MND spearheads redevelopment of Geylang Serai

Outdoor Pedestrian Mall (during Ramadan)



Street view of Civic Centre (Day)



Outdoor Pedestrian Mall (after development of future sale sites)



Interior of Civic Centre



Close-up on Public Plaza beside Civic Centre



Civic Centre and Public Plaza



Outdoor Pedestrian Mall (during Ramadan)


MND spearhead redevelopment of Geylang Serai

- Plans include preservation of Malay cultural heritage -

The Ministry of National Development (MND) today unveiled further details of its plans for the redevelopment of Geylang Serai, including the new plans for the current Malay Village.

This is following Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's announcement during the National Day Rally Speech on 14 August 2011.

Master Plan 2008

Under the Master Plan 2008, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) announced that Paya Lebar Central, which Geylang Serai is located within, will be developed into a lively regional centre with a distinct cultural identity. The area will be a pedestrian-friendly commercial hub with offices, retail, hotels, as well as attractive public spaces.

Preserving the Malay Cultural Heritage

Plans are also in the pipeline for a new civic centre with a public plaza to be built next to the Geylang Serai Market. The working name for the new civic centre is 'Wisma Geylang Serai'. Currently, the 10,000 sqm centre is expected to house a Community Club, a Malay Heritage Gallery, Community Development Council offices and other community-related facilities. The civic centre will be developed by the People's Association (PA) together with other partners such as the National Arts Council (NAC) and National Heritage Board (NHB). The civic centre is expected to be completed by 2015/16.

There will be a 2,000 sqm public plaza beside the civic centre that will cater to cultural events such as performances as well as community events such as festive activities and bazaars.

To retain the annual Hari Raya festivities in the area, URA has also planned for wide pedestrian malls and attractive public areas along Geylang Road so as to provide high quality spaces for festive bazaars and community activities. URA will also be implementing street improvement works within the road reserve to support the annual Hari Raya bazaar while the development of the area takes place. The street improvement works are expected to be completed by June 2012.

Development plans

In order to realise these proposals, some existing developments will have to be phased out for redevelopment to take place. One of this is the Malay Village, a private commercial development built in 1989, whose lease will expire at the end of 2011. Apart from the civic centre and a public plaza, the Malay Village site will host commercial developments, and an access road to serve new developments.

However, to ensure that Malay trades remain in the area and have the opportunity to slowly evolve into new developments in Geylang Serai, the lease of Tanjong Katong Complex will be extended for another 10 years after the building is upgraded in around 2013. Existing tenants will have the opportunity to renew their leases after they expire in December 2012.

Next Steps

Mayor (South East District) & Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Defence & National Development) Dr Maliki Osman will be chairing a workgroup to guide the implementation of the Geylang Serai Precinct. Under this main workgroup, there will be 3 sub-groups:

a.	Civic centre sub-group Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman will chair this sub-group to formulate the design brief and facilities for the civic centre. Assoc Professor Fatimah Lateef (MP for Marine Parade GRC) will head a team to develop the design plans for the community club within the civic centre;
b.	Connectivity and urban design sub-group URA will chair this sub-group to seek ideas on how to apply appropriate architecture and design touches to the area and to improve connectivity between buildings; and
c.	Programming sub-group The Malay Heritage Foundation will lead this subgroup to look at the software programming for the content and programming for the gallery.

"I am excited to be part of this project, together with the other work group members, as it gives us an opportunity to put in place a distinctive icon for Geylang Serai. I am encouraged by the many feedback and suggestions that I have received from members of public in just the last few days. Certainly, we will continue to solicit ideas from the various communities to co-create Geylang Serai that it will continue to be a vibrant cultural hub in Singapore. We have also launched a dedicated Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/WismaGeylangSerai) for members of the public to share with us their ideas," said Dr Maliki Osman on the development plans for the area.

Issued by: Ministry of National Development

Date: 18 August 2011