SLA opens up 3 fields for public recreation

THE public will soon be able to use three more fields for recreational activities, as the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) opens them up for community use before they are possibly redeveloped.

Starting today, the 9,084 sq m field, about the size of two small football fields, in the compound of the former Manjusri Secondary School at 149 Sims Drive in Geylang is one of them, the SLA said in a statement yesterday.

The fields on the former Institute of Technical Education campuses at Lempeng Drive in Clementi and Tampines Street 92 will similarly be opened by the end of September. Both fields, each about 9,900 sq m, will have to undergo improvement works such as levelling and grass cutting first.

"As long as the field is not required for impending redevelopment, it will be open 24 hours a day and available for use free of charge...", said the SLA. No advance booking is required.

The fields of about 90 schools can be booked online for a fee, under the Dual Use Scheme by the Singapore Sports Council and Education Ministry.

Since 2003, the SLA has opened up 282 other plots of vacant state land to the public for free.

The sites are listed on the OneMap portal, an online map system provided by government agencies.

West Coast Road resident Terence Han, who rents school fields to play football once a week, looks forward to playing at the nearby Lempeng Drive field for free.

Said the 26-year-old bank executive: "Normally for my weekend matches, a field costs about $150 for two hours. This would be a better alternative."

yeosamjo@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on June 25, 2014.
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