Balestier Khalsa which has used the Toa Payoh Stadium as its home stadium for the most part of its S-League and Singapore Premier League existence, may well have a new home in 2030 when the Toa Payoh Integrated Development, made up of a regional sports centre, polyclinic, public library and regional town park, is ready for public use.
The information about the new integrated development was made public by Sport Singapore on 26 February.
Swimming pools, indoor sports halls, sheltered tennis, futsal and netball courts, a gymnasium, fitness studios and a football stadium are among facilities included in the development which will occupy a 12ha space between Lorong 6 Toa Payoh and the Pan-Island Expressway.
The Toa Payoh project is a multi-agency collaboration by Sport Singapore, the Ministry of Health, National Library Board, National Parks Board and National Healthcare Group Polyclinics.
“We will continue to rejuvenate our town, so that Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC and Marymount SMC will remain a good home for residents of all ages,” said Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport Chee Hong Tat, who is an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.
“I thank our agencies and partners for working together on this project, which will allow our residents to benefit from the upgraded polyclinic, library, park and sporting facilities.”
The new sports centre to serve residents of Toa Payoh and Bishan was first announced in June 2020, but the study to look into the possibility of integration was announced six years prior (see Straits Times story below).
In 2020, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth said that the Government will “continue to invest in sports programmes and infrastructure, with an annual investment of about $400 million toward sports and sports development in Singapore.”
MAIN PHOTO: STRAITS TIMES