Bukit Merah will be getting a makeover featuring a refreshed town centre, more green spaces and new pedestrian and cycling paths, the Housing & Development Board (HDB) announced on Sep. 17.

The improvements are part of the ongoing series of enhancements under the Remaking Our Heartland (ROH)  programme, which aims to bring city living close to nature.

Refreshing the town centre

The Bukit Merah Town Centre will be given a makeover to enhance its attractiveness and provide a more comfortable shopping experience for residents.

A new larger sheltered event space, with seating, will replace the current sheltered stage next to the Rubikon building.

Pedestrian malls at the town centre will also include more seating areas for residents to take breaks and engage in social activities.

New play areas will be built along the pedestrian malls to enliven the area.

New pedestrian and cycling paths, as well as sheltered linkways, will be added along Redhill Close to make it safer and more convenient for residents and visitors to travel between the Bukit Merah Town Centre and Redhill MRT station.

Two MRT stations – Keppel and Cantonment Stations of the Circle Line – will be opening in 2026.

The stations will make it easier for residents to connect to the rail network, and will close the loop to Marina Bay station.

Upgrading neighbourhood centres

The common areas of six existing Neighbourhood Centres (NCs) in Bukit Merah will be revitalised with the addition of more amenities such as outdoor seating, play facilities, pocket greens and spaces for community events.

Alexandra Village NC, Beo Crescent NC, Brickworks NC and Bukit Merah View NC will see new facilities such as seating and enhanced landscaping.

New recreational corners and spaces for events will be added to Redhill Lane NC and Tiong Bahru Orchid NC too.

Making Bukit Merah more senior-friendly

A key focus of the renewal plans is to make home and neighbourhoods more senior-friendly, as more than one third of Bukit Merah residents are aged 60 and above.

As such, common spaces in the town centre, NCs and housing estates will see more sheltered walkways, ramps and non-slip flooring, as well as more seating areas.

Active ageing amenities such as therapeutic gardens, fitness trails/corners and exercise equipment will be added to various parks in Bukit Merah to promote healthy living and facilitate social interaction among senior residents.

Signages with larger and more colourful fonts and distinctive murals on building facades will also be installed.

New green spaces

Residents can expect a new pocket park next to the existing multi-storey carpark at Block 119 Bukit Merah Central.

Together with new cycling paths at the town centre, the park will provide seamless connectivity from the town centre to the rail corridor.

Seating areas will be added to the pedestrian paths along Henderson Road, which connects Alexandra Canal, the Southern Ridges and Telok Blangah Estate to the future Greater Southern Waterfront.

New fitness amenities will be added at the Telok Blangah Hill Park and Mount Faber Park to encouraged active living.

Neighbourhood parks like Alexandra Hill Park and Bukit Purmei Park will include more greenery, new sheltered pavilions and multi-generational facilities.

New BTO projects coming soon

HDB also updated that a new BTO project at Prince Charles Crescent will be launched in Bukit Merah soon.

This is the fifth BTO project launched in the area in recent years, to enable young families who wish to live near their parents to do so.

The former Keppel Club golf course will also be developed to provide about 9,000 homes, including some 6,000 public housing units.

The first BTO project at the Greater Southern Waterfront is slated for launch within the next five years, HDB said.

When completed, these new public housing projects are expected to offer about 10,700 flats in total.

Over the past two years, HDB has launched four new Build-to-Order (BTO) projects in Bukit Merah – Alexandra Vale, Havelock Hillside and Bukit Merah Ridge in 2022, as well as Telok Blangah Beacon in 2021.

In collaboration with other agencies, HDB will explore ways to incorporate aspects of Bukit Merah's history into the town, such as through thematic playgrounds, wall murals, as well as educational boards across the town.

Residents invited to give feedback

The detailed ROH plans for Bukit Merah will be exhibited at the Bukit Merah Town Centre from Sep. 17, 2023, before roving to three other locations to make it convenient for more residents to view the plans:

Residents are invited to visit the exhibitions and share their thoughts and feedback on the ROH plans.

"With the feedback, HDB will refine the proposals together with the relevant government agencies, such that the eventual rejuvenation of the town will benefit as many residents as possible," the agency said.

Top photo via HDB