Two new parks to link Central Catchment area, Tengah
Two new parks are part of newly announced Bukit Batok Nature Corridor, which will feature over 125ha of nature parks, 10km of trails
Two new parks will be part of a nature corridor that connects the Central Nature Park Network and the future Tengah Forest Corridor.
The first, Bukit Batok Hillside Nature Park, will be located between Bukit Batok West Avenue 2 and Bukit Batok West Avenue 5. The 8.9ha facility, about the size of 12 football fields, is slated to open in 2024.
The second, the 16ha Bukit Batok Central Nature Park, will be in the forested area next to the Civil Service Club @ Bukit Batok, but its launch date has not been set.
The two parks will be part of the newly announced Bukit Batok Nature Corridor, which will consist of more than 125ha of nature parks and 10km of trails, said Minister for National Development Desmond Lee yesterday.
The National Parks Board (NParks) said it has been working with other agencies on linking Tengah and the Central Catchment area since 2014, with other features in the corridor, such as the Bukit Gombak Park, set to open next year.
Mr Lee said the parks act as stepping stones within the existing network of green spaces between Bukit Timah and Tengah, and provide food and shelter for native flora and fauna.
He also acknowledged there have been concerns about the impact of upcoming developments in Bukit Batok and Tengah on biodiversity in these areas, and said the Government aims to strike a balance between development and nature conservation in its planning approach.
One result of such an approach is the upcoming Bukit Batok Hillside Nature Park.
ASSESSMENT
The Ministry of National Development said in October it conducted an environmental impact assessment to guide the development of the site and engaged members of the nature community in August last year on the development of the Bukit Batok Hillside Nature Park area, adding that their feedback and suggestions shaped the findings and recommendations of the study.
It also said then that both the stream and a catchment area will be retained in the future park, as per the study's recommendations.
The two features lie in an area that was rezoned from residential use to park use in the Urban Redevelopment Authority's Masterplan.
Mr Lee also announced enhancements to the Dairy Farm Nature Park, located in Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan's Cashew ward in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC and part of the Central Nature Park Network.
A new exhibition at the Wallace Education Centre, located in Dairy Farm Nature Park, was opened by Mr Lee yesterday.
It is the largest permanent exhibition in Singapore on British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace that introduces visitors to Wallace and his theories of evolution and natural selection, NParks said.
The centre is open every Tuesday to Sunday from 8.30am to 5pm.
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