Wanted Ideas For Jurong Lake Gardens

Suggestions and Feedback received for Jurong Lake Gardens (JLG) Central and East

24 Mar 2018

Over 14,000 suggestions and feedback received for Jurong Lake Gardens (JLG)
Central and East

Feedback has been incorporated into detailed concept design for JLG Central and East

Visitors can look forward to the largest collection of water lilies in Singapore, enhanced connectivity, and sustainable features

24 March 2018 – The National Parks Board (NParks) has gathered more than 14,000 suggestions and feedback from the community for the concept design for Jurong Lake Gardens (JLG) Central and East. The public engagement exercise consisted of roving exhibitions, townhall sessions, and online surveys conducted from November 2016 to April 2017. The feedback received strongly supports the proposed concept design for JLG Central and East, especially for features that showcase tropical horticulture, nature and sustainability, and spaces for the community. NParks has incorporated these suggestions into the concept design for JLG Central and East.

JLG Central (Chinese and Japanese Gardens) and JLG East, together with JLG West (former Jurong Lake Park that is currently under construction), form the 90-hectare JLG, which is envisioned to be a people's garden where spaces will be sensitively landscaped and created for families and the community to come together.

Retaining memories and familiar landmarks

NParks noted from the feedback that many of the buildings and features in the Chinese and Japanese Gardens hold special memories for Singaporeans. The design for JLG Central hence seeks to retain the natural ambience and key features of the Gardens by working with the existing landforms and key buildings and features, and leveraging on the water surrounding the Gardens. Most of the structures in the Chinese Garden and the landforms in the Japanese Garden will be retained.

Water-sensitive designs that integrate water with plants and the landscape

Public feedback has indicated strong support for garden features related to water. This is in line with the concept design of the Gardens, which showcases an intimacy with water, colours and textures found in the tropics. One such feature, the Aquatic Gardens, will feature the largest collection of water lilies in Singapore, with over 140 varieties showcased within water terraces. The collection includes over 100 varieties that are new to Singapore, such as the Australian Giant Water Lily (Nymphaea gigantea) and the Foxfire Water Lily (Nymphaea 'Foxfire'). Boardwalks extending across terraced ponds will enable visitors to observe and photograph the water lilies from up close. The Aquatic Gardens will also showcase over 90 varieties of Canna species and cultivars originating from different countries around the world.

The concept design also features opportunities for visitors to get close to biodiversity and nature, which are aligned with public suggestions for interactive play and learning. With a series of restored tropical freshwater stream habitats, the Nature Rambling Trail will offer educational experiences for families and children to learn about native riverine environments and aquatic flora and fauna that can be found in these places. Visitors will be able to explore a Neram forest which showcases trees found in tropical forests in Southeast Asia, shaded by a canopy of Dipterocarp trees, and Rasau vegetation featuring large Pandanus and palms with stilt roots, which are adapted to a constantly wet environment.

Another feature, the Water Gallery Trail, will enable visitors to discover "secret rooms", which are outdoor spaces featuring art and plants, such as the Pulai tree (Alstonia spatulata), Nibung palm (Oncosperma tigillarium) and Petaling tree ( Ochanostachys amentacea ) .

Sustainability through the use of smart technology

Suggestions on the use of smart technology are also aligned with plans by NParks to utilise sustainable features to enhance visitor experience and enable efficient garden management and operations.

As much as possible, solar panels will be incorporated on rooftops. A centralised facilities management system will utilise data collated from sensors installed in the Gardens to help officers plan and deploy resources, and manage garden operations. Local weather information such as wind direction and speed, temperature, humidity and rainfall will be collected by a weather station within the Gardens and used in a smart irrigation system which allows lawns and flowerbeds to be automatically watered during dry or hot periods. Sensors on waste bins and in toilets will provide information to officers to facilitate timely maintenance. Fault detection sensors incorporated into lamp posts will notify officers in the event of a malfunction, thus reducing the amount of time spent inspecting the lamp posts individually. To enhance visitor experience, useful information related to weather, directions and events listings will be displayed on interactive information screens in the Gardens, which will also be served by a people mover system which includes the use of autonomous vehicles.

Connectivity and accessibility to be enhanced

The public has also requested for convenient access within and around JLG. As such, an East-West cycling route will be provided across the Chinese Garden to connect Taman Jurong to Jurong Town Hall and Jurong East. Within the Gardens, visitors can walk or jog along trails that form loops of varying distances to cater to different abilities, and bring people to key attractions.

JLG Map 1

The elderly, handicapped, and families with young children will be able to explore the Gardens and its surroundings using a people mover system.

JLG Map 2

Programmes and activities for all to enjoy

NParks has piloted several programmes, such as horticultural talks and workshops, garden tours, and concerts, to cater to suggestions for a range of programmes and activities to inject vibrancy to the Gardens. There are also plans for farmers' markets and thematic displays for visitors to enjoy. The Floral Show Garden will showcase colourful and vibrant floral displays that will be refreshed seasonally, and be opened up for visitors to book for events.

The public is invited to share their views on the different types of programmes and activities that they would like to see at Jurong Lake Gardens during the public exhibition at Taman Jurong Community Club, which will be held from 25 March to 1 April.

Construction tender for JLG Central and East to be called in mid-2018

The construction tender for JLG Central (Chinese and Japanese Gardens) and East will be called in mid-2018. Construction will be completed progressively from 2020 onwards. JLG West, which is currently under development, is slated to open in early 2019.

Involving the community in the development of JLG

As NParks continues to involve the community in the development of JLG, the next national gardens in the heartlands, some 50 trees were planted during a community tree planting event at JLG West today. Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies, and Advisor to Jurong GRC and Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for National Development, Second Minister for Finance, and Chairman of the Jurong Lake District Steering Committee, participated in the event alongside approximately 180 residents from nine constituencies.

"We've had a very productive consultation exercise, with many useful suggestions from the public, such as the requests for more convenient access to and within the Gardens, and for more community and family spaces. All this has enabled NParks to improve the final concept plans for Jurong Lake Gardens Central and East. Our parks belong to all Singaporeans, and so this is an important ground-up process to shape our national gardens in the heartlands together. When completed, we can all look forward to a beautiful green gem in the heart of the new Jurong Lake District," said Mr Lawrence Wong.