A Singapore-based construction company called Top Pave promises to transform the site of the former Serangoon Garden South School, at 49 Kensington Park Road, into a new health-led lifestyle hub.
This comes after the company won a Price-Quality tender by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) for an initial five-year lease of the 78,096 sq ft site, which is within the Serangoon Gardens landed neighbourhood.
A Price-Quality tender means that bidders submit a proposed concept plan that is evaluated first, thereafter the shortlisted concepts are judged based on the indicative rental bid.
This tender was launched on January 10, and some of the indicative uses listed at the time included a range of uses such as spa and wellness, an active aging facility, an indoor sports facility, artisanal crafts studio/workshops, urban farming, pet grooming, and retail.
When the tender closed on March 2, it attracted 13 different bids with bid rents ranging from $62,000 per month (pm) to $12,800 pm.
There were a handful of familiar operators in the co-living and flexible accommodation market who participated as well. For example, LHN Properties Investments put in a bid rent of $25,800 per month. The company is part of the LHN Group, which owns a majority stake in mainboard-listed Coliwoo.
Meanwhile, Eco Energy has participated in previous SLA tenders for sites being repurposed as co-living facilities. It was awarded the tender for a row of conservation buildings at 79 – 95 Hindoo Road in 2023.
A local agri-tech start-up, Fogo Fungi, submitted the highest bid price of $62,000 pm, followed by Aibi International, a Singapore-based wellness and fitness company.
| Bidder | Bid Rent per month ($) |
| Aibi International | 61,000 |
| Cencon Properties | 53,000 |
| Conint | 12,800 |
| Country City Investment | 38,888 |
| Eco Energy | 24,000 |
| Fogo Fungi | 62,000 |
| Hua Hng Trading Co | 45,000 |
| LHN Properties Investments | 25,800 |
| NB Auto | 38,500 |
| Peck Tiong Choon Leasing | 58,888 |
| Rhythm & Groove | 48,000 |
| Tee Up Asset Management | 32,049 |
| Top Pave | 60,000 |
According to SLA, the awarded concept by Top Pave will introduce an integrated range of health, wellness, and community-focused offerings. It will focus on active ageing, preventive healthcare, and multi-generational community activities.
Some of the amenities include fitness, physiotherapy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, recovery facilities, and regular community programming.
Residents in Serangoon Gardens are already well-served by popular facilities such as the Serangoon Gardens Country Club, myVillage at Serangoon Garden, Chomp Chomp Food Centre, Serangoon Garden Market, and a slew of retail and F&B shops.
This is not the first time that SLA has leased vacant government sites for innovative concepts.
The most prominent example is New Bahru, which used to be the site of the former Nan Chiau High School. The site and the school blocks now house New Bahru, a creative lifestyle destination on Kim Yam Road in River Valley.
Meanwhile, the former Henderson Primary School is now being operated as an inter-generational co-living development called Commune @ Henderson, which is operated by mainboard-listed The Assembly Place.
Based on artist impressions provided by Top Pave the new health-led lifestyle destination it is developing at 49 Kensington Park Road may go by the name of Lumina, although further development details have yet to be released.
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