SINGAPORE — The Republic’s shoreline will be extended by land reclamation, some areas used for military training will be developed for other uses and golf courses will make way once their leases expire.

These are some of the methods the Government will employ to free up land to build more homes — including in three new towns and four new housing estates — and infrastructure to support the projected growth in the population size in the decades ahead.

The Ministry of National Development unveiled these plans yesterday in a paper which maps out how Singapore “can sustain a high quality living environment, even with a 6.5-6.9 million population by 2030”.

In all, 700,000 new homes will be constructed by 2030 including in the new towns of Bidadari, Tampines North and Tengah, which will be built in the near term. In 10 to 15 years, new housing estates will be located in the former Bukit Turf Club, Kallang Riverside, Keppel and Bukit Brown areas.

As it provides more housing, MND will design and develop a variety of parks close to homes. By 2017, 20,000 more childcare places will be added in areas where there is demand from families with young children.

To bring jobs nearer to homes and further decentralise business activities from the Central Business District, two new commercial nodes will be developed: The North Coast Innovation Corridor will include areas such as Woodlands, Seletar, Punggol and parts of the Sembawang coastline which are currently occupied by a shipyard. The Southern Waterfront City will include areas such as Pasir Panjang, Alexandra and Tanjong Pagar.

Singapore’s total land area now stands at 71,400 hectares. It will need another 5,200 ha by 2030 — about 8 per cent of existing land area and the size of nine Ang Mo Kio towns. The additional land will be reclaimed at Pulau Tekong, Tuas Port, Jurong island, Tuas and Pasir Panjang.

The 2,000 ha of land that will be reclaimed at Pulau Tekong will allow the Ministry of Defence to conduct more military training there.

MND said: “With the training being consolidated in Pulau Tekong and in the western end of Singapore, MINDEF will be able to free up land parcels in the more central parts of Singapore for national development.” Currently, some of the military training areas in these parts include Nee Soon, Seletar, Mandai and Marsiling.

The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) said that in all, there are 18 golf courses which occupy 1,500 ha of land. The leases of some of the courses will not be renewed after they expire. MinLaw said that most of the leases will run out between 2021 and 2030.

It said: “We are working with the planning agencies over the next few months to provide clarity to the various golf courses on whether or not their leases can be extended.”

According to the President of the Singapore Golf Association, Mr Bob Tan, the lease of more than 80 per cent of the clubs here will run out in less than 10 years’ time — including Keppel Club, Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore Island Country Club (SICC), and Tanah Merah Country Club. Some exceptions are Laguna Country Club, which renewed its lease recently, and Jurong Country Club.

Mr Low Teo Ping, captain of the Sentosa Golf Club, added: “It’s always disappointing to have recreational land taken away, all these golf courses are like lungs to a city, which offer greenery and open space. One has to weigh the benefits of taking that away for housing.”

SICC, which has 18,000 members, said its lease expires in Dec 2021. A spokesperson said that it has previously written to the authorities on a few occasions — most recently in September last year — to enquire about the renewal its lease. However, it has not received any response. “We will keep our members informed of the status,” the spokeperson said.

MND acknowledged that competing needs for scarce land will lead to “tough trade-offs” in land-use decisions. “There are no solutions that can satisfy everyone,” it added.

The construction boom ahead has also led to concerns of possible inflation in material and labour costs — an issue that contractors and developers have to contend with in the near future, said Ms Alice Tan, Senior Manager of research at property consultancy firm Knight Frank Singapore.

Writing on Facebook, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he was “confident that Singapore will continue to offer a good quality living environment, and be one of the most liveable cities in the world”.

Referring to the Land Use plan, Mr Lee noted that the new homes “will be integrated with parks, childcare centres, healthcare facilities and recreational spots right at your doorsteps”. He added: “We will double our MRT network, improve bus services, and bring offices nearer to homes to reduce commuting. Singapore will always be a City in a Garden.”