Kampung Admiralty offers a range of facilities including a medical centre, childcare and eldercare and shops. (Photo: Sembawang Town Council)
The first batch of residents in Singapore’s first retirement community, Kampung Admiralty, obtained their keys last Saturday (12 August), reported Channel NewsAsia.
Expected to be fully completed by early 2018, the 11-storey project in Woodlands comprises residential units, medical facilities, shops, as well as childcare and eldercare centres, with some facilities already operating.
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“Here everything is under one roof so it’s convenient,” said 60-year-old dental therapist Rohani Ahmad, adding that older people don’t want to travel so far to get what they need.
Aside from the pharmacy on the building’s ground level, there is a medical centre run by Khoo Teck Puat Hospital on the third and fourth floor that was completed in phases since July.
The complex also has a 900-seater hawker centre that will open in September with a total of 43 food stalls. Each will offer at least two meals costing $2.80 or less, and 50 percent of the menu items will comply with the Health Promotion Board’s nutrition standards.
Moreover, the flats come with elderly-friendly features like vinyl floors to prevent slips and induction hobs for cooking to lessen the risk of fire or explosion.
Besides Kampung Admiralty’s community park and garden, there is also a community plaza on the first floor to promote socialisation, while the childcare centre lets kids bond with their grandparents.
These facilities are designed to prevent depression and improve the well-being of the elderly, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan told the Straits Times. He is also the MP for Sembawang GRC, which includes Woodlands.
The Straits Times reported that 103 out of 104 units in Kampung Admiralty have been taken up since these were first offered in the Build-to-Order exercise in July 2014, with most sold on 30-year leases.
Of the 103 units, 44 were purchased under the Studio Apartment Priority Scheme (SAPS) and the Senior Priority Scheme (SPS), which focuses on providing housing to elderly residents who want to age in place, and to those who wish to live close to their married children or parents.
In fact, about 60 percent of the new residents come from Woodlands or nearby estates.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
