Sales engineer Ho
Kai Sin can navigate around Chinatown without the aid of a street
directory.
He knows Pearl's
Hill in an enclave bounded by the Central Expressway, Outram Road,
Eu Tong Sen Street and Upper cross Streets.
He can even tell
People's Park Complex from People's Park Center without a glancing
at the signs.
But ask him if he
has ever been to Pearl's Hill City Park, and the 31-year-old is
stumped.
"I didn't know
that there was one," he says.
He is not alone.
Tucked behind
Pearlbank Apartments and the former Criminal Investigation
Department building, the 45m tall knoll is an emerald gem cherished
mainly by nearby residents.
There is even a
reservoir perched on top, which was built in 1898 to supply drinking
water to Chinatown, and still does today.
Poor accessibility
and visibility from main roads are the reasons for the park's low
profile.
Only one road,
Pearlbank Road, leads up to it currently.
Those trekking on
foot can also access it via flights of stairs from Chin Swee Road
and Pearl's Hill Terrace.
But more people
will get to share the 6.6ha oasis soon under the Urban Redevelopment
Authority's Draft Master Plan 2003 for the Central Region.
Pearl's Hill,
together with the neighboring York Hill, is among the areas due for
a new lease of life.
This combined study
area is about 25ha and does not include or effect the existing
public housing developments at York Hill and Chin Swee estates.
Plans in the
pipeline include adding 5,500 homes, reconfiguring the park and
planting green connectors that will snake through the two hills to
link Duxton Plain Park with the Singapore River.
Pearl's Hill City
Park, the centerpiece of Pearl's Hill redevelopment, is "one of
Singapore's best-kept secrets," says Mr John Ting, president of
the Singapore Institute of Architects.
Mr Tay Kah Poh,
research director o property consultancy Knight Frank, adds:
"It's rare to find a belt of lush greenery just next to the
city center, which is large enough not to be overwhelmed by the
intrusion of noise and fumes".
A slice of History
The prized location
is not the reason behind its name.
Rather, it was
named after a Captain James Pearl, who owned and helmed the ship
that ferried Sir Stamford Raffles to Singapore in January 1819.
Captain Pearl, who
bought the hill from the island's Temenggong, had called it Stamford
Hill initially.
But the name was
changed later to reflect his ownership. After finding it too high,
he had the peak shaved off and built his house there.
Through the years,
the hill has seen many occupants come and go.
The first Tan Tock
Seng Hospital was built there in 1844. After it relocated to Jalan
Besar in 1857, the colonial government erected army barracks on the
hill to house the Sepoys.
Tasked with
maintaining Singapore's security, these soldiers from British India
later set up one of Singapore's earliest Sikh temples on the hill.
It has since been
demolished.
The western slope
of the hill housed the infamous Outram Prison, which was built in
1847. It later made way for Outram Park Estate in 1968. [Demolished
2002-3]
Best known for
their rainbow facades, most of the blocks have since been torn down
for redevelopment.
Pearl's Hill also
bears reminders of the police force's origins.
In the late 1930's,
the Upper and Lower Barracks were built on the original Tan Tock
Seng Hospital site to accommodate the Sikh Contingent of the Straits
Settlement Police.
While the Upper
Barracks on Pearl's Hill Terrace housed married policemen, the Lower
Barracks in Eu Tong Sen Street were home to their single colleagues.
Since the Straits
Settlement Police disbanded in 1946, the buildings have been put to
other uses.
They most recently
housed the CID and served as the Police Headquarters.
Both were relocated
to the new Police Cantonment Complex in 2001, and the now vacant
buildings will be preserved and re-shaped for other uses.
Mr. Nicholas Mak,
associate director of property consultancy Chesterton International,
says these major police functions were sited there for a reason.
"This area
used to be rife with secret societies and gangsters, who based their
headquarters here in the 1950's and 1960's," he says.
This is one of the
many nuggets about Chinatown's colorful past told to him by his
father, a former policeman.
To architect
Raymond Woo, 63, fond memories of Chinatown are all tinged with
green.
He lived there for
the first 18 years of his life and attended the nearby Pearl's Hill
Primary and Outram Secondary schools, which still stand today.
"There were no
tall buildings then, so you could see green pockets all over,"
he recalls.
"As a child,
Pearl's Hill City Park seemed more like a forest to me."
To him, the
greenery is the biggest selling point of the area.
And like the other
nine architects, developers and property consultants who spoke to
Sunday LIFE1, he applauds URA's plans to preserve and enhance the
lush, hilly surroundings.
Mr. Michael Ng,
managing director of property consultancy Hamptons International,
says: "The success of future housing projects will depend on
how sympathetic they are to the environment and topography."
Timely
Revival
Another concern is
that redevelopment might erode the social character of Pearl's Hill.
Mr. Victor Lew, 58,
a resident at Pearlbank Apartments for the past 26 years, is glad
that the park will be made more accessible.
But the retiree,
who jogs there three time a week, says: "New developments might
mean more noise and people, which may mar the tranquility and charm
of this area."
This is
"altogether plausible", says Mr. Tay of Knight Frank, who
adds: "So far, the Government's preservation efforts are
usually directed more at physical structures than the social ecology
of a place."
But Mr. Ting
believes the rejuvenation of the area is timely.
"Once a city
center starts to decay, it's very hard to revive it," he says.
"If the area is populated mainly by elderly, it will hollow out
very soon. New housing projects here will attract the young and
plans for a green belt will draw more people. This will create a
buzz overall."
Architect Tan Hock
Beng feels that future residential developments will have to be
"ultra-modern".
"This is
because they are attracting a new set of young homeowners who like
to live in the city, and the area also has historical links to
Chinatown and a setting like this."
Private housing is
likely to dominate in future, says property consultants, who
estimate prices for 99-year leasehold projects to range from $620 to
$720 psf based on current prices.
With its scenic
views and proximity to the financial district and two MRT Stations -
Outram Park and Chinatown - "it's too valuable a location for
new public housing", Mr Tay says.
Major developer
City Developments Limited, for one, appreciates its potential.
Its spokesman, Mr.
Gerry De Silva, says: "It is a rare opportunity for
Singaporeans to live in such a scenic hill greenery right in the
heart of the city. Generally, we would be interested in such
developments, given our experience in similar projects such as The
Pier at Robertson.