STB to revamp Orchard Road with Instagrammable spots and wayfinding features

Visitors will soon be able to better discover where to shop, dine and play in Orchard Road with the addition of wayfinding features by The Singapore Tourism Board (STB), according to minister of state for trade and industry Alvin Tan who was speaking at STB’s Tourism Industry Conference last week. These wayfinding features will include “identity markers” that will demarcate different parts of Orchard as well as creative street furniture and Instagrammable spots along the shopping stretch for visitors to sit and enjoy.

These wayfinding markers could likely be combined with digital tools so that shoppers can receive relevant information through their phones via an app to guide them to places of interest, said STB's deputy chief executive Yap Chin Siang, according to The Straits Times. 

STB will call for proposals for these wayfinding solutions later in 2023.

In addition to the new wayfinding features, Tan added that Istana Park will also be redesigned to link up with Dhoby Ghaut Green and Penang Road Open Space to create a larger green space with a new nature playgarden on Orchard Road. Titled ‘Bring-ing Back the Orchard’, the plan is to transform Orchard Road into a lush green corridor, said Tan who noted that the project is expected to be completed in 2025. 

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According to Tan, there will also be other new and exciting offerings along Orchard Road, including the launch of Trifecta, a new sports-themed attraction at the Somerset Belt later this year. The attraction will be developed using the former Grange Road carpark and will see a new 3,000-person events venue by Lendlease and Live Nation launching in Q4 2024. 

Plans are also underway to unveil new and refurbished hotels like Pan Pacific Orchard and Grand Hyatt Singapore.

In the mid- to long-term, there will be more public-private collaboration to spruce up and inject new vibrancy into Orchard Road, according to Tan.

Tan said that private sector-led initiatives include:

• The Orchard Road Business Association (ORBA) which will be leading a feasibility study to develop a sustainability roadmap to reposition Orchard Road as a sustainable lifestyle precinct. It will align this roadmap with existing sector-specific sustainability roadmaps that many Orchard Road businesses today have already established within their sectors.
• Cathay will begin to find new tenants for Cineleisure Orchard. Once completed, a refreshed tenancy mix focusing on local brands will be featured. This is expected to be completed in Q3 2023.
• Temasek Shophouse will be expanded to cater to the growing community of changemakers in Singapore. This row of heritage buildings will be integrated into a large, contiguous space, for more activities around social and environmental causes.

This comes after STB, Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and National Parks Board (NParks) announced its plans in 2019 to strengthen Orchard Road’s position as a “must-visit lifestyle destination”. The plan at the time stated that it will have two main thrusts, which is to make Orchard Road ‘The Lifestyle Destination’ and to 'Bring Back the Orchard'.

As a lifestyle destination, Orchard Road will offer differentiated experiences to bring out the unique identity of each sub-precinct - Tanglin, Orchard, Somerset and Dhoby Ghaut.

Orchard will remain as the "retail heart" of Singapore with more street activities and better pedestrian connectivity implemented. Beginning April 2019, the Orchard Road Business Association began a year-long trial to bring activities such as retail and food and beverage pop-ups and arts and entertainment events to pedestrian walkways along the street.

Meanwhile, STB, URA and NParks will strengthen Somerset's position as a youth hub with new lifestyle options, while Dhoby Ghaut will be envisaged as family-friendly lifestyle zone, with outdoor play areas and event venues, it said in 2019. 

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