Clark Quay redevelopment set to draw bigger crowds next year
SINGAPORE : An $80 million redevelopment plan - that's what the owners of Clarke Quay are doing to bring the crowds back to the area.
Landlord CapitaLand wants to make it a "cool" place again.
Come September next year, the streets will be covered with huge transparent canopies.
A mechanical ventilation sytem will pass chilled air along the streets and address the perennial complain that it is simply too hot to visit Clarke Quay in the day.
Meantime, upgrading work has taken shape along the riverfront.
Huge structures, resembling lily pads have been built overhanging the Singapore River to give a new experience to al-fresco dining.
Mr Lachlan Gyde, Vice President of Retail Singapore at CapitaLand Retail, said: "We have done a lot of research, in excess of $300,000 worth of research.
"We feel that we know our target market very well. Our focused target market is 25-year-old plus, PMEBs, expats and of course the local market, and probably about 20 percent of our visitors will be tourists."
With activities like the daily circus performance during December, the property manager hopes to increase visitorship threefold to 750,000 people per month.
The aim is to surprise visitors with lots of little events, every day throughout the year.
And it appears these changes are going down well with tenants.
Ms Pauline Graham, Executive Director of Quayside Dining, said: "We are very positive and excited with the major renovations being done, we see everything being upgraded. We have been here two years with our Quayside Seafood, and now we have taken a second restaurant. So we are very positive and very happy to stay on as one of the tenants."
Mr David Lee, Owner of Fish Tales, said: "I personally felt that there was enough commitment to make it a success. So why not? I think it is great location and has great potential once people knows about it."
Mr Clark Martin, Director of The Tapas Tree, said: "We thought we could open up here, start an institution even though it is in its infancy of development, already we see a marked increase in foot traffic."
Looking ahead, there are plans to construct a new bridge across the Singapore River.
This is to make it more convenient for commuters to travel from the Clarke Quay MRT station to Clarke Quay.
However, this plan will only take place after the major redevelopments are completed in 2006.