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For now, it’s business as usual for tenants operating within the art cluster, which has been announced as a site for possible residential development.
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But redevelopment must consider the heritage and environmental value of the site, experts say
In particular, removal of the forested area within Gillman Barracks may curtail the ability of wildlife to move across the island “considerably”
Some tenants say reassurance from the authorities that their leases will stay intact until 2030 has helped to allay worries for now
09 Mar 2024 06:00AM
SINGAPORE: Given Gillman Barracks’ central location and a lack of new housing options in the area, demand will likely be robust if it’s indeed developed into a residential neighbourhood, experts said.
But any redevelopment must carefully consider the heritage and environmental value of the site, they added.
The Singapore government announced this week that it is studying the possibility of introducing a mix of private and public housing at Gillman Barracks, a former colonial military compound turned arts and lifestyle enclave.
Located off Alexandra Road, the area is now home to more than 20 restaurants, cafes and art galleries.
It also includes the campus of the Academy of Singapore Teachers, and a sizeable forest that separates it from public housing estates in Telok Blangah.
Environmental and heritage studies will start in the second quarter of 2024, and are estimated to be completed around the first half of 2026, National Development Minister Desmond Lee said on Tuesday (Mar 5).
Findings from these studies will allow authorities to “plan sensitively” for the site’s development, he told parliament.
PRIME OR PLUS FLATS?
Property experts said any new public housing to be built at the Gillman Barracks site would likely fall under the Prime or Plus categories.
These form part of a new classification scheme for Build-to-Order (BTO) projects, which kicks in from the second half of this year.
Prime and Plus category flats are typically new ones in central or choice locations. They come with stricter sale conditions, but experts do not expect that to deter potential home buyers.
Apart from being located near the city centre, Gillman Barracks is also in close proximity to a business park in Pasir Panjang and the future Greater Southern Waterfront district.
Add the nearby Labrador MRT station to the mix and you have “a highly desirable area to live, work and play”, said Huttons Asia’s senior director of data analytics Lee Sze Teck.
There have also been limited new housing options, both public and private, in the area.
As of last month, only about 4,400 new flats have been launched for sale in Bukit Merah since 2016 – a “relatively low” supply compared to many other districts, said OrangeTee Group’s chief researcher and strategist Christine Sun.
Likewise, there are only a handful of private residential projects near Gillman Barracks, with the newest being The Interlace in Alexandra Road which was completed in 2013.
HERITAGE VALUE
Even if redeveloped, the area’s history should be conserved in some form, experts said.
“The Gillman Barracks site is undoubtedly a layered heritage site,” said Dr Nikhil Joshi, senior lecturer in the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) architecture department.
“The recognition and assessment of its various heritage values should be based on international conservation standards with due consideration of the local situation.”
Dr Joshi recommended that a heritage impact assessment (HIA) be done for the site to ascertain its tangible and intangible significance as well as the impact of any new development; and to suggest mitigation measures.
Introduced in March 2022, the HIA framework is the most extensive type of study done for public projects that are likely to cause major impact to significant heritage sites.
Such an assessment was first done for the redevelopment of the old Police Academy site in the Mount Pleasant area, followed by Bukit Timah Turf Club – both of which Dr Joshi was involved in.
The HIA will help ensure “the historic Gillman Barracks site will remain meaningful for current and future generations”, said Dr Joshi.
A history of Gillman Barracks
Completed in 1936, the Gillman Barracks was specially built to accommodate the first battalion of the British Army’s Middlesex Regiment, which was sent to double the colonial military’s infantry strength in Singapore.
Named after General Sir Webb Gillman, a distinguished officer of the British Army, the site comprised army barrack buildings, married quarters, mess halls, warehouses, recreational facilities and even a swimming pool.
The Gillman Barracks later also became home to the second battalion of the Loyal Regiment in 1938.
During World War II, it was the site of a fierce battle between the regiment and the Japanese during the three days before the surrender of Singapore in February 1942. It was one of the last British posts in Singapore to fall to the Japanese.
In 1971, as the British withdrew its military from Singapore, Gillman Barracks was handed over to the Singapore government for a token sum of S$1.
The site was then used by the Singapore Armed Forces between the 1970s and 1980s, before being repurposed into an arts and lifestyle cluster.
It was, for example, part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s 2002 Identity Plan which introduced restaurants, cafes and arts-related activities to the site.
The latest attempt by authorities to rejuvenate the area was in 2022 when the Singapore Land Authority said it would transform Gillman Barracks into “a vibrant creative lifestyle enclave” offering a mix of dining, leisure and arts offerings.
It said then that it planned to attract more tenants with “novel concepts” such as unique dining options and farmers’ markets.
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Huttons Asia’s Mr Lee said the development model of the Old Police Academy site, where six police buildings will be conserved and integrated with future BTO projects, could offer some inspiration to plans for Gillman Barracks.
