Limbang Shopping Centre Has Been Under Upgrading Since Sep, Will Have Peranakan Shophouse Façade
Residents of Choa Chu Kang will be familiar with Limbang Shopping Centre, known for its distinctive Peranakan-inspired sloping roof and shop archways.
It’s also a popular place for residents to get their daily essentials and eat out.
However, the complex is set to become more popular as it’s currently undergoing a revamp that will give it a wider array of shops and food and beverage (F&B) outlets.
Residents can look forward to the upgraded mall being completed by the 3rd quarter of 2022.
Revamp announced in 2019
Limbang Shopping Centre, as it was, wasn’t too shabby, with 33 shops, a food court, wet market and supermarket. It even had a McDonald’s.
However, even though the current village-like design has a rustic appeal, the garish colours might strike some as a bit outdated.
In Sep 2019, Mr Lawrence Wong, MP for Marsiling-Yee GRC, announced in a speech that the shopping centre would be upgraded in 2020.
The upgraded mall will more shops and more F&B options, he added.
Design will incorporate Peranakan shophouse façade
According to building developer CPG Consultants, the new Limbang Shopping Centre will incorporate a Peranakan shophouse façade in its design so shoppers can “relive the old days”.
It kinda reminds us of the shops in Changi Airport Terminal 4‘s transit area.
From the artist’s impressions of the development, it appears that the main entrance will be completely changed from its current sloping roof to a more contemporary glass structure.
The periphery of the mall will also be brushed up to include gardens and outdoor seating.
Visitors will be able to walk through the landscaped gardens to access the shops facing the road.
The company also said it had received a Certificate of Merit for Design at the HDB Design Awards 2020 for its work on the project.
Upgrading was pushed back to Sep 2020
However, in a Facebook post in Jun 2020, Mr Wong, who’s the MP for Limbang ward, said the upgrading would be pushed back.
While it was slated to begin in Jun, the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting ‘Circuit Breaker’ caused a shutdown in construction activities.
The Education Minister also sought residents’ understanding that the project might take “a bit longer to materialise”.
However in Sep, the upgrading started in earnest, with many tenants moving to temporary container offices.
While 4 tenants, including NTUC FairPrice and the food court, remained open, the wet market had to close. McDonald’s, unfortunately, has also closed down.
Here’s a list of tenants who’re still open:
No change to estimated completion date
You might have noticed that the poster estimates that the upgrading would be completed in the 3rd quarter of 2022.
However, given that the construction started 3 months late, and Mr Wong had said that the timeline had to be pushed back, residents may be wondering if the new mall will be opened later.
Responding to enquiries from MS News, the Housing and Development Board’s Properties & Land Group said there’s no updated timeline for the completion of the shopping centre.
Thus, if the projected completion is 3Q 2022, that’s when it will be completed for now.
Of course, as Mr Wong had said the revised timeline will be finalised soon, there’s always the possibility of updates closer to the completion date.
Breathing new life into Limbang
While there’s still more than a year to wait, we’re certain that residents’ patience will be rewarded with a spanking-new mall with a wide range of places to dine out.
Let’s look forward to more information on the new shops and F&B outlets that will be coming to the neighbourhood.
Hopefully, McDonald’s will come back too.
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