Source : The Straits Times, 15 Aug 2007
Recreational, dining facilities and tourist attractions are in the works
The sleepy foothills of Mount Faber are set to come alive.
The Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) has been tasked with turning it into the next lifestyle-cum-entertainment hot spot in Singapore.
This was revealed by SDC chairman Loo Choon Yong at the official opening of golf’s Asian Tour headquarters at Sentosa yesterday.
He said: ‘The Singapore Tourism Board and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) have asked us to prepare a master plan to look at how we can develop the foothills at Mount Faber, and how we can incorporate it into the whole neighbourhood.’
He did not elaborate on what the master plan would contain, but said recreational activities, accommodation, tourist attractions and dining facilities are in the works.
He explained that Mount Faber was being tapped because the 500-ha Sentosa island was ‘quickly running out of room’.
When contacted, MTI declined comment.
But The Straits Times understands that while plans are only in the preliminary stage, the bottom half of the 106-m-high Mount Faber has been earmarked for development.
No forest reserves will be touched. Only the foothills accessible by roads, such as Keppel Hill and Temenggong Road, will be revamped.
Dr Loo said that since the 10-year master plan for Sentosa is already in place, the next step is for what he dubbed a ‘Greater Sentosa’.
‘Together with Resorts World at Sentosa, VivoCity, St James Power Station and Mount Faber, Sentosa will form a vital part of this world-class environment to live, work and play in Singapore,’ he explained.
‘Plans to include Faber foothills in this vision are currently being explored, with more details to be announced in due course.’
He added: ‘Now, Sentosa is an exciting place, and so are VivoCity and St James Power Station. There are residents, activity and nightlife. So, I think the Faber foothills present an opportunity.’
He declined to reveal the costs involved, the exact location or the expected completion date of the project.
The idea to develop the area has surfaced in the past - in 2002, when the Urban Redevelopment Authority launched an Identity Plan, which combined ideas and proposals on how to keep and enhance the special character of 15 areas in Singapore.
One of the suggestions was the creation of ‘hillside villages’, with shops and activities, at Mount Faber’s foothills. It was also proposed that the old black-and-white bungalows along the foothills be converted into culinary schools, bed-and-breakfast lodgings, restaurants or museums.
Miss Susan Teh, chief executive officer of the Mount Faber Leisure Group, which owns The Jewel Box, a leisure and dining complex housed in the revamped Mount Faber Cable Car station, said it was ‘too preliminary’ to comment on the area’s development plans.
‘However, we have been in talks with the relevant authorities in exploiting this strategic location,’ she added.
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