Jurong Country Club gets till Feb 1 to hand over land

Jurong Country Club (JCC) will get to hand over its land to the Government on Feb 1 instead of the end of the year.

The Singapore Land Authority agreed to its request for the new date and to rent back part of the acquired land from then till Aug 31 to wind down its operations.

The 67ha site, which includes an 18-hole golf course, three swimming pools and eight tennis courts, will make way for the terminus of the high-speed rail (HSR) connecting Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

The rest of the land will be transformed into a mixed-use development of offices, hotels, retail outlets and residences.

An SLA spokesman told The Straits Times the Land Transport Authority is "coordinating closely" with the club and will start site preparation works, such as soil probes and tests, from next month "in order to meet the HSR completion date of Dec 31, 2026".

The extended rental is meant to help the club dispose of its remaining assets, such as office equipment, computers and furniture, said club president Bobby Wee.

He said tenders for the sale of big items, including course equipment, grass-cutting vehicles and utility trucks, had concluded, drawing bids from Malaysia and Batam, from which the club stands to gain more than $400,000.

Small items, such as paintings and club logo-stamped cutlery, will be sold or auctioned in-house.

The oil paintings include Jurong Country Club Golf Course, originally priced at $6,000, and Jurong Country Club Lake View. priced originally at $10,000, both by Taiwan-born artist Christina Chen Yu Ting.

Also going is a Tiger Woods oil painting originally priced at $1,888.

Weekly updates on the bids will be uploaded on the club's website. Bid results will be announced during the club's year-end party, to be held on New Year's Eve.

The party will be preceded by a carnival at 2pm and a mass walk on the course from 6pm to 7pm.

The day will also mark the last for golf, when more than 200 players are expected to turn up.

In May, members were informed that all facilities would shut at the close of Dec 31 and JCC will continue to exist as a registered club until further notice.

They were also told that the club would appeal against the $89.8 million awarded by the Collector of Land Revenue as compensation for the land acquisition.

JCC had sought $168 million based on the work of its own valuation consultants. Its appeal, being prepared by lawyers from Rajah & Tann, is pending.

The club president is expected to provide further details of its final activities and related matters in due course.

UP FOR SALE

Golf course equipment, grasscutting vehicles, utility trucks and other capital items have attracted bids totalling over $400,000.

Some 20 pieces of artwork to be auctioned off, including:

Tiger Woods oil painting (above) - original price $,1888

Jurong Country Club Lake View oil painting - original price $10,000

Heron Paradise and three other watercolour paintings by Khor Ean Ghee, each priced at $2,500

Swirls Of Life poster painting by Yoeng Wee Heng - purchase price not available

Remaining assets include office equipment, computers and furniture.

vijayan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on December 20, 2016.
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