Make Turf City a sport hub

Clivebenss SG

I REFER to the interesting article on Turf City ('Last Lap for Turf City'; Nov 19). While shops and restaurants are plentiful in Singapore, open land available for sporting use is in very scarce supply. This is forcing many sports clubs - both adult and junior - to pay substantially increased fees to hire facilities.

The importance of Turf City for the future development of sport in Singapore and for those who wish to play sport at all levels cannot be overstated.

Currently, Tanglin Rugby Club, Anza, Centaurs, Baseball Club Singapore and International Soccer Academy, all lease space at Turf City. Thousands of children use the facilities each week. Schools and adult football and cricket teams are also regular users of the site by hiring from the above tenants.

In a letter to The Straits Times in April this year, the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) said the two organisations were working closely to ensure sufficient land for sports uses ('Sufficient land set aside for sports uses'; April 3). It will surprise few in the sporting community to learn that, as yet, no alternative venues have been identified, though discussions continue with both the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and SSC.

Open space for sport in Singapore is at a premium and should Turf City be lost as a venue, this will have a devastating impact on sport in Singapore.

The facilities at Turf City are, no doubt, in need of redevelopment and it is easy to envision a much improved sporting hub for the enjoyment of both current and future generations on the site.

Let us not confuse this idea with the sporting hub that is being developed at Kallang, which will cater to elite sportsmen and sportswomen. Turf City could easily become a hub for participation sport, with indoor facilities replacing the largely unused grandstand and more pitches gained by filling in the centre of Turf City.

For this to happen though, there needs to be a long-term plan. Short-term leases do not provide sufficient certainty to attract much required investment and the current structure allows middlemen to profit at the expense of both the SLA and the sporting community.

Redevelopment of Turf City for participation sport would be welcomed by the sporting community and add to Singapore's attraction as a place for families to settle. I hope the authorities will allay concerns over the venue's future by providing clarity on their intent.

Phillip Taylor
President
Tanglin Rugby Club

Clivebenss SG

Another great idea from the FTs. Want everything for nothing.

Wangdalei2010 SG

Excellent post,thanks for sharing.

Blu-ray Ripper for Mac is an all-inclusive tool for handling both Blu-ray and DVD discs, is a powerful tool specially designed for users to rip, convert, backup and edit both Blu-ray and DVD movies on Mac. Rip Blu-ray for Mac This Mac Blu-ray Ripper software is a useful utility for Blu-ray movie fans.

Clivebenss SG

Excellent post,thanks for sharing.

Jason316 SG

Pretty interesting idea. And they've definitely got the space there to make this happen.

Clivebenss SG

WE REFER to Tanglin Rugby Club president Phillip Taylor's letter last Wednesday ('Make Turf City a sport hub').

The Urban Redevelopment Authority works closely with various government agencies to ensure sufficient land is set aside for various economic, social and recreational uses. However, given our scarce land resources, we need to strike a balance in meeting many different land use needs.

An example is the Singapore Sports Council's collaboration with the Ministry of Education since 2003 known as the Dual Use Scheme. Under it, school sports facilities are made available for public use over the weekends. These include 130 school fields and 30 indoor sports halls. Bookings for these facilities may be made at www.icanbook.com.sg

The Singapore Sports Hub, which will be completed in April 2014, will be a fully integrated sports, leisure, entertainment and lifestyle hub for world-class events and community activities. All facilities will be accessible to the public and top athletes to train and compete in.

In addition to the major sports infrastructure such as the 55,000-seat retractable-roof stadium, 6,000-seat aquatics venue and water leisure centre, there are also a whole host of community sports facilities throughout the Sports Hub, including a beach volleyball court, rock climbing wall, hard courts, a skate park, an area for lawn bowling, and a 1km jogging track located on the perimeter of the National Stadium.

We also put land that is not immediately needed for development to good use in the interim, for example, as parks or areas for community use and sports.

The former Turf Club site is one example. As the timeframe to develop the site for residential use has not been firmed up at this point in time, the Singapore Land Authority has leased out the site, which today caters to various interim uses such as sports and recreation, food and beverage, and retail.

We agree with Mr Taylor that the fields in the former Turf Club could be set aside for sports use in the interim and we will explore this with other relevant agencies.

Tan See Nin
Director (Physical Planning)
Urban Redevelopment Authority

Alvin Hang
Director
(Corporate Communications & Relations)
Singapore Sports Council

Lee Seng Lai
Director (Land Lease Private)
Singapore Land Authority