Gillman Barracks housing estate: 25 heritage buildings and 8ha of greenery to be retained

Gillman Barracks is best known today as a quiet arts and lifestyle enclave, where galleries, restaurants and creative businesses operate from low-rise buildings surrounded by mature greenery. However, the historic site is now set to enter a new chapter as plans move forward for a residential neighbourhood containing both public and private homes.

The upcoming Gillman Barracks housing estate will cover an estimated 40ha development area near Telok Blangah. Although the final number of homes has not been announced, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) has confirmed that the estate will be planned around its natural landscape and historic buildings.

Based on the current proposal, around 8ha of green space will be set aside, while 25 of the 86 buildings studied at the site are expected to be retained. Some former military buildings could eventually be adapted into shops, dining spaces, community facilities or other amenities for future residents.

Where will the Gillman Barracks housing estate be located?

The planned estate will occupy a site bordered broadly by Depot Road, Alexandra Road, Telok Blangah Road, West Coast Highway and Telok Blangah Street 31.

Meanwhile, the environmental and heritage studies covered a wider area of around 47ha. This included the roughly 40ha development site, as well as another 7ha of mainly vegetated land north of Telok Blangah Heights.

Its location is likely to be one of the Gillman Barracks housing estate’s main attractions. Although the site sits relatively close to the city centre, it is also surrounded by major green and coastal areas, including the Southern Ridges, HortPark and the Labrador Nature Park Network.

Future residents could therefore benefit from access to key employment areas such as the Central Business District, HarbourFront, Mapletree Business City and one-north. Labrador Park MRT station on the Circle Line is also nearby, providing connections to several major work, education and lifestyle areas across Singapore.

In addition, HDB has said that the future neighbourhood will be supported by new roads and active mobility links, although the detailed transport layout has not yet been released.

The site is also close to the future Greater Southern Waterfront, a long-term transformation area stretching across Singapore’s southern coastline. As more homes, workplaces, public spaces and amenities are introduced across the wider district, Gillman Barracks could eventually become part of a larger residential and lifestyle corridor in the south.

However, the estate’s overall appeal will also depend on practical details that have yet to be confirmed. These include the number of schools, shops, healthcare facilities and other daily amenities that will be provided within or near the neighbourhood.

Early residents may also have to contend with construction activity in the surrounding area, particularly if Gillman Barracks and nearby Greater Southern Waterfront projects are developed at around the same time.

Both public and private homes are planned

The Gillman Barracks housing estate is expected to contain a combination of public and private housing. However, HDB has not revealed how the site will be divided between the two types of homes.

It is also not yet known how many HDB flats will be offered, whether the public housing projects will be launched under the Build-To-Order (BTO) exercise or which flat categories and sizes may be included. Similarly, no decision has been announced on whether the HDB projects will fall under the Standard, Plus or Prime classification. However, given the estate’s location near the city centre and Labrador Park MRT station, as well as the wider area’s expected benefits from the Greater Southern Waterfront transformation, the flats could fall under the Plus or Prime category. 

The development may also include private residential land parcels. These could be released progressively once the overall estate plan has been completed, although the timing and size of any future land sales remain unknown. 

About a fifth of the estate will be green space

One of the main features of the future estate will be its greenery. Around 8ha, or approximately one-fifth of the 40ha development area, is expected to form a connected green network. This will include about 5.6ha of existing greenery and another 2.4ha of newly planted green areas.

The environmental study recorded 293 plant species and 178 animal species across the wider study area. Among them, 22 plant species and 11 animal species were identified as being of conservation significance. Much of this biodiversity was concentrated within two habitats considered to have high ecological value: the native-dominated secondary forest and the forest stream.

As a result, the forest stream and most of the native-dominated secondary forest are expected to be retained within the future green areas. Large Tembusu trees that provide shelter and habitat for wildlife have also been identified for retention.

