secured the contract for two other plots at S$875,000. Together, the size of these two plots is nearly 28,000 square metres.

SLA says a total of 12 bids were received, eight for agri-tainment uses and four for agriculture uses.

The planning intention is to capitalise on Lim Chu Kang's existing rural character and the nature areas to further enhance its rustic appeal for more Singaporeans to appreciate the place as a recreational destination.

The allowable uses for agri-tainment are restricted to those which are compatible with the rustic character of the area – for example, outdoor recreational activities.

SLA also commends the awardees for taking the bold initiatives to turn Lim Chu Kang into a rustic recreational hinterland.

SLA's Deputy Director of Land Sales, Mr Teo Jing Kok, said: "We are pleased to award the sites. Firstly, SLA would like to applaud the efforts and the visions of all the entrepreneurs that tendered for the three sites. These entrepreneurs are willing to get out of their comfort zones and try out something new and different to help make Singapore a better and more exciting place to live, work and play in.

"SLA will continue to work closely with the awardees and other tenderers, existing farmers and other government agencies to formulate win-win strategies for subsequent land sales of agri-tainment and agricultural sites.

"Secondly, we thank the awardees for their support for the land sales and, more importantly, for taking the bold initiatives to turn Lim Chu Kang into a rustic recreational hinterland."

By S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia

[RafflesCity]

Plans for chalets, spa and research centre at Kranji plot

16 Jan 07



BY NEXT year, visitors can pop up to Kranji for a farmstay, to relax at a spa, stroll through rows of corn and learn how coffee is produced.
The company that recently obtained a 5.1ha plot in the area in a government tender is building up to 20 chalets, a spa, a restaurant, a fishing pond and stores to sell produce.

A subsidiary of listed group PDC Corp bagged the 20-year lease site for $880,000. The farm plot in Neo Tiew Lane 2 was among the first to be released by the Government since it eased rules allowing farmers to incorporate commercial and recreational facilities on their land.

PDC's farmstay will be the second in the area. Landscape company Nyee Phoe Group is building four kampung-style chalets on its premises in Neo Tiew Crescent. They are expected to be ready by the end of this year.

PDC's farmstay will complement the agricultural research centre it plans to open to develop corn hybrids for its 40,000ha plantation in Sumatra. That plantation is more than half the size of Singapore.

Beverage company Super Coffeemix Manufacturing signed a deal with PDC yesterday to showcase coffee production methods at the research centre. PDC, in turn, will supply Super Coffeemix with coffee beans it cultivates in Sumatra.

Unveiling the plans yesterday, PDC said the research centre will conduct educational tours for local visitors as well as tourists. Glass-fronted research labs would enable visitors to get a close-up view of the laboratories, said chief operating officer Veronica Gan.

She added: 'Families can go fishing and, at the same time, enjoy the night breeze and have dinner there. The ladies can go to the spa. They can also do some shopping there.'

She said other companies may be roped in to run the spa and restaurant.

PDC, which is also developing a light industrial and commercial building off MacPherson Road, estimates it will invest at least $5 million in the research centre.


By Tan Hui Yee

[klavah]

Four sites in Sungei Tengah awarded for agricultural use

Nov 23, 2007


The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has awarded four land parcels at Sungei Tengah for agricultural use to three companies.
Environmental Landscape Pte Ltd was awarded the two largest sites. The other two land parcels were awarded to Dragonwana Aquarium Trading and public-listed Qian Hu Corporation Limited.

All three submitted the highest bids for the sites which were offered for sale on 20-year leases.

SLA's Deputy Director of Land Sales, Mr Teo Jing Kok, said: 'The rustic charm and good accessibility of the Sungei Tengah area are evident for us to see..I am confident that these successful bidders will make their entrepreneurial visions a reality and come up with interesting proposals to attract us to visit their farms.

[kurakura]

Originally Posted by klavah

Four sites in Sungei Tengah awarded for agricultural use

Nov 23, 2007


The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has awarded four land parcels at Sungei Tengah for agricultural use to three companies.
Environmental Landscape Pte Ltd was awarded the two largest sites. The other two land parcels were awarded to Dragonwana Aquarium Trading and public-listed Qian Hu Corporation Limited.

All three submitted the highest bids for the sites which were offered for sale on 20-year leases.

