Farrer Park's iconic football pitches, swimming complex and boxing gym have given birth to many a Singaporean sporting icons, from Fandi Ahmad and Majid Ariff in football, to Ang Peng Siong David Lim in swimming, Farrer Park had been the hotbed of Singapore's sports stars of yesteryear. For decades, Farrer Park is a Signapore icon where dreams of boys and girls are turned to tons of sweat and perserverence to make the grade as Singapore's sporting heroes.
But by 2020, the Farrer Park fields will be returned to the Government for residential development. The Minister for National Development has justified the demolition of the Farrer Park area saying “the facilities in the area were less frequently used as competitive sports venues.” Responding to a parliamentary question on if Farrer Park Field and the adjoining facilities will be preserved “as the area has a rich sports heritage and memorable sports milestones instead of re-purposing it into a residential development”, Minister Lawrence Wong explained in a written reply why it was not feasible.
Basically, the points he made was that Singapore have newer sports facilities like the Jalan Besar Stadium, Sports Hub and the many other stadiums around the island, that Farrer Park facilities are now less likely utilised. But the most important point is that The Farrer Park area is close to the city and the Little India MRT interchange, making it suitable for housing.
In short, Farrer Park is too huge a space to waste on sports when they can generate more income for the Singapore government. Once again, dollars and cents will triumph over history and heritage.
