No new lease for Keppel Club; other clubs get leases through to 2030 and 2040

February 16, 2014

Keppel Club will be the first private golf club in Singapore not to get its lease renewed when it runs out in 2021.

Keppel Club will be the first private golf club in Singapore not to get its lease renewed when it runs out in 2021.

The 44 hectares of land Keppel Club occupies is needed for housing development, said the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) on Sunday.

MinLaw said in a statement that seven other clubs, whose leases run out in less than a decade, will be offered lease extensions. The new leases will run through till 2030, 2035 or 2040.

These include Singapore Island Country Club (SICC), Tanah Merah Country Club and Sentosa Golf Club, among others.

In the case of SICC, it will be offered a new lease for three of its four 18-hole courses. The fourth one will be run as a public course when the lease of Marina Bay Golf Course expires in 2024.

Orchid Country Club, for example, will get its lease extended by seven years till 2030. Thereafter, it will not be offered a new lease as the 107ha site makes way for housing needs.

The announcement puts an end to months of speculation that started early last year when the Government indicated that some golf club land might be taken back for other uses.

In its statement, MinLaw noted that golfing is enjoyed by many Singaporeans and the presence of golfing facilities adds to the city’s attractiveness as a business hub.

“However, golfing and golf clubs are land intensive and there is a need to balance the competing demands for land,” it said.

“As a result, the amount of land used for golfing will have to be reduced over time and the sites reallocated for uses such as housing and public infrastructure.”

The two clubs that will be first hit by this announcement are Tanah Merah Country Club and the National Service Resort & Country Club (NSRCC) in Changi.

The Government will acquire 10ha of Tanah Merah’s Garden Course before the end of the year for Changi Airport’s expansion plans. This makes up six holes of the 18-hole course, three tennis courts and two storage sheds.

Lease extension for its Garden Course will be offered through to 2035, while that of its Tampines course will be allowed to run till 2040.

But NSRCC in Changi will lose one of it’s three nine-hole courses and its executive course, when its short term temporary occupation license runs out in August this year.

Its remaining two courses will be offered lease extensions through to 2040.

Reference

Annex 1 List of Golf Courses in Singapore

1. The leases of seven golf clubs will expire in the next 10 years. They will be offered new leases for some of their courses. The leases will be for differing periods which will end between 31 December 2030 and 31 December 2040. They are Changi Golf Club, National Service Resort and Country Club (Changi), Orchid Country Club, Seletar Country Club, Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore Island Country Club (SICC) and Tanah Merah Country Club.

2. One of SICC’s two 18-hole courses at the Bukit location will be reallocated as a public course. It will be managed by the labour movement for the general public and for the labour movement, when its lease expires on 31 December 2021.

3. Keppel Club’s lease will expire on 31 December 2021. No new lease will be offered as the land is needed for housing development.

Achieving balance between competing land use needs

4. Singapore has 17 golf courses (14 private and 3 public) on approximately 1,500 ha of land. The majority of these are located on 30-year leasehold land. The full list is at Annex 1 (0.18MB).

5. Golfing is an activity that is enjoyed by many Singaporeans, with many of them owning or aspiring to own memberships in golf clubs. In addition, the presence of golfing facilities adds to Singapore’s attractiveness as a business hub.

6. However, golfing and golf clubs are land intensive and there is a need to balance the competing demands for land. As a result, the amount of land used for golfing will have to be reduced over time, and the sites reallocated for uses such as housing and public infrastructure.

Golf course leases

7. Golf club leases are for a fixed term with an end date. This information has always been public and known to those who become golf club members. When the lease ends, the land reverts by law to the Government. This position applies for all State leases, whether the leases are for residential, commercial, industrial or other uses.

8. The Government is taking the step of letting the clubs, their members and the public know the status of expiring leases more than seven years in advance.
9. Keppel Club’s lease will expire on 31 Dec 2021. The land is needed to redevelop the site for housing. This plan was announced in 2001 in URA’s Concept Plan. To support the club’s continuity, if the club is keen, it will be offered an alternative site to operate as a social club. Discussions are on-going as to the possible location. The operator of the new public course (see paragraph below) will be encouraged to discuss the possibility of offering some arrangement to Keppel Club members. This depends, of course, on all the parties being able to agree on terms.
10. SICC will be offered a new lease at the Island location until 2040. SICC will also be offered a new lease for one of the two 18-hole courses at the Bukit location, until 2030. The other 18-hole course at Bukit will be run as a public course upon lease expiry on 31 December 2021, to be operated by the labour movement for the benefit of the general public and the labour movement. This will ensure continued public access to golfing facilities when the Marina Bay Golf Course is phased out for redevelopment. However, in order to secure the extension for the 18-hole course at Bukit, SICC will have to work with the labour movement and conclude an agreement by the end of February 2015 on how the courses can be reconfigured, and the necessary arrangements for the sharing of facilities.
11. Tanah Merah Country Club and National Service Resort and Country Club (Changi) will also be offered new leases. However, their courses will become smaller as parts of the sites will be affected by Changi Airport’s expansion plans, the details of which will be announced separately.