To the dismay of many longtime residents who grew up there, the Old Woodlands Town Centre will soon be no more — but at least now we know what the government plans to build on the land.
As part of the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s (ICA) efforts to upgrade, an extension of the Woodlands Checkpoint will be built on the border town.
The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) will be acquiring the plots of land within the town centre, with a total land area said to be 3,264 sqm. Three lessees and 14 tenants are affected by the gazetted land — they’ll have till Oct 1, 2018 to hand over the properties to the government.
“Since the opening of Woodlands Checkpoint (WCP) in 1999, traveller and vehicle volumes through WCP have been increasing over the years while the security threat has heightened significantly,” wrote the ICA and SLA in a joint news release.
“The WCP has to be upgraded to meet growing traffic needs and ensure that immigration clearance remains secure.”
So, good news for border security but sad news for the folks who regularly visit Old Woodlands Town Centre — it’s now a shadow of its past glory as a bustling pit stop for those going in and out of Johor.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) plans to demolish the rustic locale to make way for a regional centre that’ll serve as “Singapore’s Northern Gateway” and the upcoming Woodlands North MRT station.
