Jewel in the city: PM Lee unveils 'ambitious transformation' plans for Jurong Lake District

Expect bigger Gardens and a brand-new Science Centre.

Gone are the days when Jurong Lake District was a merely a place for shopping malls and towering industries. In his National Day Rally speech yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong unveiled plans for a complete overhaul of the district.

The government’s REACH portal highlighted PM Lee’s plan to integrate the district’s Chinese and Japanese Gardens, which are currently under-utilised and look dated.

The Gardens will be integrated to become the Jurong Lake Gardens –the “crown of the Jurong Lake District”. It will be transformed into a people’s garden and a focal point for the ‘Community in Bloom’ movement.

In addition, Jurong Lake Gardens will be connected to the Islandwide Park connector network, as well as the Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters programme via the Jurong River. More lakeside housing will also be built.

The Prime Minister also revealed plans to build a ‘Jewel’ in Jurong. This will take the form of a new Science Center which will be built near the Chinese Garden MRT station.

When it comes to transport, PM Lee highlighted the Government’s efforts at increasing the capacity of the North-South and East-West lines.

In the long term, the Jurong Region Line and the Cross-Island Line will be set up, and the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) would be shifted southwards to create more space next to the Lake.