Boat Quay will be getting a S$5million facelift after garnering support from the majority of stakeholders in the area. The makeover is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
Visitors can look forward to new outdoor refreshment areas as well as three open spaces with new public seating and enhanced landscaping – to allow the public to soak in the view of the Singapore River without affecting businesses.
The works will also improve the fire safety of Boat Quay as the existing overhanging wires across the promenade will be removed and located underground.
Additionally, the facelift will provide more open air dining areas for diners to take in the view of the river, and include retractable canopies that can be deployed to protect customers from the rain.
Slots have been designed for menu boards and signs, and beams provided for shop owners to mount lights and fans. Timber-like floor decking material was also chosen for easy maintenance.
“We are trying to achieve a consistent look and feel, but we recognise that we don’t want a very identical structure which is why there are some elements that can be customised by the respective operators to respond to their business concepts and needs,” said Ms Eliza Choo, Director for Urban Design at the URA. “For example, slots for them to put in their own manual boards and signage, additional beams if they want to put in their own vertical blinds.”
Works will be conducted in five phases to minimise disruption along the entire stretch, and each phase will take about eight weeks.
While some tenants expect business to drop by about 20 per cent during the construction period, they believe they will profit in the long run.
Dallas Restaurant which has been operating in Boat Quay for the last eight years, plans to maximise use of the eatery’s internal space for drinking and dining to minimise their losses. “It’s very important we do that otherwise we are going to lose revenue,”said Dallas Restaurant’s managing director Jason Pope. “We’re at the doorstep of 100,000 corporates right above us. So we need to showcase Boat Quay so that they can walk down here.”
The makeover was initiated by the Singapore River One (SRO) group, made up of business owners in Boat Quay. They had garnered support from stakeholders before putting forward a proposal to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to implement the project. The SRO, URA and a consultant team engaged stakeholders on the proposed enhancements and construction timeline.
“We’ve been having a very open discussion with the landlords as well as the business owners,” SRO’s executive director Michelle Koh said. “We had an understanding with the landlords that they will be kind and sensitive about the rental increase if any or if they could look at rental rebates.”
She added that there would be various promotions and events for the Singapore River that could see flow-over benefits to businesses in the area.
Source : Channel NewsAsia – 29 Apr 2015