A new lease of life has been breathed into sleepy Queenstown, where two swanky Build-To-Order (BTO) projects now stand tall.

Last week, reporters were taken around the Dawson estate, where work has been ongoing as part of the Remaking Our Heartland (ROH) scheme. The scheme was announced in 2007.

There is greenery hugging every corner of Dawson’s SkyVille and SkyTerrace projects, with bits of history waiting to be found in the Housing Board’s (HDB) first satellite town.

Launched in December 2009 and completed last year, the upmarket BTO flats at SkyVille @ Dawson and SkyTerrace @ Dawson were a huge hit.

A total of 40 studio apartments, 270 three-room flats, 1,102 four-room flats, 176 five-room flats and 65 paired units were on sale.

Despite costing more than two other BTO projects – Montreal Dale at Sembawang and Segar Grove at Bukit Panjang – launched in the same period, the Dawson BTO projects drew overwhelming response, with some flats almost 12 times oversubscribed.

The starting price of a three-room unit at Dawson is $280,000, as compared to the $125,000 starting price tag for a BTO flat at Montreal Dale or Segar Grove.

ERA Realty Network’s key executive officer Eugene Lim explained that the higher price was due to a combination of location and design.

Calling the Dawson flats a “landmark HDB project” as they are in the first phase of projects under the ROH scheme, Mr Lim said: “Dawson is centrally located. It is in a prime area near the city, so you already have a location premium on the flat.

“Then, they throw in a premium design. This adds to the purchase price.”

HDB said, where possible, it will implement the landscaping concepts and ideas learnt from projects in other estates.

When asked if this would drive up prices of future BTO flats, Mr Lim said: “The prices are within HDB’s control. It is very clear that the flats have to be affordable for everyone.

“It has to adjust for location differences. If you take the same design and features to a non-mature estate, the prices will be slightly different.”

Five more projects are expected to be up by 2020.

Residents in the 31 blocks in Tanglin Halt Road and Commonwealth Drive picked for the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme have been offered replacement units in these five projects at subsidised prices.

Other estates slated for a facelift are Toa Payoh, Woodlands, Pasir Ris, Hougang, East Coast, Jurong Lake, Punggol and Yishun.

Marrying old with new in Dawson is in line with HDB’s Dawson Landscape Master Plan, conceived to realise a “housing-in-a-park” vision.

HDB’s director for landscape and design, Mr Brian Low, said architects have “taken great pains” to conserve the heritage of Dawson.

This includes the iconic blue glass panels in the sky gardens at SkyVille @ Dawson.

Dawson was colloquially known as the “Blue Windows” because of the unique blue glass louvred windows at the former Forfar House in Strathmore Avenue. There are also artist-commissioned panels depicting the fishing village life in Dawson in the 1950s and 1960s.

Within one of the projects, HDB is building a 200m-long eco-corridor that will connect to the precinct garden at SkyVille @ Dawson.

The aim was to ensure greenery links all the projects together, said HDB’s Mr Low, who said that the garden landscape is a step away from the usual manicured areas many are used to.

“The idea is to have a natural look (and) natural feel, because this is how nature is,” he said.

DAWSON HOMES SET IN A PARK

The Remaking Our Heartland initiative was launched in 2007 to spruce up public housing estates, injecting new facilities such as integrated complexes that combine transport, recreation and other uses – while still retaining the area’s heritage.

Each estate will build on what makes it unique to capitalise on the area’s distinct personality and make it endearing.

The plan to rejuvenate Dawson, in Queenstown, one of the three estates earmarked for a facelift in 2007, was unveiled in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s 2007 National Day Rally speech.

“The old estates also have great potential. We are redeveloping selected sites within these estates, one by one, but where we can clear a big piece of land, then we can transform the whole area and make it like a new estate,” he said then.

Greenery

Dawson took on the “housing-in-a-park” concept, with a new generation of public housing set within lush greenery.

The other two estates in the first phase were Yishun and Punggol.

Four years later, East Coast, Hougang and Jurong Lake were selected as the second batch of estates.

Last year, Toa Payoh, Woodlands and Pasir Ris were the third batch of towns selected for the programme.

This article was first published on December 19, 2016.
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As Singapore restructures its economy, there may be pain for workers in some industries, but Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat says the Government will support them as they adjust to the new environment.

Companies also have to pitch in and work together with their staff and the Government on this effort.

This is important as some industries may not do as well as others, and the workers affected may need to seek new opportunities elsewhere, he said in an interview last week, where he underlined the need for workers, bosses and public agencies to work together as Singapore faces a more challenging global economy.

“You need the effort of the workers, you need the effort of the companies, and you need the government agencies to support it in the right direction,” he said.

Mr Heng made the remarks at his first extensive interview since returning to work in August, after he suffered a stroke in May.

He acknowledged that workers are anxious about jobs and the economy in the near future.

“The fact that Singaporeans are concerned is a sign that we are serious people, and that we do want to make preparations,” he said.

“We need to turn that anxiety into action that will prepare us better for the future,” he added.

“It is not easy, I appreciate that. But if we provide a support system, and if we support one another as fellow workers, as employers, we can make the grade.”

While Singapore’s unemployment rate is still low at 2.1 per cent as of September, manpower data for the third quarter showed high lay-offs and a widening gap between job seekers and job openings.

For the first nine months of the year, 13,730 workers were axed, the highest level since 2009.

Read also: Heng Swee Keat’s first words when out of coma: Is there a Cabinet meeting today?

