{"id":32375,"date":"2016-10-31T09:25:23","date_gmt":"2016-10-31T02:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/pre-war-buildings-to-be-torn-down-to-make-way-for-condo\/"},"modified":"2016-10-31T09:31:10","modified_gmt":"2016-10-31T02:31:10","slug":"pre-war-buildings-to-be-torn-down-to-make-way-for-condo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/pre-war-buildings-to-be-torn-down-to-make-way-for-condo\/","title":{"rendered":"Pre-war buildings to be torn down to make way for condo"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nSome history buffs are upset by plans to demolish the old Paya Lebar Police Station in Upper Serangoon, which will be replaced with the new Forest Woods condo. (Photos: PropertyGuru)
\nTucked away behind large trees in a corner of Lorong Lew Lian in Upper Serangoon is a cluster of colonial buildings and shophouses, which will soon be removed to make way for the recently launched Forest Woods condominium.
\nThe news has upset some history buffs. In response to email queries from PropertyGuru, the team behind heritage blog Remember Singapore (RemSG), which ran an online article about the site in 2012, called the impending demolitions \u201ca loss to our heritage\u201d.
\nAlthough the website\u2019s administrators and bloggers couldn\u2019t be identified, despite PropertyGuru\u2019s efforts, data from SimilarWeb shows it has seen close to 70,000 visits in the past month.
\nBuilt in the 1930s, the buildings housed the former Paya Lebar Police Station until the late 1980s.
\nLast November, a consortium led by City Developments Limited (CDL) was awarded the 150,711 sq ft site located near Serangoon MRT station and Nex shopping mall, after submitting the top bid of $321 million.
\nWhen PropertyGuru visited the site last week, large hoardings had already been erected.
\n\u201cThese are more than 80-year-old pre-war buildings that have played a significant role in the local police history,\u201d said the RemSG team, adding that the buildings could be refurbished and converted into condominium clubhouses.
\nThe team cited the example of the historic Matilda House in Punggol, which was restored by developer Sim Lian Group and turned into a clubhouse for residents at A Treasure Trove condo.
\nBut unlike Matilda House, the Paya Lebar Police Station is not designated for conservation.
\n\u00a0
\nAerial view of the Upper Serangoon site from nearby HDB blocks.
\n\u00a0
\nWhen contacted, a CDL spokesperson said while there was no requirement for any of the buildings to be conserved under the sales conditions released by the government, it had looked at different ways in which the existing structures could be saved.
\n\u201cCDL assessed the orientation of the existing structures and planning parameters,\u201d said the spokesperson. \u201cOne of the site planning constraints is the 570 sq m police station building, which is situated in the middle of the development site. Due to its large scale and complex orientation, conserving the old quarters was infeasible.\u201d
\nThe spokesperson also added that CDL has conserved and integrated existing buildings within some of its other developments. For instance, at the Spring Grove condominium in Grange Road, a 150-year-old two-storey bungalow was converted into a clubhouse.
\nMore recently, the South Beach mixed-use development along Beach Road integrated a few heritage sites, namely three colonial army blocks and the Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) Club.
\nIn Singapore, building conservation is overseen by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). Responding to queries, a URA spokesperson wouldn\u2019t comment about the Upper Serangoon site, but said other old police stations have been conserved, including prominent landmarks at Maxwell Road, Eu Tong Sen Street, Beach Road and Joo Chiat Road.
\n\u201cIn total, we have conserved close to 7,200 buildings and structures in more than 100 conservation areas, including entire historic districts of Chinatown, Kampong Glam and Little India,\u201d noted the spokesperson.
\nThe many competing demands for limited land resources means it isn\u2019t possible to keep every building. As such, the agency takes a selective and practical approach to conservation, and considers various criteria, the spokesperson said.
\n\u201cWe look at the building\u2019s architectural, social and historical significance, rarity, and contribution to the environment. Additionally, views are sought from the building owners and an independent panel comprising members from a cross-section of the community, before a decision is made,\u201d added the spokesperson.
\n\u00a0
\nRomesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email\u00a0romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
\n
\nSource : proppertyguru.com.sg\/Property Market
\nRead more…Pre-war buildings to be torn down to make way for condo<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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(Photo: CDL) The Forest Woods condominium in Serangoon Central will be launched this Saturday (8 October), said home builder City Developments Limited (CDL), which is jointly developing the project with Hong Leong Holdings\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":29329,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/65-of-forest-woods-units-sold-at-launch\/","url_meta":{"origin":32375,"position":1},"title":"65% of Forest Woods units sold at launch","date":"October 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\r 337 of the 519 units at Forest Woods have been sold at an average price of $1,400 psf. 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Developed by a joint venture (JV) between City Developments Limited (CDL), Hong Leong Holdings and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41820,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/eye-on-buangkok-the-simple-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":32375,"position":3},"title":"Eye on Buangkok: The simple life","date":"January 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\r Kampong Lorong Buangkok is the last surviving village on mainland Singapore. (Photo: Zarina Baguio, Wikimedia Commons) Time seems to have stood still in parts of Buangkok and Upper Serangoon. Residents of the rustic Kampong Lorong Buangkok continue to live a quiet and peaceful life raising livestock. 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