Green Spaces in Yishun New Town

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan asked the Minister for National Development whether there are plans to set aside more green spaces within and surrounding Yishun New Town as there is an increasingly large proportion of large green patches and open grassland, including nearby forested areas being cleared for developments.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan: HDB towns are comprehensively planned with a full range of facilities and green spaces to provide an attractive living environment for residents. Yishun Town has 32 hectares of dedicated green space, including Yishun Park and six Neighbourhood Parks. This is equivalent to the size of 45 football fields. One more Neighbourhood Park is under construction and will complete in 2014. Including greenery in residential areas, along roads, and places like Yishun Pond, green spaces make up about a quarter of Yishun Town. This is comparable to other HDB towns. In addition, residents can also enjoy recreational spaces adjacent to the Yishun Town such as at Lower Seletar Reservoir Park and Rower's Bay.

As Yishun Town is not yet fully developed, there are some vacant plots of land which we have put to interim use as temporary green spaces. These sites will eventually be needed for new homes and other amenities later. When we clear such interim sites for the planned developments, residents should not wrongly interpret it as our reducing the green spaces in Yishun Town.

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