Business As Usual When $40m Orchard Makeover Begins End April

Source : The Straits Times, Apr 4, 2008

FINALLY, the long anticipated $40 million works that will give Singapore's top shopping street the shine will begin on April 28. The facelift is expected to be completed by next February.

Street Montage- Orchard (Forest) Zone. From February next year, works will commence to transform Orchard Road?s pedestrian mall into a feast for the senses: sight, sound, touch and smell. The $40 million makeover is expected to be completed by April 2009. -- PHOTO: SINGAPORE TOURISM BOARD

Seven construction teams will be working on various sections of the 2km-long pedestrian mall at the same time to speed up the upgrading process.

When Singapore Tourism Board first announced the detailed plans, the makeover was to have started in February, after Chinese New Year. But, works stalled because some mall owners were unhappy about certain aspects of the proposed works.

However, STB announced on Friday that construction will begin on April 28. Hoarding will first come up at buildings like Ngee Ann City, Orchard Parade Hotel and Singapore Visitors Centre. Others like Marriot Hotel and Tang Plaza will also be covered in the first phase of works that will last 10 weeks.

Tanglin (Flower) Zone

STB director of tourism shopping and dining Andrew Phua said all the businesses affected have been informed at a meeting on Wednesday.

He said: 'We wanted to ensure that everyone has been informed and that all of us are on the same page.'

He added that most of the concerns expressed by the mall owners had been ironed out before the works schedule was finalised. One of the key concerns was that the works may disrupt two mega sales: the Great Singapore Sale which begins on May 23 and the year-end Christmas.

Artist impression of Somerset Zone - Fruits - Harkening back to the road's past as a nutmeg plantation, the fruit theme will feature nutmeg and cinnamon trees between Faber House and Le Meridien.

To make sure that the mall owners would not be disadvantaged, STB will allow them to use the hoarding as advertising billboards to show that they are still in business. The hired contractor has also promised to minimise disruption to pedestrian access points to the malls, Mr Phua said.

For malls like Ngee Ann City, STB has rearranged the works schedule to accommodate its its request of having the works done sooner than later.

The $40 million facelift, announced last October, will see new plants and flowers, as well as street furniture and lighting added to the thoroughfare which will be themed along the lines of fruit, flower and forest.

Artist impression of Orchard Zone - Forest - Glass panels etched with botanical graphics represent the forest theme for the area between the new Ion Orchard and The Hereen. -- PHOTOS: STB

Works involved repaving sections of the pedestrian mall from Tanglin Mall to Le Meridien Hotel and the right-most lane will be closed to create a wider walkway in front of Ion Orchard, Wisma Atria, Ngee Ann City and the Meritus Mandarin hotel. As they will be carried out in sections, every building owner has been informed of the exact schedule of when their property will be affected and for how long.

Each section of works is expected to last up to 10 weeks.

STB's Mr Phua said: 'When completed, locals and visitors will enjoy a much enhanced street level experience when they stroll along Orchard Road.'