While some may say that Sembawang is a rather ulu part of Singapore, residents can take heart that the area is about to get much more exciting.
Bukit Canberra, an integrated sport and community hub, will soon open its doors to the public.
Residents will be able to enjoy its extensive facilities, such as an 800-seat hawker centre, a butterfly garden, and a massive indoor sports hall.
The first phase of the 12ha hub will open in Q3 2022.
Here’s a look at the latest development progress and what we can expect once the hub is officially available for public use.
Back in 2018, plans for Bukit Canberra were first announced. The integrated hub will provide residents with amenities such as a polyclinic, a senior care centre, a childcare centre, and several parks.
After several delays brought about by Covid-19, Phase One of the integrated sport and community hub will soon open in Q3.
Residents can enjoy more affordable food options at the new hawker centre with the upcoming opening.
The spacious hawker centre will house about 800 seats and boasts a whopping 44 stalls.
Besides that, it is uniquely designed with 6m-high ceilings to allow for greater natural ventilation.
It will also be equipped with a food digester to ensure sustainability by minimising its environmental footprint.
Passing through the hub’s scenic spaces, there will be footpath and running trails for residents to take jogs.
If a leisurely walk is preferred, Bukit Canberra also has a Butterfly Garden featuring beautiful flowering plants. It is a space where residents can enjoy the peaceful tranquillity of Bukit Canberra parks amongst the natural greenery.
Besides that, the hub will also feature an impressive indoor sports hall where residents can maintain their active lifestyle.
The huge hall can accommodate 12 badminton courts, or three basketball or volleyball courts. It also has a retractable seating gallery that can hold up to 500 people.
For community events like concerts and flea markets, the hall can fit up to 2,000 pax.
In the upcoming months, the sports hall will host events such as Pesta Sukan, a sport competition to celebrate National Day, in July and the Sembawang National Day 2022 Observance Ceremony in August.
In subsequent phases of opening, residents can look forward to even more amenities, including a polyclinic, a childcare centre, and a senior care centre.
There will also be more sporting facilities, such as five swimming pools, including an Olympic-sized one, and the biggest ActiveSG gym in Singapore.
On the roof of the hub, there will be a Therapeutic Garden.
Designed to engage the physical, psychological, and social needs of residents, the space will feature an array of fragrant and colourful plants.
Bukit Canberra will also be home to national monument Canberra House, previously known as the old Admiralty House.
The iconic house will be remodelled into a library.
On Sunday (5 Jun), Health Minister Ong Ye Kung attended a site visit to Bukit Canberra with fellow Sembawang MPs Ms Poh Li San, Mr Vikram Nair, and Dr Lim Wee Kiak.
Mr Ong said residents have been looking forward to the opening of this hub for many years.
“Because of Covid, we’ve delayed one and a half to two years”, he explained.
But as the facilities open up progressively, Mr Ong hoped that residents “know and feel that it’s worth the wait”.
He added that the upcoming polyclinic, the first to be nestled amidst community facilities, was a good addition.
There is an ageing population in the northern part of Singapore. He said that the polyclinic would add to the current infrastructure for primary care in the area.
Ms Poh also described Bukit Canberra as “iconic, integrated, and inclusive”, a place where residents from all walks of life can enjoy and benefit from.
The hub was initially scheduled to open in 2020 but was delayed due to Covid-19.
As Singapore recovers from the pandemic, Bukit Canberra’s opening couldn’t come at a better time.
This way, residents can truly enjoy all that the hub has to offer to its fullest.
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Featured image by MS News.
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