SINGAPORE — In a bid to bring jobs closer to homes, two new corridors for commercial activity have been targeted as growth areas by the Government, according to the Land Use Plan paper released by the Ministry of National Development (MND) yesterday.

The North Coast Innovation Corridor will include Woodlands, Seletar, Punggol and the redevelopment of the Sembawang Shipyard, while the Southern Waterfront City will include Pasir Panjang, Alexandra and Tanjong Pagar.

These areas will provide 13 million square metres of space to support more employment opportunities and amenities outside the city centre, allowing the authorities to tackle the issue of congestion on roads and public transport.

The new industrial cluster in the north will be supported by new transport infrastructure, such as the Thomson MRT Line and the North-South Expressway, with both running from Woodlands into the heart of the Central Business District (CBD).

Meanwhile, airport and seaport capacity will be increased to create more jobs sited away from the CBD, with the development of the new Terminal 4 and the expansion of Terminal 1 at Changi Airport.

To further ease congestion in the built-up commercial areas, the Government is also promoting flexible work arrangements, where employees can work from home by tapping on info-communication technology.

While analysts felt that the new cluster in the north would be attractive to clean technology, aerospace industries and labour-intensive industries from across the Causeway, others, like Marketing Manager Shaun Ng, were less enthused by the idea of working in a less central location.

Mr Ng, 33, who lives in Novena, pointed out that although travelling to areas like Punggol or Woodlands would mean a more comfortable commute, it would take more time and be more expensive.

“It could be all right for some jobs, maybe the more office-bound type, but I have to travel for my job and having to travel from, let’s say, Punggol to meet clients in the town area would simply be more time-consuming and have a major impact on my pockets,” he said.

Experts were divided on the success of the ongoing effort to decentralise activities to regional business hubs in Tampines and Woodlands.

Property firm Chris International’s Director, Mr Chris Koh, said response to these new business hubs has been good so far, owing to the ready pool of employees in these areas.

“Any commercial property that we put up in these areas are snapped up,” he said.

But transport analyst Lee Der Horng from the National University of Singapore disagreed, saying it has been difficult persuading the private sector to make the move.

The most effective way to encourage businesses to move out of the city would be for the Government to take the lead as the sectors they deal with would naturally move with them, said Associate Professor Lee.

Head of Research at SLP International Property Consultants, Mr Nicholas Mak, said these business hubs had enjoyed “a certain amount of success”, but noted that some investors remained unwilling to develop these areas as their non-central locations meant lower rental yields.

“The image of these commercial areas needs to be shaped by the Government and then more businesses will be drawn there gradually,” Mr Mak said, citing Punggol’s development into a waterfront district as an example.