Sentosa Merlion, one of Singapore’s most iconic statue, will be demolished in order to allow the construction of a S$90 million “themed thoroughfare” to take place. The new thoroughfare will connect Sentosa’s north and south shores.
This decision was not done overnight as it is part of long-term plans to reshape the island and its neighbouring Pulau Brani into a leading leisure and tourism destination.
The 37m-high Merlion status, which is located at the heart of Sentosa, cannot be relocated due to its size.
“We won’t relocate the Merlion because of its size, but we are considering how to commemorate it,” said Sentosa Development Corporation’s (SDC) chief executive Quek Swee Kuan, adding that the island’s management is considering a new icon for Sentosa.
The last day of operations for the famous landmark will be on 20 October and construction works in the area will begin by the end of 2019. However, the demolition date of the statue depends on the construction plans which are still being finalised, said SDC.
The S$90 million Sentosa Sensoryscape is about the size of 5.5 football fields, or 30,000 sqm, will link Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) in the north to Sentosa’s beaches in the south through a multi-sensory experience, replacing the existing pedestrian thoroughfare.
The management of SDC revealed in the media briefing on Friday (20 September) that some of the features that the new project will have include look-out points, water features as well as other architectural elements that will provide a multi-sensory experience for visitors when they walk across the island.
The two islands – Sentosa and Pulau Brani – are part of the upcoming Greater Southern Waterfront district, which is a 30km-long beach stretch that will be transformed for living, working and playing.
Mr Quek said that the construction of thoroughfare would help people as it fastens the flow of pedestrian traffic. Although he agrees that the visitorship to the island may be affected due to the construction works, he believes it will be worthwhile thanks to the upcoming Siloso Green lifestyle and a new family-themed attraction at Palawan beach.
Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Chee Hong Tat said to the Straits Times (ST) that the Sentosa Sensoryscape will complement RWS’s expansion and future infrastructure enhancements on the two islands.
He added that the decision was taken in order to link and develop both the islands so that land use can be maximised and create more opportunities for projects and better connectivity.
“There are also plans to see how we can, in the short and medium term, enhance the value of…the Southern Islands for eco-tourism, for families to visit and learn about a part of Singapore,” he said.
On the other hand, the Singapore Tourism Board stressed in a statement that the redevelopment of both Sentosa and Pulau Brani forms an important part of Singapore’s effort to rejuvenate its leisure offerings and maintain its attractiveness.
The Board also noted that other six Merlion statues located at Merlion Park, Mount Faber, Tourism Court and Ang Mo Kio will continue its operation.
Upon reading this news, many netizens were displeased with the decision to get rid of an iconic landmark in the country. They said tearing down an important landmark in the country is a “bad omen”. Penning their thoughts in the Facebook page of Wake Up Singapore, some questioned why the statue can’t be relocated to another place to make way for this pedestrian bridge.






A few said that the saddest part of this development is that there’s already an existing bridge in place which didn’t live up to the management’s expectations, and they decided to build yet another one. “How they came to the conclusion that they should build yet another pedestrian bridge and demolish an icon in the process is beyond me,” said Mason Sim.


Others questioned the need to spend S$90 million just to build a bridge. They added that the large sum of money can be used for something more useful, like helping the less fortunate individuals living in Singapore.



Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
You May Also Like

Malaysia’s Transport Ministry “prepared to release letters” regarding ILS, says Minister Anthony Loke

Singapore’s Transport Ministry (MOT) has been criticised by its Malaysian counterpart for…

IMDA probing into StarHub Internet service disruption during COVID-19 circuit breaker period

On Wednesday (15 April), an investigation into StarHub’s two Internet service disruptions…

居民抱怨起居深受干扰 班丹蓄水池旁闹“虫患”

班丹蓄水池近日被成千上万的蠓虫(midges,学名为Chironomide)“侵略”,在蓄水池附近可见成群的虫子飞舞,蓄水池旁边的马路和附近组屋区的居民也深受影响。 有读者指出,数量惊人的小虫子虽然体积不大,容易躲藏在蓄水池边的石头和草丛间,但是它们成群飞窜时,路过的人们躲都躲不开。 47岁的技师肖恩指出,跑步时会尽量远离池边,以避开蠓虫。 “虽然它们不蜇人,但是会随风吹进人的眼睛里,数次跑步都遭殃,眼睛疼到不行,我担心会把虫子吸入肺部。” 他指出,蠓虫的数量自上个月开始暴增,近几个星期情况更严重了。 而马路旁等车的公众也受到蠓虫干扰,因为蠓虫会随着风向,由蓄水池区朝租屋区“吹去”。 他指出,经常看到等巴士的人们在躲闪蠓虫。“有些正在过马路的人也突然停下来,挥手赶虫子,挺危险的。” 住户夜里紧闭门窗 住在蓄水池对面组屋的32岁司机,杨先生指出,该区的居民为了避免蠓虫入屋,在夜里都习惯紧闭门窗。 他表示曾经忘记关窗,导致吃饭时有虫子掉到饭中,菜肴也粘了飞虫。 而住在第30座组屋的七旬老先生,李云基指出,组屋五六楼以下的住户都遭受“蠓虫患”,连杀虫剂都不能见效。“白天虫子在走廊飞来飞去,晚上则被家中的灯火引入屋,第二天就遍地虫尸。” 环境局竖“网墙”喷雾…

香港反送中集会 维文:未有国人受影响或受伤

外交部长维文针对议员提问,今日在国会指出,截至目前为止,未有国人在香港受到集会冲突的影响或受伤。 他说,外交部也建议到香港旅游的国人,避开集会场地,“即便是和平集会,也有演变成冲突的可能。” 他也劝告旅居或在港公干的国人保持警惕,遵守当地法律,并多留意来自媒体报导和新加坡驻港领事馆的通知。 维文透露,估计有1万5000名新加坡人旅居香港,如国人有需要帮助应立即联系领事馆。 但他表示,通常只有五分之一的人会主动到外交部官网登记,目前有向该部登记的旅港国人仅为三千人。他解释,鼓励国人在外交部官网登记,并不是要追踪他们的行程,而是能让他们在必要时向外交部求助,或提供更新资讯。 香港“反送中”集会自六月以来延烧至今,昨日也迎来“三罢”、七地集会及不合作运动,被认为是“反送中”风潮至今规模最大的抗争行动。当地警方称,从6月9日截至昨日凌晨,合共拘捕420 人,并释放约一千发催泪弹。