Rejuvenation of Tanjong Katong Complex to support the vision of Geylang Serai as a distinctive cultural precinct

Renewal of tenancies until 30 June 2023

1.               The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) today announced plans to rejuvenate Tanjong Katong Complex (TKC). This is part of the move to transform Geylang Serai, stretching from TKC to Kampong Ubi Community Centre, into a distinctive cultural precinct, as announced in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s National Day Rally speech in 2018*.

2.       As part of the rejuvenation plans, TKC will undergo major upgrading and asset enhancement works that will include an increase in floor area, construction of a roof-top F&B space, reconfiguration of its internal layout, and a refresh of the building’s façade. There are also plans to provide more spaces for placemaking activities and community programmes to attract footfall to TKC, while preserving its tradition as a place for trade with Malay cultural heritage value.

Background

3.       TKC was built in 1982 and is zoned as commercial under the Master Plan 2019. Following redevelopment plans of Geylang Serai in 2011, the Government announced that the rental period for TKC will be extended for 10 years until the end of December 2022, to ensure that trades from the Malay community remain and have opportunity to slowly evolve into new developments in the area. TKC has not undergone any major upgrading works since it was built, and its current mechanical and electrical systems are old and in urgent need of replacement. It is timely for the 39-year-old building to be rejuvenated and given a new lease of life, to complement the new developments in the surrounding area. See Annex A for more background information on TKC.

Rejuvenation Plans

4.       In planning for the major upgrading of TKC, SLA has incorporated community feedback from the Geylang Serai Cultural Precinct Engagement Exercise, held from October 2019 to January 2020. The feedback included suggestions to retain the building given the community’s affinity to TKC and its heritage value. Their suggestions included refreshing TKC’s façade to complement newer developments in the vicinity and introducing new uses that would add buzz to the mall and enliven the place.

5.       The rejuvenation works will retain the identity of TKC and keep the building’s iconic features such as the slanted columns of the façade facing Tanjong Katong Road. A thoroughfare will link a new entrance created at the north façade (for shoppers coming from Sims Avenue/Paya Lebar MRT station), to the existing south façade (for shoppers coming from Geylang Road) entrance. The updated façade will soften the current look and feel of TKC, allowing more daylight into the building and increasing the visibility of the interior. Additional space will be created within the building, and together with a redesign of the internal layout, there will be more open spaces for community and placemaking activities. The completed rejuvenation will transform TKC into a contemporary building with better connectivity to neighbouring developments (see Annex B for artists’ impressions of the rejuvenated TKC).

6.       Chief Executive of SLA, Mr Colin Low, said: “SLA recognises that TKC has a special and unique place in Singapore and the public feedback that the iconic TKC should be retained. The rejuvenated TKC will add vibrancy to the area and make the Geylang Serai precinct a distinctive cultural belt for the community and for all Singaporeans. Residents and the community can look forward to a rejuvenated development with more retail, F&B choices and improved facilities and services.”

Tenancies at TKC

7.       SLA has shared the rejuvenation plans for TKC with the 106 existing TKC tenants whose tenancies will expire by 31 December 2022. SLA understands the difficulties faced by tenants in the past two years due to COVID-19. In view of this, SLA will grant a 6-month extension of the tenancy until 30 June 2023, to allow businesses to benefit from sales during the Hari Raya period in April 2023. This advance notice of 1.5 years will also provide existing tenants time to make any relocation plans. As the upgrading works are slated to commence in the second half of 2023, there will be no further extension of the tenancy beyond 30 June 2023.

8.       SLA has encouraged tenants to source for alternative locations and firm up their business continuity plans. Those who wish to find an alternative location in State properties can consider participating in open tenders via the State PropertyInformation Online (SPIO)  portal. SLA will work closely with the existing TKC tenants to assist with their transition plans.

*In his National Day Rally 2018 speech, PM Lee said, “We can do more to make Geylang Serai a culturally distinctive precinct, stretching from Tanjong Katong Complex to Kampong Ubi CC.”  PM Lee tasked then-Senior Minister of State Dr Maliki Osman to lead the effort of realising this vision of transforming the precinct into a distinctive cultural belt.

8 December 2021

Issued by

Singapore Land Authority

1.     Tanjong Katong Complex (TKC), the first air-conditioned shopping complex developed by the Housing and Development Board, was built in 1982. SLA has been managing TKC since March 1998.

2.     TKC is zoned as commercial under the Master Plan 2019.

3.     Located at 845 Geylang Road, TKC is surrounded by new buildings such as Kinex Shopping Mall, PLQ Mall, PLQ1, PLQ2, PLQ3, Paya Lebar Square, SingPost Centre and Wisma Geylang Serai. 

Location map of TKC and the neighbouring buildings

4.     TKC sits within the Geylang Serai Cultural Belt bound by Sims Avenue, Geylang Road and Tanjong Katong Road. The Geylang Serai Cultural Belt extends from Tanjong Katong Complex to Kampong Ubi Community Centre.

5.     TKC was included in the envisioning exercise held in October 2019, where the community provided ideas on how the existing spaces could be transformed into activity nodes and shared their aspirations for the wider Geylang Serai precinct.  The feedback included suggestions to retain the building given its heritage value and affinity with the community. Suggestions from the public included introducing new uses that would add buzz and enliven the place, and to update the building’s façade to blend in with the newer developments in the vicinity.

6.     TKC has a gross floor area of approximately 19,000 m². The four-storey building houses more than 100 tenants, which include retail fashion boutiques catering mainly to the Malay community, furniture and household appliances stores, renovation/interior design firms, travel and maid agencies, wedding ballrooms, a restaurant, and offices.

7.     While different tenancies have different expiry dates, all of the tenancies will lapse by 31 December 2022.

Proposed roof garden with F&B

Proposed West Elevation

TKC Floor Plan – First storey