While newer towns like Punggol have gotten shiny new integrated complexes, Toa Payoh, one of Singapore’s earliest HDB estates, has always been charmingly old school.
This will change when the Toa Payoh Integrated Development (TPID) opens in 2030.
Source: ActiveSG Toa Payoh Sport Centre on Facebook
The complex will have sports facilities, a polyclinic and a public library.
The TPID was announced in a joint press release on Sunday (26 Feb) by Sport Singapore (SportSG) and other government agencies.
The project is envisioned as a lifestyle destination that’s also an extension of Toa Payoh Town Centre, they said.
Thus, community facilities and spaces to serve residents of central Singapore are being planned on a 12-hectare piece of land between Lorong 6 Toa Payoh and the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE).
Source: Xingjian Loy on Flickr
Currently, the area contains discrete facilities like Toa Payoh Swimming Complex, ActiveSG Sports Hall, Stadium and Town Park.
While SportSG is leading the project, they’re collaborating with the Ministry of Health (MOH), National Library Board (NLB), National Parks Board (NParks) and National Healthcare Group Polyclinics (NHGP).
While there are already several sporting facilities there, the TPID will turn the area into a regional sporting hub.
Facilities on the cards are:
Source: Grace Fu on Facebook
Plans are also afoot for TPID to house the national training centres for three sports: aquatics, netball and table tennis.
SportSG CEO Lim Teck Yin said Toa Payoh Sport Centre has a rich sporting heritage, with a few major regional competitions hosted there.
Many Toa Payoh residents also go there for their weekly exercise.
TPID will thus build on this heritage to excite sports fans and boost Singaporeans’ active lifestyles.
Source: Ernest Kan on Facebook
Toa Payoh Polyclinic, which is currently located further away in Lorong 8, will soon be part of the TPID.
It will have services that cater to young and old, including:
The facility will also offer a new healthcare model that focuses on regular teams managing patients with chronic conditions.
TPID will also have a new public library to replace the current one in Toa Payoh Central.
NLB CEO Ng Cher Pong said the new library will be bigger than the current one, and provide space for visitors to “read, learn, and discover from the surrounding environment”.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Mr Ng said he had mixed feelings about relocating Toa Payoh Public Library.
On one hand, he’s sad to lose a familiar setting, but on the other, he’s excited about the many possibilities that would come with designing a new space.
Source: Cher Pong Ng on Facebook
Nonetheless, he’s already “brimming with wild ideas” on the new library.
As for Toa Payoh Town Park, nature lovers can rest assured that it won’t be razed to make way for the TPID.
In fact, it’ll be rejuvenated with more native trees and shrubs planted to enhance the existing greenery and biodiversity.
Its development and landscaping will be shaped around the existing terrain, in order to retain its heritage characteristics and lush vegetation.
Amentities being considered include:
NParks Assistant CEO Tang Tuck Weng pointed out that Toa Payoh Town Park was the first town park in Singapore.
Thus, iconic features like the Lookout Tower will be conserved, he said.
Source: NParks on Facebook
The TPID is currently in its public consultation phase.
Thus, the agencies are gathering residents’ feedback on its preliminary design and facilities.
To that end, a road show was held in the HDB Hub in Toa Payoh Central over the weekend to introduce residents to the TPID.
There, they were shown its proposed design and invited to share feedback.
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Featured image adapted from Grace Fu on Facebook, ActiveSG Toa Payoh Sport Centre on Facebook and Ernest Kan on Facebook.
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