OFFICE DEVELOPMENTS IN REGIONAL CENTRES

Abstract

Singapore's rapid pace of development within the Central Business District has resulted in congestion and over-crowding. To counter this problem, the government has advocated a policy of planned decentralisation. Under the Revised Concept Plan, four regional centres - Tampines, Jurong East, Woodlands and Seletar have been proposed. Based on the proposal, this study examines the attractiveness of regional centres as viable business locations. This study begins by examining the office decentralisation trends of firms in Singapore. To date, unplanned and planned office decentralisation are observed to be taking place in Singapore. The concept of regional centres - a highlight of the government's planned decentralisation strategy is then examined. This is followed by a study on the existing office developments ( i.e office buildings and its tenants) at the Tampines and Jurong East Regional Centres. Based on the results of the survey, it is found that Tampines Regional Centre has been attracting firms to site their back-room and administrative operations there. On the other hand, Jurong East Regional Centre has attracted mainly independent firms who locate there to serve their clients in the industries nearby. An attempt has also been made to postulate how these regional centres are likely to evolve into future business cores and the character they will assume. It is also revealed that the cheaper rentals, proximity to transport facilities and amenities are plus points that can contribute to the attractiveness of office space in regional centres.