If you haven’t heard it yet, we’ll soon have to say goodbye to some other recreational place in Singapore.
The Straits Times reported on Aug. 7 that Orto and Kampung Kampus Amusement Park, an experiential nature-focused campus through the nonprofit Ground-Up Initiative (GUI), will have to abandon their existing facilities by mid-2023.
According to the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) 2019 Master Plan, the site is divided into zones for residential use, a detailed planning topic. ST also noted that Chencharu was one of the spaces known as a new residential domain in URA’s long-term plan that was unveiled in June.
While the lease was set to expire until the end of this year, the report said SLA had terminated the lease until June 30, 2023 to ease the transition.
Known for its rustic kampung vibe, Orto opened its doors in 2014. The amusement park is a meeting place in the north, with F outlets.
In particular, the Turtle Museum moved from the Chinese Garden to Orto in January 2019. The museum had already been asked to abandon its previous site in 2011 due to the refurbishment, and then its lease was extended several times until 2018.
ST said the Turtle Museum and GUI are lately in talks with the government to discuss new sites for their operations.
As for Orto, the report quotes a spokesperson who said some tenants would possibly move to 27 West Coast Highway, an advertising construction near Haw Par Villa MRT.
The article temporarily sparked a public outcry. These are some of the comments we found.
Facebook user Lee Mabel disapproved of Orto’s plan to create housing, noting that the park is a rare place in Singapore where all ages can have fun.
On Reddit, user Domo-dude commented that Orto is the place in Singapore with a clever combination of nature and gastronomy, with a rustic atmosphere.
Redditor, PmMeImLonely, noted that Orto is what makes his friends come to Khatib.
On Hardware Zone, some users have lamented that with the disappearance of those exclusive places and their replacement through condos and shopping malls, each and every component of Singapore will eventually look the same and soulless.
And if the last two years of the Covid pandemic have taught us anything, it’s that Singapore lacks variety in recreational options. That’s why we’ve also noticed so many other people in recent months since the borders reopened.
Many have expressed their pity and anger at the Museum of Live Turtles and Turtles, which is expected to be a house and move in again.
In addition to this, moving the animals backwards would be expensive and would impose a lot of tension on them.
Many netizens wonder if there has been an increase in the demand for housing, especially when the expansion of the population has not increased as much. Birth rates have also declined.
At the same time, some pointed out that space costs have increased, hence the desire to build the housing fountain.
Some also raised the imaginable environmental effect of redevelopment.
For example, Facebook user Brotherhood of Man said that with fewer green spaces and trees, temperatures will rise even more, leading to greater use of air conditioning and even more carbon emissions.
Facebook user Sng Chiew Hwa said green spaces will not be affected, adding that the government creates a more conducive environment for life.
Facebook Muslihah Md Nor added that he likes the view of Orto from the train, reminding him to return home.
At the same time, some netizens have imagined what our recreational features will look like in the future.
In the Hardware Zone and Reddit threads, some users had more (somewhat apocalyptic) predictions.
Some are redeveloping other lands instead.
For example, Facebook user Cai Shengda advised that the Hometeam NS be rebuilt from Orto.
The user of the physical domain wondered why all the golf courses had been remodeled for housing.
Perhaps the most radical suggestion to date is that of Redditor FugTheSpider.
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This article was first published in 99. co.