SLA's Deputy Director of Land Sales, Mr Teo Jing Kok, said: 'The rustic charm and good accessibility of the Sungei Tengah area are evident for us to see..I am confident that these successful bidders will make their entrepreneurial visions a reality and come up with interesting proposals to attract us to visit their farms.

singapore has no competitive advantage in agri. hmmm...how come the govt want to release them for such purposes. to plant truffles?

[klavah]

Forgive me if I'm wrong but I think there's alot of military activites in the area so I don't think the land there have much uses.

The gov might also be trying to be a little self-sufficient?

[pierre-laurent]

deleted

[pierre-laurent]

i'm just surprised that there still is such a non-used lands in singapore. it's nice﹐but why have they not been used before?

[chinatown]

i think it's better to leave it as it is now, S'pore need more open green space like this.

[patcheon]

Originally Posted by pierre-laurent

i'm just surprised that there still is such a non-used lands in singapore. it's nice﹐but why have they not been used before?

Actually witness part of the transformation of Old Lim Chu Kang (LCK) area to the present during my NS days during the early 90's. Was in recce then and LCK area was one of our 'playground'. At the beginning of my recce days, the area is filled with small farms or all sorts, Chicken farms, duck farms and vegetable farms etc. Actually one of the chicken farms in the area was my PC's home and he always make sure one of the navigation check points was right at his front gate. The HDB area at the intersection of Neo Teo and Lim Chu Kang Road used to be a buzzing center. There were full of shops , a functioning market and hawker center. Used to be a very popular rest and canteen break point for tired troops then, and also a hot spot for controllers to catch exercise troops trying to buy a cold drink or snack too. Lot's of fun.

Eventually through my service days, the villagers starts to move out. And the place become more and more deserted. And the area become more and more eerie at night, but for us, we were mostly so concentrating on our mission and also so tired that we dun feel much. But the dark empty old shophouses at night around the HDB area(now torn down) does gives me a sad feeling. I always love the rural lifestyle. The villages are living such simple lives and friendly too. Same feelings when the similar happened to Ulu Sambawang area.

As time goes by, by the time at the last few months of NSF, the whole area north of Neo Teo Road was bulldozed. The whole area was yellow soil and our familar roads were being wiped off. At the end, only Neo Teo Road remains more or less untouched. At that time, Sungei Tengah area, the new generation of farms started to move in.

Left Singapore after NS for a few years and on my return, Lim Chu Kang had transformed to the present form. At least, glad to see that the area was not transformed to another HDB estate like Hong Kar/Chao Chu Kang area, which was another of our "playground" or Ulu Sambawang area where half of it totally disappeared while the remaining parts are mostly no longer accessible.

Well, have to accept to lots of changes to our land scares island. It was those days that I began to have a concept that any area, no matter what was built on it, could be totally wiped off by planners and transformed to another landscape without leaving a trace of the original form if the planners wanted it to be. But those days were fun. We even had an unofficial map of where good fruit trees were, left behind by relocated villagers, all around rural parts of Singapore then.

[RafflesCity]

I certainly hope they do not urbanise Lim Chu Kang for as long as possible, and not until they've intensified landuse elsewhere by redeveloping existing HDB estates. Anyway Lim Chu Kang's potential is constrained by the existing airbase and other military areas.

Originally Posted by kurakura

singapore has no competitive advantage in agri. hmmm...how come the govt want to release them for such purposes. to plant truffles?

I dont think agriculture for export is the intention, as these sites were tagged as 'agritainment' - theyre not meant to be intensive and allow some recreational elements

[ransoma22]

Used to stay in Lim Chu Kang, Opposite Lorong Tukol (where the Singtel station is) for 5 years until 1984 before shifting out to HDB flat in Jurong.
Missed that place totally for the carefree lifestlye...
Ama Keng, Neo Tiew HDB flats (the famous playground in circular shape).....
The place where i stayed had became part of Lim Chu Kang Camp I. it now shaped like a knoll and totally look different....

[Charging Bull]

S'pore's first farm resort in Lim Chu Kang to offer villas
By Cheryl Lim, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 08 April 2008 2058 hrs


Photos 1 of 1

A farm at Lim Chu Kang



SINGAPORE: Lim Chu Kang looks all set for a change if the Singapore Land Authority’s plans for the first agri-tainment resort work out.

