Speech by SMS Chee at JTC's Greening our Workplace @ Seletar Aerospace Park (GROW@SAP)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. A warm welcome to Seletar Aerospace Park. I am happy to see many friends and families, both from the companies located here and residents in the community, joining us today.
  
Seletar Aerospace Park exemplifies JTC’s efforts to create vibrant industrial estates of the future

2. Part of Singapore’s transformation journey includes opportunities to rejuvenate older industrial estates, and reimagine how they can be further integrated with the surrounding community. Apart from being work spaces, these estates can also meet the recreational needs of residents, with amenities and lifestyle options housed within the estates, to provide an attractive live-work-play environment.  

3. Seletar Aerospace Park (SAP) is one such example. It is a place with historical and economic significance for Singapore – this area was once a British airbase in the 1920s and marks the birthplace of Singapore’s aerospace industry. JTC’s efforts to rejuvenate SAP show that a place with rich heritage can continue to be preserved and at the same time, transformed into a vibrant industrial estate for leading aerospace companies that develop and adopt cutting-edge technologies for aircraft platforms. 

4. Against the backdrop of runways and aircraft hangars, thirty-two colonial bungalows were conserved by JTC for adaptive re-use and they now make up “The Oval” – a lifestyle venue that is unique to SAP. I am pleased to know that the eateries in some of these bungalows have become popular makan places for the working crowd and families in the vicinity. With JTC’s refurbishment of 13 additional bungalows, we will widen the range of amenities available and continue to grow SAP as a lifestyle destination.

5. SAP also features lush greenery that is well integrated with park connectors and cycling paths. JTC and NParks are in the midst of developing a new public park for recreation next to The Oval. Hampstead Wetlands Park will enhance Seletar’s greenery and character, cool the estate and reduce the Urban Heat Island Effect.    

6. Importantly, this remains a vibrant estate that embodies the potential of our future industrial spaces. Our aim is to shape these places through a combination of clever design and smart application of technology to enhance their liveability, attract talent, build vibrant communities and ensure that Singapore remains an attractive place for business and innovation. To paraphrase Sir Winston Churchill, we shape our industrial estates and then they shape us.  

The close-knitted community is making a difference at Seletar Aerospace Park

7. I am proud to see that Seletar Aerospace Park has created a collaborative environment for the aerospace industry. Earlier this year, the community came together to host 1,000 students for Aerospace Day, offering our young a preview of exciting career opportunities in this industry. Today, the community comes together again for a good cause. 

8. Greening our Workplace @ Seletar Aerospace Park, or “GROW@SAP” is the first community greening programme to be launched in an industrial estate in Singapore. Initiated by JTC in partnership with NParks, the Garden City Fund, and the aerospace industry association AAIS, GROW@SAP is a dedicated programme under our City in a Garden framework. 

9. GROW@SAP will cover greening efforts such as tree-planting, as well as the maintenance of the new Hampstead Wetlands Park. I am delighted to share that the community has raised over $100,000 for this programme within a short span of four months. We could not have achieved this result without your support. Your contributions signify the community’s collective commitment towards sustainability and towards enriching our environment here at Seletar. GROW@SAP will continue to remain open for contributions till June next year, and I hope you will encourage your friends and partners to contribute to this cause.

10. GROW@SAP is an example of the community efforts that JTC has been driving to promote sustainability practices in our industrial estates. But it is just the beginning. To take our efforts further, I am pleased to share that the Association of Aerospace Industries (Singapore) will be initiating a new programme in the coming year with a dedicated focus on sustainability. It will serve as a good platform for companies to exchange ideas, share best practices, and explore joint initiatives to achieve sustainability goals, such as improvements in energy efficiency. Companies that are keen to join this programme can approach our friends from AAIS who are here with us today.

11. The Lifestyle and Eco Carnival at The Oval also brings together social entrepreneurs and passionate individuals to raise awareness on environmental sustainability. I am glad that like-minded businesses and individuals like yourselves are stepping forward to work with us to create a more sustainable environment for our future generations. 

Conclusion

12. Let me conclude by once again thanking the aerospace companies and the Seletar community for coming together to work towards a sustainable future. May your dreams and aspirations soar high, like an aircraft flying in the sky. 

13. Thank you.