DEVELOPMENT OF TIONG BAHRU

 

Built in the 1930’s under the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) programme, the flats around the estate were constructed to appeal to the upper ranks of society during pre-WWII periods, with rounded balconies, spiral staircases and flat rooftops the choice of architectural appeal. Until the 1980s, Tiong Bahru was seen as an estate with a greying population and facilities. The 1990 Singapore Census of Population showed that 31.8% of residents were aged 45 and above. However, redevelopment and an influx of new residents changed the estate’s demographics in the early 1990s. A shopping mall, Mass Rapid Transit station, new public housing and private condominiums sprang up in the area. In 1995, 16 blocks of flats built in 1952 were chosen for the first Selective En-Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS). Located opposite Tiong Bahru Plaza, the 384 units were acquired by the government and redeveloped into 1,402 new units. In 2003, 20 blocks of pre-war SIT flats were granted conservation status by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Tiong Bahru market underwent a two-year, S$16.8 million redevelopment, with the new building following the Art Deco architecture of the estate. Chinese firm Hang Huo Enterprise developed two blocks of conservation flats into the S$45 million Link Hotel, which was completed in 2007.

 

Source: eResources, National Library Board