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A new neighbourhood centre next to the sea officially opened in Punggol today (Jul. 24).

Northshore Plaza is the Housing Development Board's (HDB) first seafront neighbourhood centre.

First smart and sustainable district

Located in the Punggol Northshore District, the three-storey development is made up of two blocks and consists of 52 shops.

This is also Singapore's "first smart and sustainable district", said HDB.

Eco-friendly features including installation of solar panels

Eco-friendly features like skylights that introduce natural lighting and greenery at hotspots help to reduce the need for artificial lighting and air-conditioning, according to CNA.

In addition to lowering energy consumption, solar panels installed on the building harvest clean energy to power common areas.

With its open design, the development is naturally ventilated to capitalise on the wind direction of the sea breeze and maximise air flow for community spaces.

The development also has several smart features.

Its fans and lighting at common areas can adjust their fan speed and lighting levels based on wind flow and human traffic patterns, according to The Straits Times.

Sensors installed on the building's lifts and escalators track its operations and send alerts when maintenance is required so issues can be promptly resolved.

Barrier-free smart parking system

Northshore Plaza also has a barrier-free smart parking system known as Parking@HDB to eliminate bottlenecks at car park entrances and exits.

Vehicle plate numbers are registered using cameras and the parking fee is automatically calculated.

Motorists can pay for parking through an app, instead of having to use a CashCard.

Shoppers can also use the ShopperLink app to browse the mall's offerings digitally, reported ST.

The mall is currently trialing the use of robots to automatically pick up goods from loading bays and deliver them to shops, allowing for faster deliveries with less manpower.

One of five new generation neighbourhood centres

New generation neighbourhood centres incorporate plazas, play areas and other community spaces in residential areas.

Northshore Plaza is one of five existing new generation neighbourhood centres. Others include Oasis Terraces in Punggol, Buangkok Square, Hougang Rivercourt and Canberra Plaza in Sembawang.

CNA reported that the remaining two of the eight Build-to-Order (BTO) projects in the Punggol Northshore District are expected to be completed by the third quarter of the year.

Another neighbourhood centre, Anchorvale Village in Sengkang, is estimated to be completed by the end of 2023.

Another two neighbourhood centres in Tengah are expected to be ready by the first quarter of 2024 and the third quarter of 2025.

Visiting Northshore Plaza

The neighbourhood centre is located at Samudera LRT station, four stops away from Punggol MRT station.

The mall is running several promotional deals that can be found on its Facebook page.

If you're thinking of visiting Northshore Plaza on its opening day, be sure to make use of its free shuttle bus service:

Top images by HDB and Google Street View.