Source : Straits Times, Singapore, 14 Jan '05
By : Tan Hui Yee
  

It will have an 'iconic' conservatory of plants from cool tropical and temperate climates. And unlike the one in Cluny Road, where research is also conducted, it will focus mainly on mass floral displays and 'creative plant-based edutainment'.

One of its first major tasks will be to serve as a venue for an upcoming world-class horticultural show, said National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan yesterday in his addendum to President S R Nathan's address on Wednesday.

Full details of the garden are not available, but his ministry said the development of the 372ha business and financial district in Marina Bay is one of its main focuses as it works to enhance Singapore's position as a business and financial hub.

The chief executive officer of the National Parks Board, Dr Tan Wee Kiat, told The Straits Times yesterday that the current Botanic Gardens is stretched because it has 'one of the most loved spaces in Singapore'.

The 52ha attraction, which has to meet the needs of users and serve as an institution of botanical research, drew more than three million visitors last year.

Told of the plan, nature lovers made similar suggestions for the new garden site.

The president of the Nature Society, Dr Geh Min, asked it be developed as a 'blue-green lung', where visitors can also see the sea and horizon, while the president of the Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects, Ms Tay Bee Choo, recommended lots of space by the coast for strolling and that this be lined with coastal trees like saga trees.

Dr Geh also stressed buildings on the site be people-friendly rather than simply imposing.

Efforts will also be made to enhance the island's Garden City image: The parks and green areas connecting them will be expanded, and more private housing residents and perhaps even those in public housing, will be encouraged to garden in communal spaces and on verges along roads.