27 Turf City heritage structures could be kept, most of two forested areas to be retained
SINGAPORE – The authorities are studying retaining and repurposing 27 buildings and structures that were part of the former Bukit Timah Turf City, to be included in an upcoming residential estate on the site.
Most of two forested areas near the former racecourse – Bukit Tinggi and Eng Neo Avenue Forest – will also be retained.
On May 23, National Development Minister Desmond Lee announced at the launch of an exhibition featuring plans for the Bukit Timah Turf City estate that two studies – a heritage impact assessment (HIA) and an environmental impact assessment (EIA) – had been completed.
The studies were done so that the site can be redeveloped sensitively, he said.
The HIA found several buildings and structures to be of heritage significance, including the North and South grandstands, the racetracks, the Bukit Timah Saddle Club Clubhouse and the stables.
These were assessed based on a combination of historical, social, aesthetic, architectural and contextual values, said the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).
The agency added that generally, the site’s heritage significance is attributed to the racecourse – Singapore’s second – which functioned from 1933 to 1999, until the Singapore Turf Club moved to Kranji.
Besides studying the retention of buildings, the authorities will also develop a new central open space in front of the grandstands that will “pay homage to the site’s sporting heritage”, said URA.
This new space, with an oval shape that references the geometry of the site’s old racetracks, will be about twice the size of the Padang, an open field of about 4.3ha in City Hall.
The former Turf Club site’s heritage will also be documented, with the authorities exploring ways to expose more people to its history.
As for the EIA, it found 177 plant species and 25 animal species to be of conservation significance in the area, many in Eng Neo Avenue Forest and Bukit Tinggi.
Species that were spotted included the globally threatened straw-headed bulbul and Sunda pangolin.
URA said that in line with the EIA’s recommendations, the authorities will “retain most of Eng Neo Avenue Forest and Bukit Tinggi, and study how they can be integrated into our future park network”.
It added that a new 100m-wide “lushly planted” connection will be established between Eng Neo Avenue Forest and Bukit Tinggi to link the two habitats and ease the movement of species between the two forest patches.
Mr Lee said that in all, about one-third of the Bukit Timah Turf City estate will be set aside for green spaces such as parks, open spaces and natural greenery.
URA said these will include selected landscapes of the former Turf Club, such as the Fairways Quarters courtyard, which will be adapted and improved to serve as a green recreational space.