He reckoned that the most probable site up for development would be the land where the Academy of Singapore Teachers – also the former St Andrew’s Junior College – and some commercial buildings currently stand. Meanwhile, some colonial-style buildings in the vicinity could be retained.
That said, conservation goes beyond preserving specific buildings or structures.
A holistic view would be to consider “the collection of buildings and other open spaces as focal points”, and have future developments planned and integrated around them, said Professor Sing Tien Foo, provost’s chair professor of real estate at the NUS business school.
In addition, “adaptive reuse” of old buildings is key to adding value while keeping the area’s colonial charm, he added.
ECOLOGICAL VALUE
The Gillman Barracks also houses a sizable forest area between Alexandra Road and Lock Road.
Spanning about 10 ha, the greenery on its own is large enough to support a functioning ecosystem with a good diversity of trees and small animals, said Dr Shawn Lum, senior lecturer at the Nanyang Technological University’s Asian School of the Environment.
It also has potential as a safe haven for migratory forest birds. If given enough time, the forested area can develop into an even richer, more complex and ecologically valuable habitat than it is today, said Dr Lum.
But the site’s location is also strategically important and valuable.
This is because the Gillman Barracks provides a connection between the Southern Ridges to its north and Berlayer Creek and Labrador Nature Reserve to its south, Dr Lum explained.
From the Southern Ridges, it’s possible for wildlife to move, via the Rail Corridor, into Bukit Timah and the Central and Western catchment areas.
Meanwhile from Labrador Nature Reserve, there is a link eastward to the future Greater Southern Waterfront and west to the West Coast Park corridor.
The Greater Southern Waterfront itself has the potential to create a “contiguous corridor” along the entire southern coastline – from Jurong toward Changi.
“Remove the forested area of Gillman entirely and the ability of wildlife to move from north to south across the island, and then east and west along the southern shores, could be curtailed considerably,” Dr Lum concluded.
LIFE GOES ON FOR CURRENT TENANTS
Authorities have said that tenancies in the Gillman Barracks area will “progressively expire by 2030”, and existing tenants can continue to stay on till their leases end.
Two new tenants were announced as recently as last April by the Singapore Land Authority. One of them, Didi Lifestyle, held its official opening on Friday (Mar 8) morning.
The motorcycle distributor was awarded 17,000 sq ft of space across three units at Blk 47 along Malan Road and a standalone building at Blk 43.
The units at Blk 47 have been turned into a showroom since last November.
The space at Blk 43 offers dining options and an events space for weekend markets featuring local independent craft makers, birthday parties and yoga sessions.
Didi’s co-head of lifestyle operations Ewan Wong told CNA the announcement of a possible housing development brought “mixed reactions”.
But he added that SLA has assured his company that development plans are “still at study stage” and its tenancy will remain intact “minimally until 2030”.
“Any business would appreciate some longevity,” said Mr Wong. “But (the current lease) should have enough runway for us to build up our own community. As to what comes after that and if it involves uprooting, that will be an issue to be discussed when it happens.”
Likewise, Mr Roger Yip, director of Hopscotch, said reassurance from the authorities on their leases has soothed the biggest concern for business owners like him.
The bar, which has been at Gillman Barracks since 2018, has developed “a certain bond” with the area, he said. Hopscotch’s current tenancy expires in 2030.
“If given a choice, we will want to continue here but for F&B businesses in general, it is very hard to project five to eight years down the road,” said Mr Yip, noting that leases in malls or shophouses typically range from two to three years.
“Shorter leases are very pressuring because you have to think about whether you can break even within that few years. So, being able to secure a lease for five years or more is already quite a big plus for us. We will just see how it goes.”
Ms Audrey Yeo, owner of the Yeo Workshop, said art galleries like hers have been “integral” to building up Gillman Barrack’s identity, by organising exhibitions and events over the years.
“We hope the authorities would engage in discussions, ensuring our collective aspirations are considered for a culturally rich Singapore,” Ms Yeo, who is also representing the art galleries in the area, told CNA.
Other tenants declined to comment when approached, with most saying that it was too early to assess the situation given scant detail on when and whether any redevelopment will go through.
If redevelopment does happen, there are people who will miss the greenery, tranquility and out-of-Singapore vibes unique to the Gillman Barracks.
“Some of the trees here will have to be given up, which is quite a pity,” said Mr Benjamin Tan, who jogs in the area every week.
Ms Pristine Chan began frequenting Gillman Barracks about a year ago and the Lock Road outlet of Creamier, a homegrown ice cream chain, is a go-to place for her and her friends.
But staff there told CNA it would have its last day on Mar 17.
Ms Chan, 22, was sad to hear this. She also finds the quiet Gillman Barracks area conducive to study, take walks with her pet dog or just seek respite from the city’s hustle and bustle.
“If this place no longer looks like this, maybe I won’t come here anymore,” she said.
Source: CNA/sk(jo)
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