Sheltered linkways, shorter commutes for Ang Mo Kio residents among improvements in new master plan: SM Lee

Ang Mo Kio residents can look forward to sheltered linkways, revitalised parks, and senior-friendly facilities in the future, said SM Lee.

They can also expect shorter commutes after the North-South Corridor and Cross Island Line are completed in a few years, as well as shorter waiting times for the Sengkang-Punggol LRT in Fernvale and Jalan Kayu once the LRT depot expands and new trains arrive.

SM Lee was speaking at the Ang Mo Kio Town Council (AMKTC) Master Plan launch on Mar. 15.

A new bus service, 138M, was also launched on the morning of Mar. 15, making it easier for residents to go to Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic from the bus interchange.

These changes are all part of the People's Action Party (PAP)'s Ang Mo Kio Town Council (AMKTC) Master plan.

The AMKTC Master Plan looks back at the improvements the PAP has made over the past five years and outlines plans for further improvements in the coming years, SM Lee explained.

SM Lee looked back on when he first became an MP in Teck Ghee more than 40 years ago, and said Ang Mo Kio was still "quite a young new town" then, with many residents having recently moved into newly-built HDB flats.

Then, the town did not have many amenities, SM Lee recalled.

"But year by year, we have built up Ang Mo Kio into the bustling town it is today," said SM Lee, adding many improvements have been made in the past five years.

This included the new Fernvale Community Centre and Fernvale Hawker Centre and Market, which opened in 2022, as well as upgraded markets and food centres in Cheng San, Chong Boon, Teck Ghee, Kebun Bahru, and Mayflower.

SM Lee also highlighted the addition of community spaces like playgrounds, elderly-friendly facilities, as well as new transport options like the new Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) which passes through Ang Mo Kio.

"Ang Mo Kio should be a good place, a happy place, a healthy place to live," SM Lee said, adding that his team laid out "good plans" on how they can achieve this.

Ahead of the launch, Ang Mo Kio Town Council's promotional material showed SM Lee and fellow MPs for Ang Mo Kio GRC Darryl David, Gan Thiam Poh, Ng Ling Ling, and Nadia Ahmad Samdin, as well as MPs for Kebun Baru SMC and Yio Chu Kang SMC, Henry Kwek and Yip Hon Weng.

All except Ng Ling Ling, the MP for the Jalan Kayu division, were present at the event.

S. Vasoo and Yeo Toon Chia, Second Advisers to Ang Mo Kio GRC Grassroots Organisations, also attended the event.

Jalan Kayu SMC

Anticipation for the General Election is ramping up in Singapore after the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report was released on Mar. 11, suggesting that GE2025 could be held in the earlier part of 2025.

The General Election must be held no later than November 2025.

One particular question since the EBRC report's release was what would happen to the Jalan Kayu division of Ang Mo Kio GRC, which has been carved out to become its own SMC.

SM Lee said in a Facebook post on Mar. 12 that the new SMC would be "part of the Ang Mo Kio extended family" just like Yio Chu Kang and Kebun Baru SMCs.

However, at least one new candidate is expected to be fielded, as Ang Mo Kio GRC remains as a five-seat GRC while an additional MP would be needed for the new Jalan Kayu SMC.

As for who would contest in Jalan Kayu during GE2025, the current MP Ng said on Mar. 13: "It doesn't matter where I serve, as long as I do my best. Wherever I am, I will do my best to serve the people."

Ng, who was elected as an MP in 2020, said she would "welcome competition" from other political parties, as some have indicated their intent to contest there.

"It's up to the Prime Minister [and] the party to decide how and who should be on any particular seat," David said, speaking on the sidelines after the AMKTC Master Plan launch, when asked who may stay on in Ang Mo Kio GRC for the upcoming election.

On the estates that make up Jalan Kayu, David said, "Now that they're going to a new SMC, hopefully the voters there will also appreciate the care that we put in for them [as] part of our family, and we hope for the best."

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Top image via Mothership