Our Tampines Hub expects footfall to reach 1.5 million a month, twice as much as in the first three months of the year, with most of its facilities now up and running.

All amenities at the mega-complex, opened officially by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Aug 6), are now available to the public, save an arena that will open late next month or in early October.

In the first quarter of this year, the complex — Singapore’s largest community and lifestyle hub the size of seven football fields — drew an average of 750,000 visitors a month, director Suhaimi Rafdi told reporters last week.

More services have opened since, and between April and June, it saw a monthly average of 830,000 visitors.

Beyond 2020, the hub expects to draw more than 2 million visitors each month, said Mr Suhaimi.

These figures are based on expected visitorship culled from the 12 government agencies now offering services there — including Sport Singapore, the National Environment Agency and Workforce Singapore.

Most Tampines residents who spoke to TODAY were unperturbed about the expected surge in human traffic, although some would keep away if the crowds swell.

Since the hub’s first phase opened in November, many facilities have been rolled out gradually.

The latest facilities at the hub, which sprawls over more than 2.5 million sq ft, include six purpose-built swimming pools — the first above-ground ActiveSG pools — and a 400-seat festive arts theatre.

The sixth-storey pools, part of the ActiveSG Tampines Swimming Complex, started operations last month and include a 10-lane competition pool, an eight-lane training pool and a jacuzzi pool. Admission costs S$1.50 on weekdays and S$2 on weekends.

The hub also houses a 150,000 sq ft regional library, home to a first-of-its-kind heritage gallery. 

Nearly 80 per cent bigger than its forerunner, the Tampines Regional Library boasts a larger collection that includes 400,000 books. It also has a floor run wholly by volunteers.

Within it is a 150 sqm community gallery that sweeps visitors along the highways and byways of Tampines’ history from its 19th-century beginnings as a rural locale.

Also on display are memories from a hodgepodge of residents and workers in the town, such as a hawker and a cake-shop assistant. Free gallery tours by volunteer guides will run every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon.

Our Tampines Hub, mooted in 2011 and which took three years to build, also houses a 110,000 sq ft town square where a 5,000-seat stadium with a Fifa two-star football pitch stands.

The management did not reveal the cost of the entire project, citing sensitivities.

The hub’s uncompleted arena, which will house futsal, hockey and tennis facilities, was confirmed only after the concept for the rest of the complex’s development wrapped up, an Our Tampines Hub spokesperson told TODAY. Works are about 80 per cent complete.

“As a result, the project timeline for this facility was always slightly behind that of the main development,” she added.

The mega-complex’s opening comes as Tampines continues to grow. By 2020, it will be home to 250,000 residents, up from 220,000 now.

Besides new schools being added, three new Downtown Line train stops — Tampines West, Tampines and Tampines East — will open in October.

Tampines resident Nicholas Chan, 35, said the crowd at the hub was “still fair” and it was less congested than the nearby shopping centres.

Mr Chan, who works in aviation, enjoys having “everything under one roof” and was unconcerned by the expected surge in crowds: “If it’s heavily under-utilised, then it’s not a good use of resources.”

Fellow resident Brenda Kwon, 40, relishes the convenience of getting everything she needs, from groceries to food. “You don’t even need to go out of Tampines.”

The part-time lecturer said the crowds, which are larger on weekends, do not make her uncomfortable. “This (place) is … big enough,” she added.

Nevertheless, Madam Shafawati Wahid, 33, fears the space will become “overcrowded” after the official opening, leading to congested pools and a lack of seating.

“I’ll probably not flock there just yet (and) wait for the crowd to lessen,” said the administrator, noting that it was already difficult to snag a spot at the 800-seat hawker centre at dinnertime on weekends.

The hub spokesperson said measures are in place to manage the rise in footfall, including innovative measures that raise productivity.

Initiatives such as robotic cleaners and restroom sensors that alert housekeeping when cleaning is needed will enable “the Hub to serve the community well”, she added.

In terms of traffic, more bicycle bays are being built, on top of the existing several hundreds. There are also 1,400 sheltered parking spots.

To connect residents between the hub and Tampines Regional Centre, a sheltered walkway and pedestrian overhead bridge are also in the works.

In addition, activities are “well spaced” across the various facilities, added the spokesperson.

Its security and housekeeping teams also talk to management continuously to provide feedback based on present and past events.

On the retail front, the hub’s festive mall, comprising 105 shops, is fully occupied, except for a shop due to open in October, Mr Suhaimi said. Rent is at least 30 per cent lower than that in the nearby malls.

When asked, Mr Suhaimi said department store BHG, an anchor tenant at Century Square until it closed recently as the mall prepares to shut for a major facelift next month, had enquired about relocating to Our Tampines Hub.

“But what they’ve asked for is a very large footprint which we do not have”, he added.

Source:
courtesy of TODAY

by KENNETH CHENG

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