This Former School Site May Shape A New Kind Of Lifestyle Node In Serangoon Gardens

A former school in Serangoon Gardens might come back to life as a lifestyle destination after the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) launched a Price-Quality tender for the State-owned site on Jan 12.

The site at 49 Kensington Park Road is where the former Serangoon Garden South School was located. The school was established in 1955 but merged with Serangoon Garden North Primary School in 1988. But the site has been vacant since 2007 when the school merged with Zhonghua Primary School.

Now, the 78,096 sq ft site is set to be repurposed and some of the indicative uses include spa and wellness, an active aging facility, an indoor sports facility, artisanal crafts studio/workshops, urban farming, pet grooming, and retail.

The adaptive reuse of the old school compound also comes as the nearby Tavistock MRT station on the future Cross Island Line (CRL) is set to be completed in four years. The station is one of 12 stations in the first phase of the CRL from Aviation Park to Bright Hill.

The existing buildings have an estimated gross floor area of 36,853 sq ft and comprise a three-storey building, a two-storey building, and three single storey buildings. There are also 24 surface carpark lots.

According to SLA, the site will be leased for an initial term of five years, with a final tenancy term of four years at the discretion of the government. The tender closes on March 4.

The site won’t just go to the highest bidder, in this case the government will evaluate the bid price, estimated capital expenditure, and quality of the concept proposed by each tender.

Some of the key criteria in the evaluation of the quality of the proposal include how it will enhance and rejuvenate the site to create a vibrant space to serve the community, as well as the compatibility with the surrounding residential developments.

This is especially important because the site is deep within the Serangoon Gardens landed estate, and the site is next to Tavistock Avenue Park. But the area is not without some major amenities such as the Serangoon Gardens Country Club, myVillage at Serangoon Garden, Chomp Chomp Food Centre, Serangoon Garden Market, and a slew of retail and F&B shops.

Other aspects of the proposal quality include sustainability initiatives and the tenderer’s experience and track record in the industry.

This isn’t the first time the government is trying to give old school compounds a new lease of life. We’ve seen several successful examples of former schools repurposed as lifestyle destinations and co-living properties.

SLA’s most prominent success story in converting unused school compounds is the former Nan Chiau Girl’s High School campus on Kim Yam Road. The site was awarded to the Lo & Behold Group and is now New Bahru, a creative cluster of shops, restaurants, co-living, and services.

Likewise, the site of the former Henderson Primary School has been transformed into an inter-generational co-living space, after the site was awarded to The Assembly Place and TS Group.

We should wait and see who puts in a bid for the site at Kensington Park Road. Given the range of indicative uses that SLA has earmarked for the site, and the sensitivities in developing a lifestyle zone within a landed estate, it needs an experienced operator to turn this place around.