NDR 2022: 150,000 new homes to be built at Paya Lebar Airbase site

Paya Lebar Airbase will begin its relocation in the 2030s to make way for public and private housing, amenities, and commercial and industrial developments, announced Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the National Day Rally on Sunday (Aug 21).

The relocation will see 800ha of space freed up for development. PM Lee added that the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has started engaging the public and industry partners to explore redevelopment concepts.

One consideration is to develop the future town parallel to the existing 3.8km runway, PM Lee shared. 

“(The runway) is aligned along the direction of prevailing winds, for aircraft to avoid crosswinds when aircrafts take off and land…The future town can be oriented this way too, parallel to the runway and then the town (will be) naturally breezy,” he added.

With the runway repurposed as the town’s central spine, public and private housing will be built on both sides of it. 

The Ministry of National Development (MND) estimates 150,000 new homes to be built – which is roughly equivalent to the total number of homes in Punggol and Sengkang. 

Singaporeans can also expect amenities and recreational areas to be constructed close by, as well as commercial and industrial developments, to bring jobs closer to homes, said PM Lee.

Once the airbase relocates, building height restrictions in the surrounding vicinity can also be lifted. This includes estates such as Hougang, Marine Parade and Punggol. 

“This means we can redevelop these towns, include more amenities, and make much better use of the space there,” said PM Lee, who added that Singaporeans should not expect the changes to “happen overnight”. 

“But over decades, we can completely reimagine the Eastern part of Singapore,” he added.