Southern Islands

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For the GPU family, see
Southern Islands (GPU family)
.
Southern Islands
Planning Area
Other transcription(s)
 • Chinese南部群岛
 • PinyinNánbù qúndǎo
 • MalayKepulauan Selatan
 • Tamilதெற்கு தீவுகள்
Sentosa, one of the eight major and the largest of the Southern Islands, has been developed into a major tourist attraction in Singapore.
Sentosa, one of the eight major and the largest of the Southern Islands, has been developed into a major tourist attraction in Singapore.
Location in Central Region
Location in Central Region
Country Singapore
RegionCentral
Government
 • MayorSouth West CDC
 • Members of ParliamentWest Coast GRC
  • Rachel Ong Sin Yen
Area
 • Total5.58 km2 (2.15 sq mi)
 • Rank42 out of 55
Population
 (2018)
 • Total1,800
 • Density320/km2 (840/sq mi)

The Southern Islands is a

planning area consisting of a collection of islets located within the Central Region of Singapore, once home to the native Malay islanders and sea nomads before they were relocated to the mainland for urban redevelopment and future use. The islands that form the planning area are Kusu Island, Lazarus Island, Pulau Seringat, Pulau Tekukor, Saint John's Island, Sentosa and the two Sisters' Islands. The islands encompass a total land area of about 5.58 square kilometres (2.15 sq mi). The Sentosa Development Corporation
oversaw the development and maintenance of these offshore islands south of Singapore from 1976 to March 2017, when it handed it back to the Singapore Land Authority.

Southern Islands planning area is situated on the

Singapore Straits, south of the mainland planning area of Bukit Merah. It also shares maritime boundary with the Western Islands
planning area.

Development

As part of the

sand bank between the two islands, forming a lagoon
that has an unobstructed seaview.

Pulau Seringat, photographed in February 2011

Pulau Seringat, which is now part of the extended Lazarus Island, now has an 800-metre stretch of beach. Thousands of cubic metres of sand, checked for sandfly eggs, was imported from Indonesia to make the beach. 1,000 mature coconut trees were also planted to add to the island feel of the place.

A causeway connecting Lazarus Island and Saint John's Island was also built to make the three islands more accessible and help attract more visitors.

Previously a

electricity generator
with enough capacity to support the other three islands.

The reclamation took six years to complete and cost

fibre optic
cables for telecommunications.

The entire project cost nearly S$300 million and took about 15 years of planning.[1][2][3]

Plans

Aerial perspective of Kusu Island, Singapore. Shot in 2016.

In November 2006, the

canoeists
.

This, as STB's S$12 billion Sentosa master plan — which includes

Integrated resort
bid and extend investor interest to the islands nearby.

Over the years, there have been several suggestions on how to develop the islands, from turning them into a centre for

retirement village
was promoted. However, these plans did not materialise.

The STB reckoned that the time was ripe to attract investors to develop the islands, which lies about a 20-minute ferry ride from the Singapore Cruise Centre and 30 minutes from Marina South Pier.

Exploring the potential of developing land around the

tourist destination. The Southern Islands currently has a Chinese temple, natural ecosystems and a resort-like atmosphere. Therefore, it is conceivable to turn some of them into a resort island, a cultural site or an interactive rainforest park
.

There is also some potential for the Southern Islands to become a

marine village, or Dubai's The Palm islands, a development for the ultra-wealthy. However, it may be difficult to develop the islands as a mass tourist destination because they lack a land link to the main island. Instead, a plan is being considered to turn them into a getaway for the well-heeled who can afford the luxury and those who want to explore the rustic surroundings for the islands' flora and fauna, including 300 species of native wildlife
.

With the completion of land reclamation works to link Pulau Seringat, Lazarus Island and Saint John's Island, the STB is setting its sights to develop the cluster by 2015, the year they plan to hit its target of 17 million annual visitors and S$30 billion in tourism receipts. The STB expects to announce details for the development of the Southern Islands and seek requests for concepts as early as March 2007.[2][3][4][5]

However, in April 2007, STB announced that the plans for the Southern Islands have been put on hold. Industry sources said that the Government is considering housing a casino on the six-island cluster. STB met potential investors in January 2006 to gauge their interests and listen to ideas, but the results were apparently not very encouraging. To date, no decision has been made yet on the development concept, including whether a request for concepts exercise will be launched. It is the second time in three years that the authorities are rethinking plans for the Southern Islands.[6]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ Teh Jen Lee, "Believe it or not...This is Singapore. The newly developed St John's and Lazarus islands have beautiful beaches and sparkling waters", The New Paper, 1 December 2006
  2. ^ a b Serene Goh, "Targeting nature lovers and the well-heeled", The Straits Times, 1 December 2006
  3. ^ a b Serene Goh, "All powered up and ready for offers", The Straits Times, 1 December 2006
  4. Channel NewsAsia: STB plans to develop Southern Islands into tourist attraction
    . Retrieved 30 November 2006.
  5. ^ Krist Boo, "Southern Islands may be next big tourist attraction", The Straits Times, 29 November 2006
  6. ^ Krist Boo, "Tourism for Southern Islands put on hold", The Straits Times, 12 April 2007

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Southern_Islands&oldid=1218183401"