Developers of the agri-tainment farm resort hope to offer visitors a more unconventional experience when it opens its doors in August 2008.

Visitors will be able to find out how crops like corn and coffee are grown and may even get the chance to harvest their own vegetables.

In addition, the five-hectare site, which is equal to the size of six football fields, will have 21 villas and a nearby spa. And the villas will be going for up to S$200 a night.

HLH Agri International is paying S$880,000 for a 20-year lease which it admits is 'cheap'.

It plans to sub-lease 21 plots to entrepreneurs and will charge 10 per cent of their total earnings in management fees.

Dr Tan Siang Hee, CEO of HLH Agri International, said: "We're going to create the opportunity for people to have a storefront. They can be planting from somewhere else and bringing in the product. Or in another sense, they could be planting within the 700 square metres that we give them as a demonstration port."

HLH has refused to disclose other financial details.

Each operator will be given a two-year operating permit that will be renewable subject to the overall performance of the operator.

Interested operators will be able to operate rent-free and will only have to pay a minimum management fee.

Operators will need to submit a business plan specifying crop type.

Other nearby farm owners that Channel NewsAsia spoke with said they don't feel threatened by the new resort farm and expect it to help renew interest in the industry.

Developers are aiming to draw 500,000 local and foreign visitors a year with plans to increase that number to 650,000 by 2012. - CNA/vm

[RafflesCity]

Plans to up countryside charm in two areas

22 May 08

Lim Chu Kang, Kranji to be developed into 'weekend refuge', with farm stays and spas

By Lim Wei Chean

FANS of the lush farms in Lim Chu Kang and the serenity of Kranji's Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve can look forward to more outdoor activities in Singapore's small slice of countryside.
Under a plan unveiled by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan yesterday, Lim Chu Kang and Kranji have been earmarked for several new leisure activities, from kayaking to farm stays.

The goal is to turn the areas into a 'weekend refuge' for urbanites, said Mr Mah.

The blueprint is part of a bigger five-year review of the masterplan for Singapore's development, which will be announced tomorrow.

It will include a new emphasis on the laidback countryside charm of Lim Chu Kang, now dotted with 115 fish, goat and vegetable farms.

Three new sites will be released for the 'agri-tainment' business, a sector that includes farm stays, countryside spas and centres that teach urban dwellers the appeal of farming.


In Kranji - already home to the 130ha Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve - land will be set aside for two new parks totalling 21ha.

Besides the current 2km-long Kranji Nature Trail, new paths are being created to make another 17ha of the mangrove swamps in the Kranji Marshes accessible to the public.

Sea sports enthusiasts can also look forward to kayaking on the Kranji Reservoir and other non-motorised boating activities.

Mr Mah announced the plans yesterday at the Singapore Institute of Architects' annual dinner at Suntec convention centre.

The area, he said, will be 'developed into an attractive weekend refuge for urban dwellers'.

Farmers in Kranji and Lim Chu Kang welcomed the news that the area has been set aside as a playground for Singaporeans.

It is something the farmers who formed the Kranji Countryside Association have been trying to do for the past few years. They have organised annual events such as the Spring Festival during Chinese New Year to promote the area and attract visitors.

Mrs Ivy Singh-Lim, president of the association, said their aim now is to 'bring back the fireflies within five years'. The bugs, once plentiful in Singapore, died out years ago because of development.

Her only worry is that the developments will become too artificial, ruining the area's rustic charm.

[RafflesCity]

Retreat to a farm in Kranji

3 Aug 08

You don't have to leave Singapore to enjoy a farm stay. The D'Kranji Farm Resort in Lim Chu Kang lets you commune with nature



It has sleek wooden flooring and stylish Balinese furnishings. Its open-air bathroom opens up to a small, tranquil garden. It even has its own pebbled driveway that comes with an automated gate.
This resort villa is not in popular Bali or Phuket, but right here in rural Kranji.

It is one of 19 farmstay villas that will open at the new D'Kranji Farm Resort in Lim Chu Kang next month.

Developed at a cost of $10 million, the 5ha lifestyle-cum-agriculture resort (about the size of six football fields) will also feature a wellness spa, seafood restaurant, beer garden, fruit plantation, herb garden and a coffee museum.

