{"id":4004,"date":"2016-01-10T07:27:30","date_gmt":"2016-01-09T23:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/blog\/singapore\/?p=4004"},"modified":"2022-07-01T03:40:23","modified_gmt":"2022-06-30T19:40:23","slug":"property-highlights-all-about-jurong-gateway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/property-highlights-all-about-jurong-gateway\/","title":{"rendered":"Jurong: How it’s shaping up to become Singapore’s 2nd CBD"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It was only recently that Jurong received a lot of attention<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of all the areas in Singapore, Jurong is probably the one undergoing the most dramatic changes. The URA master plan highlights the sheer amount of government dollars being poured into this place, as part of a critical infrastructure plan. That\u2019s good news to property buyers who are getting in on the ground floor, snapping up properties there before they skyrocket:<\/p>\n

A brief summary of the area<\/b><\/h3>\n

For a large part of Singapore\u2019s history, the eastern side of the island (Katong, Marine Parade, Tampines, etc.) has been considered an affluent area. Back in the 1800s, it was the place for our rich colonial masters and their seaside villas. From the 1950s onward, it was associated with wealthy expatriate enclaves and Singapore\u2019s growing upper middle class.<\/span><\/p>\n

By contrast, areas in the west, such as Jurong, were more working class. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u00a0was \u2013 and still is \u2013 the industrial heart of Singapore. It\u2019s home to flatted factories and chemical and power plants, and residences there originally catered to the workers in these industries. Right up till the 1980\u2019s, there the property was considered \u201ccheap\u201d to buy and live in. It wasn\u2019t glamorous, and amenities were sparse.<\/span><\/p>\n

But over time, It’s\u00a0undeveloped spaces gave rise to something you\u2019ll struggle to find in central or eastern Singapore: park land. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Jurong Bird Park, Chinese Garden, and fantastic views of the Jurong Lake district contrast sharply with the glass and concrete landscape that dominates most of Singapore.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then around 2008, it was transformed by announcements in the URA master plan. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Jurong Gateway<\/b><\/h3>\n

The URA master plan aims to develop the area into two parts: the Jurong Gateway, and Jurong Lake.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jurong Lake is a lifestyle hub; <\/span>like us on Facebook<\/span><\/a> and we\u2019ll give you the rundown on that in a later part of this series. For now, we\u2019re focusing on the Jurong Gateway.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Jurong Gateway is an area of 70 hectares, centralised around the Jurong East MRT station. It\u00a0is intended to be nothing less than a second business district, to complement the existing Central Business District (CBD.) The URA has announced it will be the <\/span>biggest commercial hub<\/span><\/a> outside the city centre.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a critical infrastructure issue: at present, the amount of traffic moving to and from the CBD may not be sustainable, given a rising population. <\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s significant pressure on the train service, as there\u2019s a massive rush of people crowding into the CBD all at the same time. It\u2019s a miracle if the trains <\/span>don\u2019t <\/span><\/i>break down. <\/span><\/p>\n

In order to make Jurong Gateway a viable alternative, it is being built up with <\/span>half a million<\/span><\/i> square metres of office space, 250,000 square metres of retail space, and hotels that will provide easy access to places like Jurong Bird Park.<\/span><\/p>\n

This has seen a <\/span>rush of property buyers<\/span><\/a> into the Jurong area. And as,\u00a0it\u00a0wasn\u2019t previously a hotspot, many of its existing properties are considered undervalued, in light of the amenities being built.<\/span><\/p>\n

Key highlights of the Jurong Gateway are:<\/span><\/p>\n