As part of the redevelopment plan for Tanglin Halt – one of Singapore’s earliest housing estates in Queenstown – up to 5,500 Housing Board apartments will be constructed.

Housing Board announced on Thursday that an integrated development, where HDB flats are connected to shops, a hawker center and market, will be the key feature of this estate. The Queenstown Polyclinic on Stirling Road is being relocated.

The new development will be constructed on the site where the Tanglin Halt Neighbourhood Centre was located, which housed the Tanglin Halt Market as well as the Commonwealth Drive Food Centre.

Tan Kiat How, senior minister of state for national development, said on Thursday that the redevelopment of the estate will create more housing options for future generations. This includes young families who want to live close to their parents.

In 2014, the estate with 3,480 homes was selected for the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme. Most of the former residents moved to new homes in Dawson and are now being demolished.

The construction of the integrated development is divided into two phases. Construction will begin on the former Commonwealth Drive Food Centre site in the second half 2024.

After the first phase has been completed, the stallholders from the adjacent Tanglin Halt Market are expected to move into the new development. The second phase will then begin on the market that is vacated. HDB said that this was done to minimize disruption for the stallholders.

HDB has said that the design of the integrated development will incorporate elements from the iconic hexagonal shape of the food center and the barrel-vaulted shape of Tanglin Market. The development will have similar courtyards to the old neighbourhood centre.

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In 2024, new flats that are part of the integrated project will be available for purchase.

In October, the first Build-to-Order project, Tanglin Cascadia was launched under the Prime Location Public Housing model. The project, which consists of 973 units, had a low first-timer application ratio. This means that all first-time buyers will have a chance to choose a unit.

The Straits Times reported that HDB will redevelop the remainder of Tanglin Halt Estate in the next 10-15 years.

Mr Tan stated that the authorities would carry out the redevelopment plans with sensitivity and preserve as much as the estate’s heritage and history as possible.

HDB stated that the blocks 69 and70 in Commonwealth Drive which were constructed by the now defunct Singapore Improvement Trust could be used as community spaces within a park.

The Rail Corridor will have landscaping and recreational facilities along the Tanglin Halt. A new park will also be built to serve as an area for community gatherings and a pit stop for residents.

A linear park will also be constructed to link Commonwealth MRT Station and the Rail Corridor. Commonwealth Drive will then be transformed into a pedestrian friendly zone, with footpaths for cyclists and pedestrians.

In response to a question about whether Tanglin Halt would have rental apartments, Mr Tan stated that the authorities were looking into it. He said that a good mix of people is a goal they have for the neighborhood.

HDB stated that the plans for Tanglin Halt are part of broader plans to revitalize Queenstown.

HDB announced in September that it would be reviving the fourth batch towns of the Remaking Our Heartland Programme – Ang Mo Kio and Bukit Merah as well as Choa Chu Kang, Queenstown, and Choa Chu Kang.

Queenstown will undergo a makeover in 2025, when new parks, cycle paths, and therapeutic gardens are to be introduced.

The improvements will benefit 79,000 people in Queenstown, and the Farrer Road Estate.