Former school campuses in Upper Changi and Teban Gardens to be cleared for homes

The Housing Board is seeking arborist consultancy services for proposed demolition works at 7 Jalan Tiga Ratus in Upper Changi. ST PHOTO: BENJAMIN SEETOR

SINGAPORE – Three former school campuses in Upper Changi and Teban Gardens are set to make way for planned housing developments.

The Housing Board is seeking consultancy services for proposed demolition works at the former sites of Changkat Changi primary and secondary schools, and Pandan Primary.

According to documents published on Wednesday (Aug 10), it is seeking tree health experts for works at 7 Jalan Tiga Ratus in Upper Changi and 700 West Coast Road in Teban Gardens.

The Jalan Tiga Ratus site, which used to house the Changkat Changi schools, was in the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s 2019 masterplan zoned for educational use.

However, during its long-term plan review exhibition in June, the URA identified the plot as one that could also be used for public housing and amenities.

The site is about 2.8ha big, or about the size of four football fields.

URA said in exhibition materials that it strives to achieve a better mix of private and public housing within towns, citing the Upper Changi Road East area, where most homes are private residences, as one that would benefit from having new public homes that encourage more social mixing.

Meanwhile, the Teban Gardens plot, where Pandan Primary used to be, is about 1.8ha, or the size of about 2½ football fields. It is within an established housing estate that has a market and hawker centre, and is across the road from Commonwealth Secondary School and Pandan Reservoir.

While HDB’s primary role is to develop public housing, it also sells land to developers via the Government Land Sales (GLS) programme for other uses such as executive condominiums and mixed-use developments.

ERA Realty’s head of research and consultancy Nicholas Mak said that both sites are suited for mixed-use residential and commercial developments.

Mr Mak said the Upper Changi site is likely to be in demand among developers if released under the GLS programme for mixed-used development, given the catchment of residents in existing private properties in the area, as well as students from the Singapore University of Technology and Design, which is across the road.

The site is also served directly by Upper Changi MRT station on the Downtown Line, which makes it very attractive, he said.

Mr Mak also said the closest malls – Changi City Point and Eastpoint Mall – are not within walking distance.

Similarly, residents in Teban Gardens are currently not served by a mall, said Mr Mak. He added that an upcoming MRT station next to the former Pandan Primary site makes it an ideal location for a commercial-cum-residential development.

The station – tentatively named Pandan Reservoir – is slated for completion in 2028 as part of the upcoming Jurong Region Line.

Ms Christine Sun, senior vice-president of research and analytics at OrangeTee and Tie, said some units at the site are likely to have reservoir views, which means they will command premium prices.

Given its proximity to other public housing in the area, she said, it is likely that the site would be used for HDB flats instead of private developments. At the current assigned gross plot ratio of 2.8, she said the site could yield between 500 and 600 new units.

Changkat Changi Primary opened in January 1965 for pupils from the Changi and Somapah neighbourhoods. The school also accommodated seven Secondary 1 classes until Changkat Changi Secondary opened next door in 1966.

In 1988, the primary school moved to Simei Street 3 and was renamed Changkat Primary School. Changkat Changi Secondary followed suit in 2001, and the two schools remain neighbours in Simei today.

The Upper Changi site was likely to be in demand among developers if released under the GLS programme for mixed-used development. ST PHOTO: BENJAMIN SEETOR

The now-defunct Pandan Primary School started taking in pupils from January 1981 and was officially opened by then MP for Ayer Rayah, Dr Tan Cheng Bock, in July 1982.

It merged with Fuhua Primary School in January 2008, with the merged school retaining Fuhua’s name and campus in Jurong East Street 13.

The upcoming demolition of the three schools for housing follows news of other such projects by the HDB in recent months.

Three school campuses in Chai Chee – two still in use by NPS International School and one that formerly housed East Coast Primary School – are slated to be redeveloped.

The former Kim Keat Integrated School and Kim Keat Vocational School in Balestier and the former Mei Chin Secondary School and Mei Chin Primary School in Queenstown will also make way for housing.

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