SINGAPORE – Queenstown residents are set to get a new park that will be located next to an upcoming housing development in Mei Chin Road.
On Dec 8, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) published a proposed amendment to its masterplan, which indicated that a new park of about 1.4ha – equivalent in size to about two football fields – is in the works next to Queen’s Close.
The planned park incorporates space currently occupied by the Alexandra-Queensway Park Connector, as well as a stretch of mature trees next to Housing Board blocks in Queen’s Close.
Adjacent to the park site, a 3.2ha plot that is currently zoned for housing, subject to detailed planning, was assigned a gross plot ratio of 3.9.
This plot was previously occupied by the former Mei Chin Secondary and Primary schools, which were demolished by the HDB between 2022 and 2023.
URA’s proposed amendment shows that the Singapore Police Force’s Queensway Base, which currently houses the Special Operations Command (SOC), will likely be affected by the upcoming park.
At least one of the base’s decades-old blocks falls within the boundary of the proposed park.
Heritage blogger and author Jerome Lim said the three 10-storey blocks were built by the HDB in the 1960s to house policemen from the Reserve Unit and their families, as part of the development of the base.
The Reserve Unit was the precursor of the SOC, which was formed in 1992 and included the then Police Dog Unit and Police Tactical Team.
Based on URA’s masterplan, the roughly 6ha SOC compound is zoned for housing, subject to detailed planning.
Regarding the proposed masterplan amendment, URA said on its website that more details on development plans for the site will be shared when they are ready.
Asked for more details about the plans and how they would affect the SOC compound, URA and the police said they could not add more at this time.
Ms Christine Sun, senior vice-president of research and analytics at real estate firm OrangeTee & Tie, noted that the new homes in Mei Chin Road, when built, will join many new flats that are planned for Queenstown and Bukit Merah – most of which are slated for completion around 2028.
Near the Mei Chin Road plot, upcoming Build-To-Order projects include the 996-unit Queensway Canopy and the 610-unit Queen’s Arc.
With the forthcoming influx of homes in the area, Ms Sun said existing transport links and amenities may need to be enhanced – something the planned park could address.
Mr Nicholas Mak, chief research officer of property search portal Mogul.sg, said that given the strong demand for flats in Queenstown and Bukit Merah, the Mei Chin Road site is more likely to be used for public housing than condominiums.
Based on the plot area of about 3.2ha and a plot ratio of 3.9, he said the site can yield about 1,000 to 1,100 flats, while Ms Sun said about 1,500 units could be built if the plot is used for private housing.
Demand for new homes at the site should be healthy, she said, highlighting nearby amenities such as Queensway Shopping Centre and Anchorpoint mall, as well as the estate’s proximity to Orchard Road and HarbourFront.
Within 200m of the site is Queenstown Sport Centre, which was closed in May for refurbishment that is slated to end in late 2025.
Noting that many flats in the Mei Chin Road area are between 28 and 54 years old, Mr Mak said an injection of new public housing there will rejuvenate the area and allow younger families to live there.
