Future Toa Payoh mega sports and community complex needs 'clear strategy' to benefit public, say observers

SINGAPORE: A major upcoming sports and community project in Singapore's central Toa Payoh residential town will supplement the country's main Kallang Alive sporting precinct, according to sports administrators and urban planning experts.

But they stressed that authorities must find ways to ensure that the Toa Payoh Integrated Development (TPID) is well-utilised by the general public.

Earlier in January, Sport Singapore (SportSG) announced in a joint press statement that the development will include a 10,000-seater stadium, a 5,000-seater indoor hall with 22 badminton courts, and a 2,000-seater aquatic centre with four indoor pools and three “outdoor leisure pools”.

The 12ha project will also house the new Toa Payoh Polyclinic and a library among several other recreational and community facilities.

It is expected to be completed by 2030.

AN APT LOCATION

Olympian and former Singapore Aquatics president Mark Chay said Toa Payoh was a fitting location for the country's latest integrated development under a national sports facilities masterplan, after projects in Tampines, Punggol and other areas.

“Toa Payoh has always held a special place in our nation’s sporting history, having hosted the 1973 and 1993 SEA Games,” said Mr Chay, who's also a former Nominated Member of Parliament.

“These events cemented Toa Payoh’s reputation as a hub of national pride and athletic excellence.”

He added that the development was “a chance to honour this legacy while building a future where sports and community intersect seamlessly”. 

Mr Chow Kim Nam, who is Singapore Polytechnic’s (SP) deputy director for the school of architecture and the built environment, also pointed out that Singapore’s first athletes' village for the regional meet - in 1973, when it was still called the Southeast Asian Peninsular or SEAP Games - was in the estate.

“(Toa Payoh's) then-newly built sports complex hosted both competitions and trainings for the SEAP athletes, and continued to cradle multiple sports training teams from school to national level until its closure, including the national water polo, synchronised swimming and diving teams,” he added.

“It is fondly remembered as a sporting arena, and it is wonderful that the genius loci is retained and improved upon.”

Associate Professor Ho Kong Chong from the National University of Singapore said that with Toa Payoh's central location and transport links, it makes sense for the TPID to serve as a "secondary sporting venue" after the Singapore Sports Hub in Kallang.

CONGESTION UNLIKELY

Urban planning experts told CNA that despite the scale of the project, it is unlikely to result in traffic-related disamenities.

"The Toa Payoh Integrated Development is built on a site that ... is sufficiently large to allow multiple access, with a clear separation of road and human traffic, to develop," said Professor Khoo Peng Beng from the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

"The stadium’s programming in general (could) cause surges with high human traffic but it will also have periods where it is largely silent. Personally, I believe this location can handle the surges and the crowds will be beneficial for surrounding businesses."

Dr Woo Jun Jie from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) pointed out that TPID's proximity to Toa Payoh MRT station, as well as ample parking within the HDB Hub nearby, could help prevent both vehicular and pedestrian traffic congestion.

The development's location next to the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) also means vehicles can exit the development directly, he added.

Assistant Professor Tan Shin Bin, an academic working on urban policy and planning issues at the LKYSPP, noted that a good location alone was insufficient to fill stadiums.

"Whether the programming of activities and events at the (TPID) is enough to draw large crowds is another question, of course."

IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Mr Chay said the TPID was "uniquely equipped” to balance high-performance sports with “meaningful community engagement”.

To ensure this, there needs to be a “clear strategy that prioritises accessibility and multi-use functionality”, he added. 

“Authorities should schedule programming that invites residents to use the facilities regularly, such as community sports days, recreational swimming slots or even fitness workshops."

Former chief executive officer of Singapore Sports Hub Oon Jin Teik also praised the TPID's integrated nature and mix of offerings.

He noted that it has a predecessor to “take a cue” from - Our Tampines Hub (OTH).

The former national swimmer said OTH, which opened in 2017, has been “highly successful” in terms of community engagement. 

The facility has a 5,000-seater stadium, a sports hall and swimming pools as well as lifestyle and food and beverage options such as a library, hawker centre and retail shops. 

For TPID, practical steps can be taken to ensure that community needs are met, Mr Oon suggested.

For instance, in the indoor hall with badminton courts, seats should be modular and retractable and used only during events.

“So that they do not create white elephant spaces with permanent seats,” he said. 

“The community wants to ‘play’ - not watch - due to the shortage of indoor halls for badminton." 

Dr Woo from the LKYSPP said TPID's co-location of different facilities could encourage "greater social mixing and commingling among residents”. 

“Authorities could consider including more food options within the development,” said the academic, who focuses on urban governance, policy design and economic development.

“These could serve to further draw in more residents to use the spaces in the development.”

HOW CAN IT COMPLEMENT SPORTS HUB?

In his 2024 National Day Rally speech, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that the Kallang area would be the new “home” for Team Singapore. 

He revealed plans for new sports science and medicine facilities as well as national training centres based under one roof there.

Noting the excitement generated by this announcement, Mr Oon asked if the location of the national training centres for aquatics, netball and table tennis at TPID instead could lead to inconvenience for athletes in these sports. 

He questioned if it would be feasible for these athletes to train in Toa Payoh but travel to Kallang for sports medicine and science services, while also pointing out that the Singapore Sports School will be relocated to Kallang as well.

Still, Mr Chay said TPID would help diversify Singapore’s sports infrastructure offerings.

“The integrated development solves several pressing problems, especially for aquatic sports … It alleviates the heavy reliance on the Sports Hub for hosting major events while reducing congestion at the OCBC Aquatic Centre,” he said. 

For instance, national teams for swimming, diving, artistic swimming and water polo currently share the limited pool space at the OCBC centre. 

“The new venue will not only minimise these disruptions for athletes, allowing them to train during optimal hours, but also free up more training slots for the public,” said Mr Chay. 

Experts said the TPID should fundamentally be seen as complementary to the Sports Hub.

“Multi-sports events like the upcoming 2029 Southeast Asian Games should see both venues working together, bringing some of the action to Toa Payoh,” said Mr Chay.  

“This splits the load, brings excitement to the heartlands, and broadens the reach of such high-profile events.”

SP's Mr Chow said regional sports centres would continue to grow in importance.

"Their function in a hub-and-spoke model can extend beyond training and talent grooming," he said. "They play a vital role in increasing accessibility to the benefits of sports, from the young to the elderly."