New uses for vacant school sites as co-living space, sustainability hub and pre-school

A number of former school sites across the island, left vacant in recent years, have been returned to the community and reimagined for a variety of uses, from housing a pre-school to becoming co-living spaces.

- Elisha Tushara

In the past five years, 20 vacant school sites—12 of them from schools that merged—have been returned to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA).

SLA and the Ministry of Education (MOE) gave the update in response to queries on the number of vacant school compounds they manage, and whether more sites would be returned to SLA in the light of recent school mergers.

Of the 20 former school sites managed by SLA, nine have been handed over to public agencies to facilitate development plans in areas such as healthcare and housing.

About half of the 11 remaining sites have been adapted for reuse and for various community, education, and healthcare accommodation purposes, SLA said.

The remaining sites are undergoing review or being prepared for longer-term development plans.

Ms Carrie Wong, director of SLA's business planning and development division, said: "If there are no immediate plans for the land, SLA optimizes these state properties and land by putting them to meaningful economic or social and community uses for the interim period, in a way that is attuned to market needs."

One such site is the former Loyang Primary School, which was left vacant after the school merged with Casuarina Primary in 2019.

The site was divided into two parcels. One has been taken up by pre-school operator NTUC First Campus to house one of its two My First Skool large childcare centers, which can accommodate 1,100 children—with 990 slots for childcare and 110 for infant care.

At full capacity, the center, which started operations in May 2023, can have 175 educators and support staff.

Ms Thian Ai Ling, general manager of My First Skool, told The Straits Times that the overall design of the center was inspired by the history of Loyang and the area's past streams and rivers.