9,000 housing units, including HDB, to be built on Keppel Club site

About 9,000 housing units - both public and private - will be built on the site of Keppel Club as part of the future Greater Southern Waterfront (GSW), said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

There will be private and public housing elsewhere too, he added yesterday during his National Day Rally speech, confirming for the first time that the mega waterfront development will have Housing Board flats.

In sketching out what the GSW will look like, Mr Lee said the entire area will be twice the size of Punggol town.

"Think of it as Punggol by the Bay," he quipped.

First announced in 2013, the GSW comprises 30km of coastline stretching from the Bay East area to Pasir Panjang.

It contains 2,000ha of land - six times the size of Marina Bay and twice the size of Punggol.

Mr Lee noted that prime land will be freed up for redevelopment after PSA moves its city terminals in Tanjong Pagar, Keppel and Pulau Brani to Tuas by 2027, as well as Pasir Panjang terminal by 2040.

The moves will "be an opportunity to reshape the GSW into a new place to live, work and play", he said.

On the housing element, Keppel Club will become one of the first developments in the zone, he said, showing an artist's impression of what the area would look like, though he added in jest the homes would not pop up "quite so fast".

The private golf club, whose lease expires in two years and which sits on a 44ha plot, is in between two MRT stations and near Labrador Nature Reserve.

The waterfront will be a commercial node, said Mr Lee, noting several big companies have offices near Labrador Park, such as Google, Cisco and Unilever.

"We will develop more office space in the GSW... which will bring in more jobs," he said.

"People can work near where they live, and live near where they work. This will create life and activity during the day and at night."

RECREATION OPTIONS

Mr Lee also highlighted the recreation options that will come into the area, starting with the redevelopment of two old power stations in Pasir Panjang.

The authorities launched a competition calling for ideas and winning proposals will be showcased at the end of the year.

Mr Lee also announced the possibility of a "Downtown South" resort on Pulau Brani.

On how these plans came about, Mr Lee said during a Cabinet meeting, labour chief Ng Chee Meng had asked: "NTUC is very grateful to the Government for Downtown East. How about a Downtown South?"

Mr Ng was referring to the labour movement-run lifestyle hub in Pasir Ris that hosts, among other things, a resort, amusement park, event spaces and shops.

"I said, okay, we will do that," Mr Lee said last night.

Pulau Brani is between the main island of Singapore and Sentosa, near Keppel Harbour.

A large part of the island makes up the current Brani Terminal, which is among the PSA city terminals that will move to the Tuas mega port by 2027.

"We will make this gesture, to thank our workers for all their contributions to the nation, because Singapore is for all of us," said Mr Lee.

Meanwhile, Sentosa's beach areas will be revitalised while its nature and heritage trails will be expanded.

The GSW will be linked up to surrounding green areas, such as from West Coast Park to East Coast Park, and connecting the Rail Corridor and Sentosa.

"With a new green heart in the centre, Singapore will be even more of a City in a Garden," Mr Lee said.