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Singapore’s push for its citizens to be more physically active while having access to health and wellness facilities will be enhanced when the Toa Payoh Integrated Development is completed by 2030.
The 12ha site will comprise a regional sports centre, polyclinic, public library and regional town park, and will be located between Lorong 6 Toa Payoh and the Pan-Island Expressway.
The proposed sporting facilities include sheltered tennis, futsal and netball courts, swimming pools, indoor sports halls, a gymnasium, fitness studios and a football stadium.
There are also plans to house the national training centres for aquatics, netball and table tennis there.
Toa Payoh Integrated Development Address
Address: 297 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, Singapore 319389
Completion: 2030
The upcoming Toa Payoh Integrated Development will be located along Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, at the current Toa Payoh town park and Toa Payoh stadium site - next to SAFRA Toa Payoh which will not be affected.
A public roadshow held over the 25 to 26 Feb 2023 weekend at the HDB Hub atrium in Toa Payoh drew 5,000 people and residents could view the design for the upcoming development – a multi-agency collaboration by Sport Singapore, the Ministry of Health, National Library Board, National Parks Board and National Healthcare Group Polyclinics (NHGP) – and share their feedback.
Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport Chee Hong Tat, who is an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, said on Sunday he would “like to see if there is a possibility for us to accelerate and complete it earlier”, ahead of the 2030 deadline.
He added: “We want to bring about better facilities for residents from Bishan and Toa Payoh by developing this project... It is one way in which we can continue to rejuvenate a mature estate to ensure that we are improving it from time to time.”
Earlier in April 2017, HDB announced development for Toa Payoh's Town Centre - including a new Arts and Heritage Corner that will showcase the rich history of Toa Payoh.
Toa Payoh residents welcome new development
Business owner Tham Tuck Choy, 45, has lived in Toa Payoh for the past five years and uses the existing swimming complex at least three times a week with his family.
He said: “There hasn’t been a lot of development in Toa Payoh for quite some time, so we have been looking for something fresh to come out for the town.”
Associate Professor Chong Phui-Nah, chief executive of NGHP and Primary Care, said the new location of the Toa Payoh Polyclinic alongside the community and sports facilities makes it “well-placed to meet the needs of the residents, from providing regular assessment for healthy child development to senior services such as frailty screening and health promotion interventions to encourage healthy and active ageing”.
Toa Payoh residents excited over new tennis court
Education officer Yong Eng Kiat, who has been a resident in Toa Payoh for four decades, said: “Places like the polyclinic are far away (from the central area of Toa Payoh) but now it’s going to be integrated so it’s a bit similar to Tampines. I’m most excited about the sheltered tennis court because it’s so hard to find tennis courts in Singapore.”
SportSG chief executive Lim Teck Yin noted how the current Toa Payoh Sport Centre has been a venue for many major events held in the Republic, such as the South-east Asia Peninsular Games in 1973, the SEA Games in 1983, 1993, 2015, and the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010.
Mr Lim said: “The new integrated development is part of our efforts to bring quality sporting infrastructure closer to the community.
“Once completed, it will build on its heritage and be a boon to sports fans and the active lifestyles of many Singaporeans.”
In April 2017, HDB revealed renderings of a revamped Pedestrian Mall in Toa Payoh that will enable residents to rest, relax and interact with the community more comfortably.
Toa Payoh Swimming Complex: National team training ground
Ms Vivien Tai, 20, captain of the national artistic swimming team which trains at Toa Payoh, hoped the new plans included a sheltered pool “so that we don’t have to face bad weather when there’s lightning, it’s raining or when it’s very hot”.
The Toa Payoh project and Punggol Regional Sports Centre are part of the Sports Facilities Master Plan, a key initiative of national sports blueprint Vision 2030. They will be the latest integrated community hubs that house multiple facilities. Others include Our Tampines Hub, Heartbeat@Bedok, Bukit Canberra and One Punggol – the latter two opened in late 2022.
The Punggol centre, which will have facilities like a 5,000-seat football stadium, a swimming complex with five pools, and an indoor sports hall with 20 badminton courts, was originally scheduled to be completed by 2023 but will be ready at the end of 2024.
Toa Payoh Development Plans
In April 2017, HDB announce that Toa Payoh, the second oldest HDB satellite town in Singapore will be undergoing a series of upgrading projects, including the building of a few thousand new HDB BTO units.
All five Neighbourhood Centres in Toa Payoh will be upgraded to include new multi-generational features such as play areas, resting pavilions and lush landscaping.
Property analyst Ong Kah Seng expects the two new housing developments to be much sought-after, given their central location.
"So far, in terms of positioning, Toa Payoh has leveraged more on its central location rather than its vibrancy," said Mr Ong, director of R'ST Research. "The new flats can help energise the whole estate."
Selected Neighbourhood Parks will be upgraded with more green spaces for leisure and community bonding.
Build-To-Order flats in Toa Payoh - the nearest HDB estate to the Orchard Road shopping district by MRT - are very popular. In 2014, nine applicants vied for each of the four-room flats up for sale in the new Toa Payoh Apex estate.
The makeover will also inject a whimsical note into the estate. One of the town's icons - the 38-year-old dragon playground in Toa Payoh Lorong 6 - may be replicated in the form of quirky street furniture such as benches in a new park, alongside other symbols.
The 4-kilometre-long ring road will be enlivened with lush greenery, while providing a scenic route to walk and jog along.
In the town centre and neighbourhoods, more greenery, shelters and seating will be added to give residents more space to interact. There will also be two new parks.
The new developments will not be made at the expense of the charm and heritage of the mature town, said the HDB.
Toa Payoh was the first satellite town built by the HDB, in 1964. An arts and heritage corner in the town centre will feature storyboards about how Toa Payoh grew from swampland to a town. A model of the town centre in the 1970s will also be on display.
A pocket park in front of Block 157 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh will feature landscaped spaces with plants and furniture inspired by popular motifs in Toa Payoh.
Two new heritage markers will be installed at the dragon playground and the unique Y-shaped Block 53, which has hosted foreign dignitaries such as Queen Elizabeth II.
Toa Payoh - Senior & Elderly-Friendly Silver Zones
The estate will also be made more senior-friendly. As a mature town, Toa Payoh has a higher proportion of elderly residents, with three in 10 residents aged 60 and above. Ramps and handrails will be installed and paving will be levelled.
Lorong 5 and Lorong 8/8A have been designated Silver Zones, aimed at making roads safer for the elderly. The zones will have markings to remind pedestrians to check the roads before crossing.
Toa Payoh was last made over under the Estate Renewal Strategy in the 1990s. Although it has been upgraded several times since, an HDB spokesman said the efforts this time will be more comprehensive.
This article first appeared on The Straits Times.