We have commenced discussions with stakeholders and will continue to consult interest groups, the East Coast Park community and Singaporeans widely, to shape the plans for ‘Long Island’. Sign up for our public engagement sessions here. Share your feedback with us here.
The threat of rising sea levels is real and a critical one for Singapore. With around 30 per cent of our land less than five metres above mean sea level, Singapore is extremely vulnerable to the impact of sea level rise. This is especially the case for the East Coast area, where there are already instances of flooding within East Coast Park when high tides coincide with heavy rain. Such events will not only adversely impact on our lives, but also disrupt the operation of critical infrastructure linked to the area, such as East Coast Parkway and Changi Airport.
On 28 November 2023, Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for National Development and Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration announced that we are starting technical studies and public consultation on ‘Long Island’ as a solution to protect our homes, businesses, infrastructure and public spaces, such as East Coast Park.
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‘Long Island’ comprises land reclaimed off the East Coast, and could take the form of ‘islands’ located some distance away from the existing coastline. It offers an integrated solution that will meet multiple national needs, including coastal protection, flood resilience, water resilience, creating more land to meet future development needs, as well as new recreational opportunities for the East Coast. The concept of ‘Long Island’ was first mooted under the Concept Plan in 1991. In view of the impact of climate change, ‘Long Island’ was subsequently presented as a potential solution to protect the East Coast area against sea level rise. This was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the National Day Rally in 2019.
The concept plans for ‘Long Island’ have since evolved based on public feedback to reflect people’s aspirations, including retaining as much of the existing free and unimpeded access to the coast and waterfront views as much as possible, which was shared during PUB’s Our Coastal Conversation community dialogue sessions in 2022.
Land at ‘Long Island’ will be reclaimed to a higher level and form a continuous line of defence along the coast for protection against rising sea levels. The existing outlet drains along the coast today will drain into a new reservoir. The reservoir will include two centralised tidal gates and pumping stations, similar to Marina Barrage, which will keep out seawater during high tides and discharge stormwater into the sea during heavy rainfall. The new reservoir will also provide a new source of water supply, enhancing Singapore’s water resilience. Besides ‘Long Island’, agencies also studied building a sea wall up to 3 metres in height along the entire waterfront of East Coast Park (from Marina East to Tanah Merah). This sea wall would need to be supplemented by 12 tidal gates and pumping stations, one at each of the 12 existing outlet drains along this stretch of the coastline.
However, this is not ideal as the sea wall would result in extended periods of disruption to park users during its construction. The 12 pumping stations would also take up a large amount of park space (equivalent to about 15 football fields).
Beyond protecting the East Coast from sea level rise, ‘Long Island’ will also offer exciting opportunities and cater to the needs and aspirations of many generations of Singaporeans. Around 20 kilometres of new coastal and waterfront parks could potentially be added to the existing East Coast Park, which will triple the length of the waterfront parks in the area. The new green and blue spaces could also be integrated with recreational spaces, waterfront living concepts and nature-based solutions, to create multi-functional and climate-resilient spaces for homes, recreation, and nature.
‘Long Island’ could be about two times the size of Marina Bay (by land area) and is expected to take a few decades to plan, design and implement. In view of the urgency to protect the East Coast from sea level rise, agencies will commence technical studies from 2024, and concurrently engage stakeholders and the public as part of the process.
The technical studies which agencies will carry out from 2024 onwards include engineering studies and environmental impact assessment. These studies will examine the potential trade-offs of reclamation and the opportunities it could bring to guide the future development of ‘Long Island’.
The studies will also explore ways to better integrate coastal protection measures with land reclamation through a combination of engineering and nature-based solutions while minimising potential impact to the environment and existing uses.
Plans for ‘Long Island’ present an opportunity for Singaporeans to come together to shape the future of the East Coast. As part of URA’s ongoing Draft Master Plan 2025, agencies will engage Singaporeans and stakeholders, including nature and recreational interest groups, businesses and the local community, to discuss ideas and feedback on the plans for ‘Long Island’, starting from 2024 while technical studies are being carried out. These efforts will build on the engagements by URA during the Long-Term Plan Review from 2021 to 2022, and by PUB during the Our Coastal Conversations (OCC) with various stakeholders which has been ongoing since 2022.
PUB’s Our Coastal Conversation: More than 130 participants engaged in lively discussions on how we can accommodate and balance various trade-offs when planning for coastal protection measures for the City-East Coast. (Source: PUB)
The conceptual plans for Long Island were exhibited as part of the URA's Urban Lab exhibition ‘Shaping a Heat Resilient City’, held at The URA Centre Atrium from 17 November 2023 to 1 March 2024.
We are currently seeking initial feedback, broad ideas and suggestions for ‘Long Island’. We have commenced discussions with stakeholders, and will continue to consult Singaporeans widely to shape the plans for ‘Long Island’. Here’s what some of you have shared with us so far:
More in-depth engagements and discussions will take place after the key information is gathered from the technical studies in the coming years. The ideas and feedback from these conversations, together with findings from the technical studies, will be reviewed thoroughly and will guide the development of a shared vision and detailed plans for ‘Long Island’.
Sign up for our public engagement sessions here and submit their feedback here.
Land reclamation is not new in the East Coast area. Parts of the housing estates along the East Coast, including Marine Parade and Bedok, as well as East Coast Park, were developed on land that was reclaimed from the 1960s to the 1980s to meet Singaporeans’ housing and recreational needs.
First blocks of flats under construction in Marine Parade, 1972. Marine Parade was the first HDB estate to be built entirely on reclaimed land. (Source: HDB)
The East Coast Parkway was also integrated as part of the reclaimed land to provide a seamless connection from the city to Changi Airport, contributing to Singapore’s growth into a global aviation hub.