Developed by mainboard-listed company HLH Group, which has interests in property development, building construction and agriculture, the resort has been flooded with enquiries and bookings since plans for it were announced last year.

Each air-conditioned 21 sq m villa (nearly the size of a one-room flat) comes with a double bed, bathroom and balcony.

Modelled on the rooms of a five-star hotel, they also offer room service, housekeeping and wireless Internet connection.

Accounts executive Juridah Ibrahim, 28, who made a booking in June, tells LifeStyle: 'I don't have to travel out of Singapore to experience a farmstay. Also, it's a unique getaway and I am looking forward to discover Lim Chu Kang.'

Although admission to D'Kranji is free, the villas won't come cheap. LifeStyle understands that each room could cost at least $200 a night.

The resort is expecting over 70 per cent occupancy rate over the next four months, says Dr Tan Siang Hee, 40, chief executive officer of HLH Agri International, which operates D'Kranji.

In 2005, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) eased its rules to let farms open shops, restaurants and farmstays. The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) followed up the following year by putting up vacant state land for tender for agricultural entertainment uses in Lim Chu Kang.

Mr Teo Jing Kok, SLA's deputy director of lease management & sales, says: 'The agri-tainment uses enable entrepreneurs to try something different to make Singapore a more exciting place to live, work and play.'

In 2006, HLH's wholly-owned subsidiary HLH Agri R & D won the bid for the largest of three plots of land in Lim Chu Kang at $880,000 on a 20-year lease.

Construction and building firm Yoli Technologies won the bid for the other two plots of land, also earmarked for agri-tainment, at $476,336 and $398,000.

Dr Tan tells LifeStyle: 'We are targeting 60 per cent locals and the rest are foreign visitors. They will include families, schools and corporate companies who come here for retreats.'

He says the resort will not be adding more rooms as it has to comply with URA's guidelines of building up to a maximum of 300 sq m for hospitality purposes.

But D'Kranji will not be the only operator offering farmstays at Lim Chu Kang. The Nyee Phoe Group, which runs a 2.2-ha flower farm, will be building four villas to be completed by the end of this year.

At D'Kranji, visitors can go on free educational tours to learn about the agriculture products at the farm, which will incorporate a herb garden with over 30 types of herbs such as basil, sage and lemon balm.

Its 21 farming plots will offer crops such as dragon fruit, corn, guava and mango- steen for sale.

There will also be a 1,000 sq m corn field and 1,000 sq m padi field at the education facility, says Dr Tan.

Business owners in Lim Chu Kang welcome the new farm. Says Mrs Ivy-Singh Lim, 58, who runs the Bollywood Veggies organic farm next door: 'The new farm will enhance the lifestyle offerings in Lim Chu Kang. They will draw many more visitors, which is beneficial for all of us.'

Next January, Bollywood Veggies will incorporate a $500,000 culinary school called Bollywood Bhanccha (Warrior's Kitchen in Nepalese).

SLA's Mr Teo says: 'The entrepreneurs are taking the bold initiatives to turn Lim Chu Kang into a rustic recreational hinterland.'

Meanwhile, Dr Tan wants to draw 500,000 visitors to his farm annually, which is about 1,400 visitors daily. To achieve this, the resort will provide a free shuttle service every 45 minutes from Yew Tee MRT station next month.

This is in addition to the existing hourly shuttle service from Kranji MRT station to Lim Chu Kang from 9am to 5pm, provided by Kranji Countryside Association. A round trip costs $2 for adults and $1 for children.

Giving a tour of D'Kranji, which now has 22 employees, Dr Tan adds: 'While staying here, visitors can take the opportunity to explore Lim Chu Kang. There are many types of farms to visit here.'


By Cara Van Miriah
Straits Times

[villagegirl]

Originally Posted by patcheon

Well, have to accept to lots of changes to our land scares island. It was those days that I began to have a concept that any area, no matter what was built on it, could be totally wiped off by planners and transformed to another landscape without leaving a trace of the original form if the planners wanted it to be. But those days were fun. We even had an unofficial map of where good fruit trees were, left behind by relocated villagers, all around rural parts of Singapore then.

Really enjoyed reading your memory of Lim Chu Kang. I know you posted this quite a while ago, but I came to this site late...I'm curious about the "unofficial map" you said you and your army pals had--any chance you might still have it? Any chance I might get a copy of it?