Come 2023, a hotel with 400 rooms will be built next to Upper Seletar Reservoir in Mandai area in a bid to up Singapore's eco-tourism cred.

Christened the Eco-Lodge, the full-service hotel will feature the usual drop-off point, lobby and reception, plus facilities for banquets and events, a swimming pool and a spa.

These details were reported in Today, which pored through a nearly 400-page environment impact assessment (EIA) report (PDF link) uploaded online for public viewing on Tuesday, July 26.

The Eco-Lodge will occupy a plot of land about the size of six football fields, or 4.65ha.

Construction work is expected to take four years.

The EIA report was commissioned by Mandai Park Holdings (MPH), which manages the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and River Safari in the area.

Build a building to teach conservation

Besides the hotel, two smaller attractions proposed to be built in the same locale are the Planet Explorer and Sri Seletar Point education centre.

Initially conceived to be constructed in two separate locations, it has been decided that they will be combined into a single building instead to minimise impact on the environment.

The proposed three-storey building will have an “indoor nature-themed entertainment hub” with galleries for permanent and temporary exhibitions, and function rooms to host workshops and mini-lectures.

The exhibitions will feature themes such as conservation, sustainability, natural sciences and biodiversity.

It is expected to draw about 25,000 visitors at its peak each day.

Construction work for the Planet Explorer and Sri Seletar Point is expected to take about three years and will be ready after the second quarter of 2022.

When completed in 2023, the 126ha mega nature attraction in Mandai will see a new Bird Park that has been relocated from Jurong, the Rainforest Park North and South, along with the Eco-Lodge and the education centre.

The masterplan concept touts the Rainforest Park North and South project as a way to "create a rainforest-themed experience incorporating elements of wildlife and adventure to inspire conservation".

Nature groups in Singapore are already raising questions and members of the public can provide feedback on the report from now until Aug. 22.

A non-technical summary of the EIA report is also available (PDF link).

Top photo via Mandai Safari Park Holdings

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