A water gallery trail for leisure boaters will be part of the upcoming Jurong Lake Gardens East. Source: NParks
On Saturday, 26 November, local architecture firm Liu & Wo Architects unveiled its plans for the central and eastern parts of the new Jurong Lake Gardens, which has been dubbed the third national garden (after the Singapore Botanic Gardens and Gardens by the Bay).
In designing the gardens, the firm, which was appointed in October via tender, revealed that it took into account the need to preserve nature by retaining existing biodiversity hotspots, reported Channel NewsAsia. Works for the project are set to be completed progressively from 2020.
Featuring tropical horticultural gardens, Jurong Lake Gardens Central will have a “water-wall” court surrounded on three sides by a 3m-high waterfall. The seven-storey pagoda will be retained, while the Bonsai Garden will receive a hanging bonsai gate, making the plants look like they are suspended in mid-air.
Meanwhile, a water gallery trail will be created for leisure boaters at Jurong Lake Gardens East, which will be transformed into a waterfront promenade.
Speaking at the launch of an exhibition to showcase the proposals for public feedback, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said that there will also be F&B outlets at the gardens. With the future High-Speed Rail (HSR) terminus to be linked to the gardens, residents will also enjoy better connectivity, he added.
A series of roving and townhall exhibitions will also be held until February 2017 in locations such as Canopy @ J Link and Lakeside MRT Station.
Offering “a good mix of community and nature”, the new Jurong Lake Gardens will feature a “good blend of something familiar, with many new elements which are exciting and fresh”, Wong said.
Notably, development works for the western part of the gardens commenced in April and are expected to be completed in 2018, with works for the central and eastern parts to follow.
Cheryl Marie Tay, Senior Journalist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this or other stories, email cheryl@propertyguru.com.sg
