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second botanical gardens planned for new downtown By Joanne Leow Channel NewsAsia, 13 Jan 05 Work on second Botanic Gardens to start next year By Asha Popatlal Channel NewsAsia 15 Feb 05 Garden parties Big plans underway for both Botanic Gardens by Lee U-Wen Today 15 Feb 05 Big performance area at 2nd Botanic Gardens by TAN HUI YEE The Straits Times 15 Feb 05 Channel NewsAsia, 13 Jan 05 Singapore's second botanical gardens planned for new downtown By Joanne Leow SINGAPORE : Nature lovers can look forward to a greener Garden City when Singapore gets a second national botanical gardens in the new Downtown at Marina Bay. The National Development Ministry says Marina Bay will be the key focus of its in the coming years, with some S$300 million set aside for infrastructure and facilities. Among the major developments will be a waterfront promenade and a connecting bridge to Marina Centre, which when completed by the year 2008 will create a continuous loop around the entire bay. An anchor attraction at the new downtown will be the second botanical gardens. The existing Botanic Gardens will focus on botanical collections and research, while the new one will have mass floral displays and creative plant-based 'edutainment'. It is also expected to have an iconic conservatory of cool tropical and temperate plants. Nature Society president Dr Geh Min is excited by the idea of the new gardens and is particularly enthusiastic about its location. Dr Geh said, "I hope it will be not just a green space or green lung, but a blue-green space where you can enjoy sea views, enjoy the sea breeze, look out to the horizon. So I hope this new botanic gardens will not be a built up artificial type of garden with a lot of concrete; it will be a refuge an oasis for people who work or live in the city." There are also plans for a biennial Singapore Tropical Garden Show at the new gardens with international floral and landscape displays and trade exhibits. The ministry says promoting a green Singapore will extend to the heartlands, with community gardening set to blossom in more private estates and even some public ones. And Singapore's reputation as a shopping paradise will be also given a boost with plans to rejuvenate Orchard Road with two new retail sites at the junctions with Killiney Road and Paterson Road. As for HDB residents, they can look forward to more lift upgrading, greater flexibility in the use of their flats and private sector participation in the design and development of public housing. Food safety and supply is also set to improve as the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority strengthens its safety system for both local and imported food with the new Veterinary Public Health Centre. AVA will also approve and accredit more new food sources to allow the market to respond quickly to sudden supply shortfalls because of disease or bans. - CNA Channel NewsAsia 15 Feb 05 Work on second Botanic Gardens to start next year By Asha Popatlal Singapore's second Botanic Gardens is set to have one of the country's largest outdoor concert venues to seat tens of thousands of people. To be located in Marina South, work on the new gardens should start by next year and will take between 5 and 10 years to complete. National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan gave this update on Monday at the official opening of Evolution Garden at the Botanic Gardens. The 3-million-dollar Evolution Garden tells the story of how plants evolved from prehistoric days. This explains the rather sparse displays at the start which park officers say is necessary to show how crucial plants are to the survival of all life forms. Meant to serve as an outdoor classroom, the garden goes back hundreds of millions of years ago to when man first appeared and has features like the lepidodendrons, the prehistoric equivalent of our trees today. Some school groups have been already been touring the gardens - and it's a hit with many young visitors. But that's not all that's new. Some 50 million dollars is being pumped in not just on new features, like the Evolution Garden, but also to spruce up areas like Tanglin Core and the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage as well as a new Children's Garden. And for those without cars, the opening of the new Botanic Gardens MRT station in 5 years should help. As for the second Botanic Gardens in Marina South, Mr Mah said: "We hope to get a good concept plan by the end of year and then groundbreaking by next year, but it will take many years. It should not just be a garden within a city but we are trying to build a city within gardens...Not a park in a distinct location but hoping to make use of waterfront, the area in front of the bay to make it part and parcel of the gardens." One possible location for the new Botanic Gardens is the vicinity of the current Marina Park. - CNA Today 15 Feb 05 Garden parties Big plans underway for both Botanic Gardens by Lee U-Wen IF planners have their way, "tens of thousands" of people will one day flock to Singapore's second Botanic Gardens for major outdoor concerts. More than just a lush garden in the city, the new Botanic Gardens at Marina South will be the