Over 25 new parks, 50km of new park connectors targeted to be built in S'pore by 2030: Tan Kiat How

Over 25 new parks and over 50 kilometres of park connectors are set to be completed in Singapore over the next five years, said Senior Minister of State for National Development Tan Kiat How on Mar. 5.

Tan was speaking during the Committee of Supply (COS) debates in parliament, about the National Parks Board's efforts towards achieving its targets under the Singapore Green Plan 2030.

Launched in February 2021, the Green Plan set targets such as increasing the land area of nature parks in Singapore by over 50 per cent, planting one million more trees and ensuring all households are within a 10-minute walk from a park by 2030.

25 new parks in S'pore by 2030

Tan said the National Parks Board (NParks) has achieved its target of developing 130 hectares of new parks by 2026.

By end-2024, 391km of new park connectors have been established, and good progress is being made towards achieving NParks' target of 500km of park connectors by 2030, said Tan.

For the coming five years, NParks will be increasing the number of parks in the development pipeline.

An additional eight parks and 13 km of park connectors have been planned for.

These include parks at Farrer Park, Spottiswoode, and Woodgrove, which will be "nestled within the heartlands", according to NParks.

From 2025 to 2030, the public can look forward to the completion of 25 new parks and over 50 kilometres of park connectors, said Tan.

These include upcoming park connectors at Yishun Avenue 1, Bukit Panjang North and Pioneer Road North.

Tan added that NParks will be progressively carrying out concept studies for over 100 hectares of potential park development area in the coming years.

This is with a view to bring more green spaces closer to all Singaporeans, said Tan.

Therapeutic gardens to be incorporated

Additionally, Tan said NParks plans to incorporate more therapeutic landscapes and pro-health features in its park network, where feasible.

One such park to feature a therapeutic garden will be the upcoming eight-hectare Teachers’ Estate Park.

It will link the Central Catchment Nature Reserve to Khatib Nature Corridor, and comprise an existing forested hillock, a therapeutic garden and a nature play garden.

Tan noted that there are currently 17 therapeutic gardens within Singapore's park network.

NParks' goal is to establish 30 therapeutic gardens across Singapore by 2030.

"We are continuing to expand our green spaces and bring them closer to every resident," said Tan.

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