SINGAPORE – A new school could be coming to Toa Payoh West, which will be developed over the coming decade to house more than 6,000 new homes, a series of green spaces and Toa Payoh’s first shopping mall.
National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat on Oct 31 unveiled upcoming plans for the western part of Toa Payoh, which are part of wider efforts to rejuvenate one of Singapore’s oldest Housing Board towns.
“When we upgrade our towns, we take the opportunity to not only enhance the infrastructure, but also introduce new homes and amenities so that our towns remain attractive places to live for all generations,” he said.
Proposals for a school in Toa Payoh West are being studied to meet growing demand from new families moving into the neighbourhood, added Chee, who is also the area’s MP.
The last time a new school was announced was in March, when plans for three new special education schools were unveiled.
Before that, the Education Ministry said in May 2025 that two new primary schools will be set up in Yishun and Woodlands.
HDB did not specify what type of school is being studied for Toa Payoh West.
Part of the demand for schools in Toa Payoh is set to come from future residents of Toa Payoh Hillside, a 1,600-unit Build-To-Order project next to Caldecott MRT station that will be launched at the Housing Board’s upcoming sales exercise in November.
The new BTO development will form part of the more than 6,000 homes in the area, which will comprise mostly public housing and some private housing, said HDB.
Next to the BTO project, a new mixed-use development that houses a shopping mall will be built as part of plans to make Toa Payoh West the town’s “second heart” to complement Toa Payoh Central, added HDB.
A new mixed-use development that houses Toa Payoh’s first shopping mall is set to be built in Toa Payoh West to give residents more dining and retail options.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: HDB
Residents will be able to gather and exercise at a plaza space in front of the development, it said.
New amenities
This will be connected to a new 1.2ha wellness park with nature-themed playgrounds, a jogging track, fitness stations and quieter spaces like a butterfly trail and gardens.
Separately, a series of parks and other green spaces that form a “central green valley” have been planned to run through Toa Payoh West to connect homes to amenities like Caldecott station and the new shopping mall, which Chee said will be similar in scale to Woodleigh Mall in Bidadari.
HDB said that to mimic the area’s hilly terrain, building heights at new housing developments in the area will also step down towards this “valley”, with lower-rise buildings and open spaces interspersed among taller residential blocks.
A new 15m-wide, tree-lined walkway will be built between Caldecott station and Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, to connect Toa Payoh West with the rest of the town, it added.
HDB said the fresh plans for Toa Payoh West will build on the wider transformation of Toa Payoh.
It added that the area’s next major development is the upcoming Toa Payoh Integrated Development, which is slated for completion by 2030.
In his speech, Chee said the rejuvenation of neighbourhoods in Toa Payoh and the new integrated development will give residents more choices and make the town a better home for residents of all ages.
Turning to the Toa Payoh Hillside project, Chee said it will include the town’s first block of assisted-living flats, also known as community care apartments, which will have sheltered access to Caldecott MRT station and other amenities like an Active Ageing Centre.
National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said the rejuvenation of neighbourhoods in Toa Payoh and new integrated development will make the town a better home for residents of all ages.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Community care apartments were first launched under a 2021 pilot to integrate senior-friendly housing with care and social services.
At Toa Payoh Hillside, 260 such flats will have features like coloured signs for navigation and grab bars along common corridors to help residents move around safely and confidently, said HDB in a statement on Oct 31.
They will be the first assisted-living flats to be launched after the eligibility age for these homes was lowered from 65 to 55 in July following tepid demand for them at recent sales exercises. Service fees are also set to be lowered by between 18% and 75%.
The block of assisted-living flats will be one of five 31- to 43-storey-high residential blocks at the new BTO project, which includes 590 two-room flexi flats, 580 four-room flats and about 230 public rental units, said HDB.
Toa Payoh Hillside will also have amenities such as a foodcourt, supermarket, shops, playgrounds and community gardens.
Married couple Olive Yuen, 27, and Yvan Mosbergen, 25, said they might apply for a flat in the BTO project because they have both lived in Toa Payoh for most of their lives and enjoy the town’s central location.
The planned improvements will also make Toa Payoh a more vibrant place, said Yuen, who is a designer.
Toa Payoh West resident Lim Yit Keong, 73, who lives in a block of flats next to the site designated for Toa Payoh Hillside, said: “The new amenities will make shopping and dining more convenient, and I hope the facilities at the new green spaces will cater to both young and old.”
The exhibition of plans for Toa Payoh West runs till Nov 2 at the Level 1 gallery of HDB Hub.