Central Park of the new downtown, said Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan. The 35-ha park, on which work will start next year, will house one of the largest outdoor concert venues on the island. The location and size of the concert bowl are still being worked out, said Mr Mah. There are also plans to develop a flower fairground, which will be home to an international tropical garden display. A unique cooled conservatory will also showcase unusual and flowering plants from the Mediterranean and Montane climates. "We are trying to build up the concept as we go along. But essentially, (it) should not just be a garden within a city. We're thinking of a garden that really flows through different parts of the city. "The main part of it will be about 30 to 35ha," said Mr Mah, estimating that it could take five to 10 years to be completed. "We want to make use of the waterfront around the bay to make it part of the Gardens." Not to be outdone, the existing Botanic Gardens, which draws 3 million visitors a year, is undergoing a major facelift. Yesterday, Mr Mah officially opened the new Evolution Garden, part of the ongoing $50 million upgrading and renovation plan. The 1.5-ha, $3-million Evolution Garden will serve as an outdoor classroom for school children, to pique interest in the life sciences. Various programmes and guided tours have been developed for children aged five to 14. Visitors can learn about the evolution of plants and discover what the Earth looked like in its prehistoric state. Other developments in the coming years include a Children's Garden — the first of its kind in Asia — in Bukit Timah which will feature plant displays and interactive exhibits in a garden setting. Fans of the popular Symphony Stage can also soon enjoy upgraded features such as better acoustics and more toilet facilities when it re-opens in April. The Straits Times 15 Feb 05 Big performance area at 2nd Botanic Gardens by TAN HUI YEE SINGAPORE'S second Botanic Gardens at Marina Bay will have an outdoor performance area that can accommodate an audience in the tens of thousands. The size of the area is still being worked out, but it will probably be bigger than the one in the Cluny Road gardens, disclosed National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan while opening a new attraction there. The lawn around the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage can seat about 8,000 people. Full details of the performance spot are not out, but arts groups and events organisers The Straits Times spoke to expressed enthusiasm about the additional venue, which may have the city skyline and sunset as a backdrop, and suggested it be equipped with state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems for a wide range of occasions. Singapore Dance Theatre general manager Ng Siew Eng also asked for seating arrangements to be kept flexible, so it will be possible to hold, say, a gala dinner one night and a concert with a picnic the next. Although work on the second Botanic Gardens is expected to begin next year, its exact location has not been finalised. But Mr Mah promised the greenery will not be confined to one location in the new downtown. 'We're trying to build a city within the gardens,' he revealed. 'We're thinking of a garden that really flows through the city, or various parts of the city.' Parts of the waterfront and the 372ha financial district of the new downtown area beside it are likely to be integrated with the garden, which is expected to be ready in five to 10 years or more, said Mr Mah. Not counting these areas, the central part of the new Botanic Gardens is expected to cover 30ha to 35ha, about the size of 40 to 50 football fields. The existing gardens cover 52ha. Meanwhile, work is going on in the existing gardens to enhance their role as a botanic institution. Mr Mah yesterday opened the new Evolution Garden, a 1.5ha plot that incorporates both live and replica plants to showcase the evolution of plant life on Earth over its 4,600 million year geological history. The $3 million showcase has no greenery in some parts to depict the harsh environment on Earth about 4,000 million years ago. It also displays more than 30 species of a palm-like plant called cycad, which first emerged some 200 million years ago and co-existed with the dinosaurs. There are also fossilised trees as well as a variety of ferns and mosses on display. Another $47 million is being poured into the Cluny Road site to redevelop other parts of it. One of the projects is a 2ha garden with plants to stimulate children's interest in greenery. It is expected to be completed in the middle of next year. Another is a new complex, due to be ready by March next year, which will house a herbarium, library, public reference centre and laboratories for botanists. Work now going on to improve the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage is expected to be finished in April next year. As a further boost, one of the stations along the Circle Line will be situated in Bukit Timah Road to make it easier for people to visit the gardens. The line is due to open in 2010. links Related articles on Re-creation in our wild places |
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