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Over 75% of Turf City tenants find new homes as deadline to vacate site looms

2023-12-21 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-新加坡原网页

SINGAPORE - More than 75 per cent of Turf City tenants have found new places for their businesses ahead of a Dec 31 deadline to leave the Bukit Timah site, which could have a mix of private and public homes.

However, the authorities have given one business a little more time to move out – despite having made clear previously that there will be no more tenancy extensions after 2023.

Blue Dolphin Gallery, which runs horse-riding business Gallop Stable, has been given a grace period of three months to get its new premises ready, which means it can continue to keep about 150 of its horses at Turf City until March 31, 2024.

Blue Dolphin Gallery’s slated move to a state-owned property at 8 Admiralty Road East in Sembawang has been delayed due to “extenuating and unforeseen circumstances”, said the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), Sport Singapore and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in a joint statement on Dec 21.

A letter dated Oct 31 – seen by The Straits Times – said the area where the new property is located was closed because a building had collapsed.

Blue Dolphin Gallery will not be able to carry out commercial activities at Turf City during the three months because the site will be hoarded up to prepare for redevelopment, and access will be restricted for public safety, the statement said.

The hoardings will be put up from Jan 1, 2024, an SLA spokeswoman said, in response to queries.

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She added that less than 25 per cent of tenants are still making arrangements to hand over their premises by the deadline, but did not provide exact numbers. The businesses include those that plan to close down for good when their tenure at Turf City ends.

Turf City is the site of the former Bukit Timah Turf Club racecourse, which operated from 1933 until it closed down in 1999, when horse racing activities moved to Kranji.

The 140ha site – about the size of 200 football fields – has been marked for residential use since the 1998 URA Master Plan was drawn up to outline what developments land can be used for in Singapore.

Apart from studying if there can be a mix of public and private homes, the authorities are also carrying out detailed environmental and heritage studies in the area.

For years, Turf City was home to tenants that included childcare providers, car dealerships, sports facilities and eateries like Omakase Burger and Italian restaurant Ristorante Da Valentino.

At one time, there were about 30 types of sports and recreational activities on offer, including rugby, cricket and football.

Since 2019, SLA has been reminding tenants that the site will be used for residential development, and twice extended leases to give businesses more time to move out.

Four tenants at Turf City, including Blue Dolphin Gallery, have found new homes on state land, said the joint statement on Dec 21.

They include Rainforest Sports Hub, which leased a Turf City property from a tenant. It plans to operate a rugby facility next to Haw Par Villa MRT station.

Children playing football at Rainforest Sports Hub Turf Club, on Dec 21. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Others, like Riders Cafe and Ristorante Da Valentino, have closed down for good or plan to do so once their leases run out.

The statement also said SLA will soon open a tender exercise for a 1.5ha plot of state land in Carlisle Road in Serangoon for a sports facility, as part of efforts to help Turf City tenants move their businesses to a new location. It did not say when the tender will open.

Details of upcoming developments in the Turf City area, which will have a Cross Island Line MRT station carrying its name, are expected to be made public in 2024.

Editor’s note: This article has been edited for accuracy.