Speech by SMS Sim Ann at the Official Opening Ceremony of Admiralty Place at Admiralty Place
Jul 1, 2023
1. A very good morning to everyone here. I am delighted to join you at the official opening ceremony of the newly upgraded Admiralty Place.
2. First and foremost, I would first like to express my thanks to the residents living in this area, for your understanding and patience over the last few years while the construction was underway.
3. Thank you for enduring the dust and noise from the construction works, as well as the inconveniences of having to take alternative routes to bypass the construction area. With your co-operation and support, we managed to complete the upgrading works, and today, we celebrate the start of a new chapter for Admiralty Place.
4. With Admiralty MRT at its doorstep and Kampung Admiralty just next door, Admiralty Place has faithfully served residents in the Admiralty area for over 20 years. It is a pit stop to get your groceries, a place to tapau a quick dinner after work or school, I’m sure many of you have your own cherished memories of this neighbourhood centre and are excited to see what the refurbished mall has to offer.
5. The transformation of Admiralty Place is an excellent example of strong collaboration between residents, the Adviser Ms Mariam Jaafar, and the HDB. When we first embarked on this transformation, we knew the importance of consulting the community so as to gather insights to better understand the needs, preferences and lifestyles of the nearby residents. Through the surveys with residents and regular discussions with Adviser Mariam, we were able to incorporate your valuable feedback into the transformation plans for Admiralty Place.
Tailored Amenities for Admiralty Residents
6. I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to our residents for your valuable contributions and ideas. It is through your active participation that the new Admiralty Place offers a range of amenities that cater to your needs and preferences.
a. First, let’s talk about the design. Did you know that Admiralty was once a traditional ‘kampung’ village with homes built on stilts? In designing the new Admiralty Place, the architects drew inspiration from the rich history of the area, and incorporated heritage elements into the design. If you look around, and you will see the slanted mullions, resembling the housing stilts used in kampungs. The colours and materials of the complex are also a homage to the wooden kampung homes of yesteryear.
b. Second, the facilities. Some of you may recall that the old Admiralty Place used to be an open-air neighbourhood centre. Residents told us that they would like to have air-conditioning and better accessibility within the mall. I am happy to note that Admiralty Place, where we are now, is air-conditioned, so you can have a more comfortable shopping experience. We also installed an additional lift and escalators for enhanced accessibility, especially for the elderly, the wheelchair-bound, as well as young families using strollers.
c. Third, connectivity. There are two new accessible linkways to provide residents with better connectivity to the surrounding amenities. One of them is a 15-meter link bridge that connects the popular hawker centre at Kampung Admiralty, to level 2 and 3 of Admiralty Place. The other linkway provides direct and seamless access from the neighboring Block 678 to Admiralty Place and Admiralty MRT station. Rain or shine, Admiralty Place has got you covered, quite literally.
7. Residents had also requested for more food options, particularly, halal options. We heard you. In response to the suggestions, HDB has increased the number of F&B units and introduced many more Halal food options. There are now 20 F&B outlets, which include a halal food court, takeaway kiosks and also multiple fast-food restaurants, including an A&W which I was told is especially popular among residents.
8. All in all, the refurbished complex has a total of 72 shops, including retail shops, enrichment schools, and a Prime supermarket. With such a diverse range of offerings, the new Admiralty Place has something for everyone. Within the complex, you will also find many community spaces that allow you to interact and spend time with neighbours, family and friends. The atrium, where we are gathered right now, will host pop-up events and activities, so be sure to take part in the exciting line-up of events coming your way.
Sustainable Features of Admiralty Place
9. Admiralty Place has been designed with sustainability in mind contributing to a cleaner, and greener Singapore. Some of the sustainable features include:
a. The façade, which has been designed to help minimise heat gain and lower the ambient temperature, making it more comfortable to residents and shoppers;
b. An energy-efficient LED lighting system, which achieves approximately 55% in energy savings compared to the conventional lighting system.
10. Thanks to these efforts, Admiralty Place won the Innovative Design Award, which the project was nominated for at the HDB Awards 2020. Admiralty Place is also a nominee for the HDB Engineering Award 2023, which will take place later this year. These recognitions are testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in the project, in making Admiralty Place an endearing community for residents to live in.
Conclusion
11. We will continue to upgrade not just our homes, but also our neighbourhoods and town centres, because home is more than just our flat, but also the living environment and the community around us.
12. Earlier this year, I announced that the Government will continue to revitalise neighbourhoods and support our heartland shops, like those at Admiralty Place, to enhance the vibrancy of our HDB heartlands.
a. We will further encourage entrepreneurship through the Enhanced Entrepreneur Scheme, and facilitate physical upgrading, by enhancing the Revitalisation of Shops (ROS) Scheme while reducing shop owners’ share of upgrading costs.
b. Beyond physical spaces, we also want to make our heartlands more inclusive for everyone. In this regard, we are providing more assistance for social enterprises and businesses with inclusive hiring practices.
13. Our HDB heartlands play a vital role in Singapore. They provide residents with convenient access to essential goods and services and serve as a social node for residents to bond and interact.
14. I encourage residents to enjoy these spaces and continue to build and strengthen neighbourly ties. Together, we can create a lively, thriving community that we can be proud to call home.
15. Now, please allow me to say a few words in Mandarin:
16. 各位居民朋友们，大家早上好！很高兴能够出席今天的开幕典礼。
17. 首先，我要感谢各位居民，在海军部坊的翻修期间给予的理解和耐心。有了大家的合作和支持，我们顺利完成了翻新工程，让20多年前建成的海军部坊以崭新的姿态继续为居民服务。
18. 在着手翻新之前，建屋发展局做了民意调查，深入了解居民的需求、喜好和生活方式。 我们也与基层组织顾问佳馥梅女士（Ms Mariam Jaafar） 定期讨论，把居民的意见和建议融入海军部坊的设计当中。
19. 因此， 我们增添了冷气、无障碍设施和更多走道，为大家提供更舒适方便的购物体验。居民也要求增添更多用餐选择，特别是清真餐饮，我们也做到了。整体设计也融入各种环保节能的措施， 为建设绿色的新加坡做出贡献。
20. 我相信翻新后的海军部坊，会为大家带来更多的便利。
21. Once again, I wish you a wonderful Saturday morning, and I hope that you will enjoy everything that Admiralty Place has to offer. Thank you.
End