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The promise of the government under the People's Action Party (PAP) to all Singaporeans is that every flat built by the Housing & Development Board will be a "good home" for the public and their families, and a "valuable nest egg" for retirement, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Mar. 26.
Some HDB towns will be more popular, with quality reflected in property values
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of Chong Pang City, PM Lee added:
"We strive very hard to make all our new towns, all our HDB towns highly liveable. For one reason or other, there will be some which will still be more popular than others. I think that is just the way things are, it cannot be helped."
However, regardless of the town's popularity level, the public can be assured that every town and estate which they live in which will be "well-planned, well-appointed, (and) well maintained", he said.
Every HDB town will have amenities, schools, clinics, hawker centres, kopitiams, sport facilities, and transport connectivity, PM Lee added.
With regard to transport connectivity, he elaborated that this does not just include shuttle bus services within the town, but also expressways and MRT lines to the rest of Singapore.
PM Lee further highlighted, "And it will be a good place to live in, and your property values will reflect that."
Older HDB towns being rejuvenated
The prime minister also cited the development of Chong Pang City as an example of the government's efforts to rejuvenate older HDB estates around Singapore.
Once the project is completed in 2027, it will add "freshness and vibrancy" to the neighbourhood, he added.
In thanking the residents for their ideas and feedback, as well as the MPs, grassroots leaders, volunteers and government agencies for their work, PM Lee said:
"There will be community, social, and leisure activities all put together in one convenient location, with programmes to promote active lifestyles and enhance interaction amongst residents of all ages and all walks of life, not just for those living in Chong Pang, but all over Nee Soon and in the northern part of Singapore."
He noted that in the case of Chong Pang, it was still a rural and remote part of Singapore until the 1970s, with old rubber plantations and areas that the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) used for training:
"In (the) 1980s, as we built new townships and HDB flats all over the island, we started to develop Nee Soon New Town, including here in Chong Pang. And it meant that the residents and the shopkeepers had to be relocated from the kampongs at Chong Pang Village to HDB flats, and many of them moved into Nee Soon to live here."
However, the government also made efforts to preserve some of the "kampong spirit" from the old village.
Such efforts included HDB creating the first Chong Pang City, which was the first neighbourhood centre in Yishun Town, and the People's Association replacing the old kampong-style CC with a modern Chong Pang Community Centre.
PM Lee: Was not easy to persuade people to move into Nee Soon New Town
PM Lee further acknowledged that it had not been so easy in the 1980s to persuade people to move into Nee Soon New Town, including within Chong Pang.
In relating his own experience as a Member of Parliament (MP), PM Lee shared:
"I know, because I was a new MP in Ang Mo Kio and Teck Ghee. And most families much preferred to go to Bishan or to Ang Mo Kio, because they were more developed, more amenities, and closer to town."
He added:
"So, very often as an MP, when the young residents came to see me to ask to change their flat — they do not want to go to Nee Soon, they want to go to Ang Mo Kio — I would have to persuade them, and explain to them that 'Today, Nee Soon is a new, growing estate. But in a few years’ time, its neighbourhoods will be just as attractive, just as vibrant as Ang Mo Kio and Bishan. So please go to Nee Soon and enjoy your new flat there.'"
PM Lee then summed up the current state of Nee Soon as such:
"Indeed, today, Nee Soon is a vibrant and thriving family-friendly place, full range of facilities and programmes. And the residents are very happy to live here, and I think now, Nee Soon MPs get many requests for more next generation residents who want to buy their new flats in Nee Soon, and I think a few new flats will be coming, if you listen to the Minister for National Development."
Top photo via PM Lee/Facebook