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2016-06-25 16:02:11

Photo Gallery

Heng Swee Keat discharged after ‘excellent recovery’ from stroke

Source: Prime Minister’s Office

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HARDER TO FIND WORK

More people who were out of a job also took longer to find work, and there were 91 job openings for every 100 unemployed people as of September.

The worst-hit were workers in the construction, marine and offshore-related industries, due to the protracted slump in oil prices.

Mr Heng chairs the Committee on the Future Economy (CFE), which has consulted widely over the past year and come up with recommendations for Singapore to stay competitive.

The committee will release its report early next year and is expected to identify areas for growth where people and companies can seize opportunities.

Mr Heng said the Government is also helping workers across all sectors with schemes to ease their transition into the new economy.

These include Aspire, now part of SkillsFuture, to ensure that there are avenues for people to build on skills as they progress in the workforce.

He also cited the $4.5 billion Industry Transformation Programme announced in this year’s Budget.

Among other things, it gives grants to small companies looking into automation to scale up their business.

Mr Heng is encouraged by the confidence of corporate chiefs he met during the CFE meetings.

Despite the weaker economic environment, they told Mr Heng that “we do have strengths and it is important that we build on those strengths”.

“That sense of confidence and optimism that we can do it is an important asset,” he said.

Read also: Get-well wishes spurred Heng Swee Keat on

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2016-05-13 16:04:47

Photo Gallery

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in ICU after suffering stroke

Source: The Straits Times, The New Paper, Facebook screengrabs

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This article was first published on December 19, 2016.
Get The New Paper for more stories.

As Singapore restructures its economy, there may be pain for workers in some industries, but Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat says the Government will support them as they adjust to the new environment.

Companies also have to pitch in and work together with their staff and the Government on this effort.

This is important as some industries may not do as well as others, and the workers affected may need to seek new opportunities elsewhere, he said in an interview last week, where he underlined the need for workers, bosses and public agencies to work together as Singapore faces a more challenging global economy.

“You need the effort of the workers, you need the effort of the companies, and you need the government agencies to support it in the right direction,” he said.

Mr Heng made the remarks at his first extensive interview since returning to work in August, after he suffered a stroke in May.

He acknowledged that workers are anxious about jobs and the economy in the near future.

“The fact that Singaporeans are concerned is a sign that we are serious people, and that we do want to make preparations,” he said.

“We need to turn that anxiety into action that will prepare us better for the future,” he added.

“It is not easy, I appreciate that. But if we provide a support system, and if we support one another as fellow workers, as employers, we can make the grade.”

While Singapore’s unemployment rate is still low at 2.1 per cent as of September, manpower data for the third quarter showed high lay-offs and a widening gap between job seekers and job openings.

For the first nine months of the year, 13,730 workers were axed, the highest level since 2009.

Read also: Heng Swee Keat’s first words when out of coma: Is there a Cabinet meeting today?

HARDER TO FIND WORK

More people who were out of a job also took longer to find work, and there were 91 job openings for every 100 unemployed people as of September.

The worst-hit were workers in the construction, marine and offshore-related industries, due to the protracted slump in oil prices.

Mr Heng chairs the Committee on the Future Economy (CFE), which has consulted widely over the past year and come up with recommendations for Singapore to stay competitive.

The committee will release its report early next year and is expected to identify areas for growth where people and companies can seize opportunities.

Mr Heng said the Government is also helping workers across all sectors with schemes to ease their transition into the new economy.

These include Aspire, now part of SkillsFuture, to ensure that there are avenues for people to build on skills as they progress in the workforce.

He also cited the $4.5 billion Industry Transformation Programme announced in this year’s Budget.

Among other things, it gives grants to small companies looking into automation to scale up their business.

Mr Heng is encouraged by the confidence of corporate chiefs he met during the CFE meetings.

Despite the weaker economic environment, they told Mr Heng that “we do have strengths and it is important that we build on those strengths”.

“That sense of confidence and optimism that we can do it is an important asset,” he said.

Read also: Get-well wishes spurred Heng Swee Keat on

This article was first published on December 19, 2016.
Get The New Paper for more stories.

SINGAPORE – A Uber driver has taken UberEATS way too literally, and possibly landed himself in hot water.

With driverless cars are all the rage now, one Uber passenger certainly felt like she was riding in one, when the driver of the car she was in allegedly controlled the steering wheel with just a pinky during the ride as he ate his food.

According to Lianhe Wanbao, a reader identified as Ms Xu, 48, was taking a Uber trip from Pasir Ris to her workplace in Toa Payoh, at around 3pm on Wednesday (Dec 15) when it happened.

“As soon as I boarded, I could smell the oily fast food,” she told Lianhe Wanbao, “I asked the driver to wind down the windows, and he even asked me ‘why?’.”

She said the driver held a sauce box in his left hand and picked up fries and chicken nuggets with his right, while driving through the entire 20-minute journey, only holding the steering wheel with his left pinky.

While she could understand if the driver ate whenever the car stopped at red lights, as he might be so busy he did not have time for meals, she was appalled that he was doing so even while on the expressway.

“It was really dangerous. What if something had happened? He definitely would not have had time to react,” Ms Xu said, who added that she was frightened throughout the journey.

As she did not want to confront the driver directly, she took a video to lodge a complaint with Uber. She added that she felt like she was onboard a driverless car.

“At some point, some sauce dripped onto his pants, and he momentarily took both his hands off the wheel to pick up some tissue and wipe off the mess. It was really outrageous,” Ms Xu told Lianhe Wanbao.

According to Lianhe Wanbao, Uber has apologised to Ms Xu, and will investigate the matter and take appropriate action against the errant driver.

This article was first published on Dec 18, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.