Turn Jurong Lake Area into a Sanctuary
All Rights Reserved 2010 Darren Chong
Preserve Jurong Lake area and not commercialise it
Recently there are plans by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to turn around the Chinese and Japanese gardens and the Jurong Lake area into a commercial, retail and entertainment centre or theme park of sorts. Understandably, this site development will take in the 12-ha area occupied by the now-defunct Tang Dynasty City theme park as well.
I am a nature lover and they are many other residents around this area who took regular strolls along Jurong Lake to enjoy the greenery as well.
I, too, stayed in the Jurong Lake vicinity. Hence, my frequent visits to the Jurong Lake and Chinese Garden area for the past few years for recreation and for exercises. I bring my 6-year-old son there frequently and we had great fun there mingling with nature and its animal friends.
Many a time, we saw monitor lizards basking in the sun. We chanced upon chameleons darting in and out of the bushes. Once, we even spotted squirrels up in the pine trees.
The main attractions, however, are the gigantic fishes that can be found at ponds in Chinese Garden. Imagine, what an amazing sight to our young minds! Lasting impressions indeed, to the children who grew up in heavily built-up city areas!
We should preserve its peace and serenity and keep the nature at its best. Instead of developing the area into a commercial and entertainment place like Tang Dynasty, why not keep it as a last ‘western sanctuary’ for our children?
Daily, the residents go for their strolls along the Jurong Lake area. With the newly completed park connector, I can see an increased the flow of joggers and bikers alike. During weekends and evening time, there are many visitors, both local and overseas, who gathered in groups and strolled around to enjoy the cool evening breeze.
Instead of turning Jurong Lake area into pubs and entertainment resorts teeming with pub crawlers and shoppers as suggested by writer Heng Cho Choon (Feb 25), why don’t let us preserve our natural heritage and do a bit of conservation for nature and let our young grow up ‘greener’, rather than ‘technologically smarter’?
Singapore already has its fair share of Boat Quays, Clarke Quays and Integrated Resorts. Big sprawling shopping malls are springing up near Jurong East MRT stations and the biggest of them all, currently, is IMM.
Jurong Lake area is one of the few places in the western part of this island that offers a green re-treat from the hustle and bustle of city life. Any big scale redevelopment plans should be shelved indefinitely until we are certain that residents and foreigners alike, do not enjoyed quietness and its refresh-ness that the Jurong Lake area brings, anymore.
Let us enjoy the blooming flowers, the birds chipping, and nature coming back to life amidst the wide plethora of flora fauna around Jurong Lake area for years to come! Our future generations will truly appreciate it!
Preserve Jurong Lake area and not commercialise it
Recently there are plans by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to turn around the Chinese and Japanese gardens and the Jurong Lake area into a commercial, retail and entertainment centre or theme park of sorts. Understandably, this site development will take in the 12-ha area occupied by the now-defunct Tang Dynasty City theme park as well.
I am a nature lover and they are many other residents around this area who took regular strolls along Jurong Lake to enjoy the greenery as well.
I, too, stayed in the Jurong Lake vicinity. Hence, my frequent visits to the Jurong Lake and Chinese Garden area for the past few years for recreation and for exercises. I bring my 6-year-old son there frequently and we had great fun there mingling with nature and its animal friends.
Many a time, we saw monitor lizards basking in the sun. We chanced upon chameleons darting in and out of the bushes. Once, we even spotted squirrels up in the pine trees.
The main attractions, however, are the gigantic fishes that can be found at ponds in Chinese Garden. Imagine, what an amazing sight to our young minds! Lasting impressions indeed, to the children who grew up in heavily built-up city areas!
We should preserve its peace and serenity and keep the nature at its best. Instead of developing the area into a commercial and entertainment place like Tang Dynasty, why not keep it as a last ‘western sanctuary’ for our children?
Daily, the residents go for their strolls along the Jurong Lake area. With the newly completed park connector, I can see an increased the flow of joggers and bikers alike. During weekends and evening time, there are many visitors, both local and overseas, who gathered in groups and strolled around to enjoy the cool evening breeze.
Instead of turning Jurong Lake area into pubs and entertainment resorts teeming with pub crawlers and shoppers as suggested by writer Heng Cho Choon (Feb 25), why don’t let us preserve our natural heritage and do a bit of conservation for nature and let our young grow up ‘greener’, rather than ‘technologically smarter’?
Singapore already has its fair share of Boat Quays, Clarke Quays and Integrated Resorts. Big sprawling shopping malls are springing up near Jurong East MRT stations and the biggest of them all, currently, is IMM.
Jurong Lake area is one of the few places in the western part of this island that offers a green re-treat from the hustle and bustle of city life. Any big scale redevelopment plans should be shelved indefinitely until we are certain that residents and foreigners alike, do not enjoyed quietness and its refresh-ness that the Jurong Lake area brings, anymore.
Let us enjoy the blooming flowers, the birds chipping, and nature coming back to life amidst the wide plethora of flora fauna around Jurong Lake area for years to come! Our future generations will truly appreciate it!
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