Although some parts of the existing vegetation will have to make way for housing and infrastructure, the estate is being planned to preserve the areas considered most ecologically important.

How many homes could be built at Gillman Barracks?

For now, HDB has not announced the estate’s housing yield.

Any estimate would be uncertain because the amount of usable residential land will depend on the final road network, green spaces, heritage areas, building heights, infrastructure and mix of public and private homes.

The neighbouring Berlayar estate provides some broad context, although it should not be treated as a direct comparison. Berlayar is expected to contain around 10,000 homes across a larger 48ha site, which includes approximately 10ha of greenery.

Gillman Barracks covers around 40ha and contains more heritage structures that may limit how housing blocks can be arranged. Its hilly terrain and ecological corridors could also affect the eventual density.

At the same time, the slopes may create opportunities for a more varied residential layout. Instead of applying the same building form across the entire site, future developments could be planned at different heights or arranged to follow the land.

Nevertheless, until the concept plan is released, it would be safer to avoid drawing firm conclusions about the number or type of homes that could be built.

Gillman Barracks has a history stretching back to the 1930s

While nature will shape much of the future estate, its heritage is expected to give the neighbourhood a character that would be difficult to reproduce elsewhere.

Gillman Barracks was built in the mid-1930s as a British military camp. It initially housed British troops and their families before later being used by the Singapore Armed Forces.

Over time, the area also accommodated educational institutions, including St Andrew’s Junior College and the Pasir Panjang Vocational Institute. Since the 2000s, it has largely been used as an arts, dining and creative lifestyle destination.

As part of the heritage study, 86 state-owned buildings were assessed across seven clusters. Their value was considered based on their history, architecture, construction, social role and relationship with the surrounding area.

Four buildings were found to have exceptional significance, while another 27 were assessed as having high significance. Under the current proposal, all four buildings in the exceptional category and 21 of the 27 highly significant buildings will be retained.

This brings the total number of buildings identified for retention to 25.

Some heritage buildings could become shops and community spaces

The buildings proposed for retention are not expected to remain unused. Instead, some former barracks along Lock Road and Malan Road could be adapted into commercial spaces, community facilities or neighbourhood amenities serving both existing and future residents. For example, the buildings could potentially accommodate dining outlets, shops, services, galleries or shared community spaces. However, their eventual uses have not been confirmed.

This approach could give the new estate a different atmosphere from a neighbourhood made up entirely of newly built residential and commercial blocks. Rather than placing all amenities within a standard retail centre, some shops and services could be spread across restored low-rise buildings.

At the same time, adapting older structures can be more complicated than constructing new ones. Fire-safety rules, accessibility needs, building condition and the cost of upgrading old structures will have to be considered. The size and shape of future development parcels may also have to be planned carefully so that new residential buildings can sit beside the heritage clusters without overwhelming them.

When will the new Gillman Barracks estate be ready?

A development timeline has not been announced. As the existing commercial tenancies will expire progressively by the second quarter of 2030, major redevelopment across occupied parts of the site may be more likely after that point. However, this does not mean that housing construction will necessarily begin in 2030, as planning, land preparation and infrastructure works may follow a different schedule.

Furthermore, the estate may be developed in phases. Areas that are less affected by existing tenancies could potentially be prepared earlier, while other sections may be addressed later.

HDB has said that further information will be provided after the environmental and heritage findings, together with public feedback, have been considered.

Wrapping up

The Gillman Barracks housing estate is still some distance from becoming a completed neighbourhood. Nevertheless, the environmental and heritage proposals already offer a clearer picture of how the site could be developed.

There are still important questions to be answered, including how many homes will be built, how they will be divided between public and private housing and when the first projects will be launched.

Even so, Gillman Barracks is unlikely to become just another new housing site. If the plans are carried out carefully, it could develop into a neighbourhood where new homes, old buildings and natural spaces sit alongside one another, giving future residents a living environment shaped by both Singapore’s past and its changing housing needs.