SINGAPORE, Aug 21 — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong today announced plans for a "new business and lifestyle destination” to be built next to Changi Airport Terminal 5, as well as giving updates on T5, Tuas Port and the relocation of Paya Lebar Air Base.

”This will be a new business and lifestyle destination, creating more jobs and opportunities for Singaporeans,” Lee said.

The area would be called Changi East Urban District, he added. Lee noted the importance of continuing to upgrade the nation’s airport and seaport given their are critical to putting Singapore on the world stage.

"They connect us to the world, and keep Singapore a thriving business and trading hub,” said Lee during his National Day Rally speech at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) headquarters in Ang Mo Kio.

”Our decisions to press on with Changi T5 and Tuas Port send a strong and clear signal to the world that Singapore is emerging stronger from the pandemic, and charging full steam ahead,” Lee said.

He said Singapore’s seaport, for instance, serves not just the nation, but many countries around Singapore.

Lee added that as Asia was growing strongly a decade ago, Singapore anticipated that the business of port operator PSA would grow in tandem.

While the existing terminals at Tanjong Pagar, Brani, Keppel and Pasir Panjang were working fine, Lee said a decision was made to consolidate all our port operations into one mega-port at Tuas.

This shift would free up prime waterfront land from Shenton Way to Pasir Panjang for the future Greater Southern Waterfront, he said. As for Changi Airport, Lee said there are ambitious plans for the aviation global aviation hub, too.

For instance, he spoke of plans to develop the Changi East Urban District beside the airport’s upcoming Terminal 5 (T5).

In his speech, Lee also gave a taste of how Paya Lebar will be redeveloped once the Paya Lebar Air Base relocates around mid-2030. Here is a snapshot of the updates and features of Singapore’s urban plans, as provided by Lee and a fact sheet from the Ministry of Transport (MOT).

Tuas Port

• Tuas Port is "up and running” after completing Phase 1, said Lee
• The first two berths started operations last December
• There are still three more phases to go before it is fully completed in the 2040s
• By then, it will have 66 berths spanning 26km that are capable of tackling the largest container ships
• MOT said it will also have a handling capacity of 65 million standard-sized containers, almost double the volume handled last year
• For comparison, Pasir Panjang Terminal has 37 berths with a handling capacity of 34 million containers annually
• Port operations have been automated and digitalised in the process of moving
• This includes the use of artificial intelligence to coordinate port operations, and driverless vehicles
• PSA aims for Tuas Port to achieve net zero emissions by 2050

Changi Airport’s Terminal 5

• Lee said T5 will be completed by the mid-2030s
• MOT said T5 is being designed with the flexibility to operate as smaller sub-terminals when needed
• The rationale comes from lessons learnt during the Covid-19 pandemic, said the MOT
• Space within the terminal can be converted for use during contingencies, such as for testing operations or the segregation of high-risk passengers
• There will be special provisions deployed within T5 to reduce the transmission of diseases
• These include contactless systems at passenger touch points, as well as enhanced ventilation systems that can be activated during a pandemic to increase the use of fresh air and minimise the mixing of air
• Lee said T5 will be made green and energy efficient
• MOT said when completed, T5 will be a Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy Building as certified by the BCA
• To reduce the terminal’s carbon footprint, there will be solar panels, smart building management systems, as well as district cooling combined with thermal energy storage
• T5 will also be ready for viable alternative fuels including the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel, and for the provision of fixed ground power and cooling for aircraft parked at the gates

Paya Lebar air base

• Lee said the relocation of the air base will start in the 2030s
• The runway could be repurposed into the town’s "central spine”, said Lee
• The central spine can also be turned into a green connector or a community space
• He said an estimated 150,000 new homes, both public and private, can be built along both sides of the spine
• This is similar to the number of homes in both Punggol and Sengkang combined
• The future town could be aligned parallel to the runway, along the direction of prevailing winds
• This will keep the town naturally breezy, and hopefully eliminate the need for air-conditioning, said Lee

Lee said once the air base moves out, it will be possible to lift the height restrictions of some buildings around it, such as those in Hougang, Marine Parade and Punggol.

"This means we can redevelop these towns, include more amenities, to make much better use of the space there,” he said, adding that it will help Singapore to reimagine the eastern part of the island completely.

"Singaporeans sometimes worry that we will run out of space in future, that housing will not be available and affordable,” said Lee.

"I say: No need to worry. We have done our studies and planning. We will have enough space for future generations.” — TODAY