Northpoint City integrated development to be ready by 2018

Northpoint extension will add 300 shops to mall
By Aw Cheng Wei, The Straits Times, 2 Aug 2014

SINGAPORE'S first heartland shopping mall is to be extended, in a move that will see it boast almost three times as many shops as it does now.

Northpoint, in Yishun, currently has 170 retail outlets, but about 300 more will be added when Northpoint City is completed in 2018.

Plans were unveiled yesterday by Foreign Affairs Minister and Law Minister K. Shanmugam - who is also an MP for Nee Soon GRC - at an exhibition at the mall. Construction work is already under way.

The upgraded shopping centre will feature an air-conditioned bus interchange, a 4,400-sq-m town plaza and a roof-top community garden, as well as Singapore's first community club based within a mall.

A 920-unit residential estate called North Park Residences will also be built.

Mr Cheang Kok Kheong, chief executive officer of development and property at Frasers Centrepoint Limited, said Northpoint City will be "seamlessly linked" to the nearby MRT station, the town centre and the current mall.

Business at Northpoint, which opened in 1992, will continue as usual, he said.

The development is part of the Housing Board's Remaking Our Heartland initiative that aims to spruce up mature estates.

"Nee Soon was among the first heartland towns to be selected," said Mr Shanmugam.

Yishun is also set to be boosted by more than 18,000 residential units, both public and private.

Next year, it will get a 15km cycling path, while Northpoint City will provide 300 cycling lots to encourage residents to exercise.

An exhibition showcasing the mall extension will run from now until Aug 10 at the atrium of Northpoint Shopping Centre.

Mr Shanmugam expects Northpoint City to bring the community closer.

"The results in Nee Soon speak for themselves," he said, referring to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Yishun Pond and its lookout tower and the upgrades to existing parks.

"They have been delivered, and more will come."

3 things about Yishun's upcoming integrated development Northpoint City
By Tung Shi Yun, The Straits Times, 1 Aug 2014

Residents in Yishun can look forward to the development of Northpoint City, the latest addition to the rising number of integrated developments in Singapore's suburbs.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam unveiled the latest development by Frasers Centrpoint Limited at the Northpoint City exhibition in Northpoint Shopping Centre this afternoon.

With a full integration of public shopping malls and private residential estates, the Yishun community is set to transform into a vibrant hub for its residents.

Although it is not slated to be completed until 2018, here are three things to know about the upcoming Northpoint City and what exciting things we can expect.

1. It will feature Singapore's first Community Club in a shopping mall

Northpoint City will feature Singapore's first Community Club located in a shopping mall, Nee Soon Central Community Club. It is also the first Community Club to be fully air-conditioned, moving from a "void deck CC" to a "lifestyle CC", a name penned by the People's Association (PA).

The idea was first suggested by Nee Soon Central MP Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim. The Community Club will offer programmes that the PA says will “promote community and intergenerational bonding”.

Residents, especially the elderly, will be able to relax in an air-conditioned environment. PA's chief executive director Ang Hak Seng had also promised that there will be no additional costs to the residents for activity fees held in the Community Club.

2. It will fully integrate public and private spaces

Residents will soon be able to shop right at their doorsteps with the integration of commercial and residential spaces in Northpoint City.

The whole development will run like a dynamic self-sufficient town. Northpoint Shopping Centre, the largest mall in the North of Singapore, as well as the new shopping centre to be built across the street from it, will provide an array of shopping, dining, leisure and entertainment facilities.

A residential development will also be integrated into the commercial and retail spaces of the shopping malls, allowing residents greater convenience and transforming the area into an exciting place to live in.

3. It will feature a shopping underpass leading to the MRT station

There will be a shopping underpass that leads from Northpoint City to Yishun MRT station, the town garden and surrounding amenities, so residents can now make their walk to the station a more exciting and vibrant one.

Additionally, with an air-conditioned bus interchange in Northpoint city, residents can comfortably wait for their buses without going out into the heat.

These latest developments will help to create seamless connectivity and greater accessibility for residents living in the area.