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Six HDB BTO projects to be built in Mount Pleasant estate, first launch in 2025
Six buildings from Mount Pleasant's Old Police Academy will be retained.
SINGAPORE – Six Build-to-Order (BTO) projects comprising some 5,000 new homes will be built in the upcoming Mount Pleasant housing estate, with the first project launching in 2025.
On Thursday (13 July), the Housing and Development Board (HDB) said the 33-ha site, which is close to Bukit Brown and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, is home to the Old Police Academy (OPA) and pre-war black-and-white bungalows.
"HDB will sensitively weave the area's rich tapestry of nature and heritage into the design of the new housing estate. To support this, HDB has appointed a heritage consultant to advise on the salvaging of heritage elements, such as the trusses of the Old Drill Shed, and the swimming pool starter blocks, for adaptive reuse in the new estate," HDB said.
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Having done a detailed heritage study and an Environmental Impact Study to assess the heritage and ecological value of the area, the HDB will be sensitively integrating heritage elements of the Mount Pleasant area within the new housing estate.
"Six buildings that have been assessed to be the most representative of the Police’s historical, social and architectural heritage in the area will be retained," HDB said.
Among them, four blocks (Blocks 1, 2, 27 and 28) will be retained within the new housing estate and adapted for contemporary uses. A part of the parade square will also be retained as an open space within the new housing estate.
Meanwhile, the two remaining blocks – 13 and 153 – which are outside the boundary of the new housing estate, have been identified for proposed conservation. "Block 153 will retain its current use as the Senior Police Officers' Mess (SPOM), while the future use for Block 13 will be further studied," HDB explained.
New road names within Mount Pleasant estate
For buildings or spaces that cannot be retained in their entirety due to development needs or technical constraints, HDB will retain and keep their heritage significance," HDB added. "This includes referencing their architectural elements in the new developments and incorporating certain physical elements into the new housing estate as street furniture or markers, where feasible."
The estate will also have new road names relating to its history, including Mt Pleasant Avenue and Old Police Academy Road.
HDB said that it will share more details on the Mount Pleasant housing estate when they are ready.
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