ComfortDelGro has submitted the top bid of $38 million to develop a new multi-storey driving centre on Lorong Bistari in Chua Chu Kang. This will be the first Next-Generation Driving Centre that will cater to all vehicle classes.
The only other bidder was Bukit Batok Driving Centre, an affiliate of Japanese automotive conglomerate Honda, who put in a $25 million bid for the site.
The tender for the new driving centre was launched last October by URA, in collaboration with the Singapore Police Force. Originally, the tender was supposed to close on Jan 15 but the deadline was extended to Feb 26.
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The new driving centre will replace Bukit Batok Driving Centre, which will close in 2030 to make way for future residential developments.
This means Singapore will still have three key driving centres for learner motorists – Singapore Safety Diving Centre in the Woodlands, Comfort DelGro Driving Centre in Ubi, and the upcoming site in Chua Chu Kang.
Located off Chua Chu Kang Way, the site along Lorong Bistari spans 267,907 sq ft and the new driving centre will have a gross floor area of about 780,390 sq ft. It will feature a more compact, multi-storey layout that optimises land use while meeting growing demand for driver training and testing.
Some of the key features include the multi-storey design, simulators, intelligent driving circuits, and Class 4 and 5 training and testing capabilities.
Provision has been made for at least two Intelligent Driving Circuits (IDC) of 236,808 sq ft each to conduct circuit assessments for all classes of driving licence, and two or more Nursery Circuits of 193,752 sq ft each for both motorcar and motorcycle learners.
Meanwhile, the Bukit Batok Driving Centre site has already been zoned for residential use. The driving centre opened in 1990 and its lease had been extended several times after it initially expired in 2018.
According to the latest Master Plan, the site has a relatively high gross plot ratio of 3.5. This means future homes here might feature high-rise residential blocks.
The site is next to the Brickland District, one of the five residential areas being developed in Tengah. The first Build-To-Order project in Brickland District was the 1,641-unit Brickland Weave, which launched as part of the February 2023 BTO sales exercise.
Over on the Bukit Batok side, the area is an established residential neighbourhood with several schools and public housing developments. Three schools are in this vicinity – St Anthony’s Primary School, Dunearn Secondary School, and Swiss Cottage Secondary School.
The most crucial news is the construction of a new MRT station at the junction of Bukit Batok West Avenue 5 and Bukit Batok Road. The new station, which is to be named Brickland station, is expected to be operational in 2034.
This will be four years after Bukit Batok Driving Centre is demolished and enough time for the government to plan out new homes in its place. URA has not shared whether the new residential developments will be public or private homes.
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