Flatted factory at Kallang Basin estate
Expenditure
Building contracts equivalent to S$57.3 million were awarded during 1967, and capital expenditure for completed building projects and work in progress totalled S$56.2 million.
The allocation of funds to the Board by Government for purposes of meeting low-cost housing expenditure amounted to S$45 million, out of which only S$30 million was approv- ed for release to and drawn by the Board.
At the close of 1967, the Board had under its financial management 86,534 housing units, consisting main- ly of rented flats and those sold under the Board's home ownership scheme.
Income derived from rent grossed $$43.6 million, inclusive of service and conservancy charges of $$4.9 million. Loans granted to the public in 1967 for the purchase of the Board's flats amounted to S$9.0 million.
Year's operations
The largest number of units built during the year were located at Toa Payoh, where the second and largest new town in Singapore, with 30,000 units housing an estimated 180,000 people, will be built under the 2nd 5-Year Programme.
Other main areas where housing units were completed or under con- struction during the year were Tiong Bahru. Upper Aljunied Road, Bukit Ho Swee, Queenstown Neighbour- hood 6. Precincts S.1 and N.1 under the urban renewal programme, and MacPherson Road (South).
By far the most interesting develop- ment which took place in terms of actual schemes during the year was the decision to build a sports complex in Queenstown. An area of 10 acres of land along Stirling Road between Neighbourhood 2 and Neighbourhood 6 has been set aside for this project.
The complex will consist of an open field, an all-weather running track and three swimming pools
IHI
one built to Olympic standards, one of medium size, and one to serve as a small teaching pool for children.
There will be changing rooms for both males and females, capable of serving the needs of 2,000 to 3.000 persons per day. In addition, the complex will contain badminton and tennis courts and facilities for indoor games.
The complex will be the first of its kind so far in Singapore and it re- presents the biggest single project aimed at providing improved ameni- ties and communal facilities in the Board's estates. Plans are also in hand for an even bigger and better sports complex to be built at the sec- ond satellite town of Toa Payoh in later years.
The Board is carrying out two im- portant land reclamation projects on behalf of the Government under special agency arrangements. The first is at Kallang Basin, where the rate of reclamation progressed accord- ing to schedule and a total of 300 acres had been reclaimed by the end of the year.
The reclaimed areas have been partly used by the Board for the building of housing estates, flatted fac-
tories and terrace factories and also by the Economic Development Board for the development of industrial
estates.
The second and biggest agency project undertaken by the Board for the Government is the reclamation of the East Coast Foreshore from Bedok to Tanjong Rhu. The proposed re- clamation under the present phase involves an area of about 1,000 acres stretching for a distance of 6 miles.
Some 27 million cu. yd. of earth for the reclamation have to be trans- ferred from Siglap Plain to the sea- shore by means of a conveyor belt system.
About 8 million cu. yd. of earth had been excavated and conveyed to the foreshore. This constitutes about 31.5 per cent of the total volume of earthworks for the entire project.
Approxmately 420 acres of land had been reclaimed and this con- stitutes about 42 per cent of the total land area to be reclaimed under the existing phase of the contract.
A two-mile stretch of sand beach is now forming itself at the edge of the reclamation.
Estates progress
The Board's 1967 report gives de- tails of progress on housing estates as follows:
Bukit Ho Swee
Construction of this estate, develop- ed on the site of the fire which broke out in 1961, was completed during the year when the last 1,116 housing units under two contracts were hand- ed over for management. The entire estate now consists of a total of 12,462 units providing accommoda- tion for an estimated population of 75,000 people.
Tiong Bahru
Together with Bukit Ho Swee. Tiong Bahru used to be one of the worst slum areas (of the "squatter- hut" variety) in Singapore. The de- velopment of the Tiong Bahru area
which has been going on since the earliest days of public housing in Sin-
Part of MacPherson Road (S) estate. a hawkers' centre
Three blocks of 12-storey flats are built around
16
Far East BUILDER, August 1968.
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