More ‘Singapore sakura’, golden bells trees for Pasir Ris under new effort to plant up coastal town

SINGAPORE – As construction projects in Pasir Ris wrap up in the coming years, the coastal town is set to receive an injection of greenery into its streetscapes.

New trees and shrubs in palettes of pink, white, yellow and purple – such as the pink mempat, sometimes dubbed the ‘Singapore sakura’ – will be planted along several roads in the coming years.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah announced the new planting initiatives on Nov 15 during a community event, saying the move will help to weave greenery into Pasir Ris and its infrastructure while the town develops so that it remains a pleasant and liveable home.

The minister is also an MP for Pasir Ris-Changi GRC.

These roadside plantings are part of an effort by the National Parks Board (NParks) called nature ways, which are routes planted with specific trees and shrubs that replicate the natural tiered structure of forests.

The new nature ways in Pasir Ris are expected to span about 6.3km when completed, adding to the roughly 1.7km of such routes already in Pasir Ris. The plantings will be completed in phases.

Speaking at a tree-planting event in Pasir Ris East, Indranee noted that Pasir Ris has seen “quite a bit of construction” in recent years.

“As Pasir Ris continues to develop, we will need to plan carefully to meet our different needs… The nature ways will therefore be progressively established alongside the completion of various infrastructure developments in Pasir Ris,” she added.

Several developments in the neighbourhood, such as Pasir Ris Mall and the new Pasir Ris Bus Interchange, have been completed recently. Works on future housing and infrastructure projects like the Cross Island Line are still underway in the area.

Indranee added that the new nature ways will add more trees and plants into the town, link green spaces and cool streets.

These upcoming green streets are set to have distinctive hues with specific plants selected for each one.

Along Pasir Ris Drive 3, plants with pink flowers like the pink mempat – a locally endangered tree reminiscent of Japan’s sakura when in bloom – and the rose of India, as well as those with white flowers like frangipani and the white mussaenda will be planted, NParks said in a fact sheet.

This road is closer to the coast, and the landscape there will feature a pink and white coastal palette, NParks said.

Meanwhile, the Pasir Ris Drive 1 nature way will have plants with yellow flowers like golden bells and cat claw ivy, as well as those with purple flowers like the Mexican petunia. This road is located further inland, is adjacent to the Sungei Tampines, and has a more riverine theme, NParks added.

Plants along Pasir Ris Drive 12, which connects these two streets, will gradually transition from those with purple flowers near Paris Drive 1 to those with pink flowers towards Pasir Ris Drive 3, said NParks.

Besides flowering trees and shrubs, plants like giant milkweed and the spicate eugenia will be planted to attract birds like the ornate sunbird and butterflies like the plain tiger, added the agency.

New plants will also take root at selected entry points into Pasir Ris-Changi GRC near the Tampines Expressway exits. Indranee said plants here will have a white and silvery foliage as a nod to Pasir Ris’s name, which means white sands in Malay.

Plants with red, yellow and orange flowers on the Changi side are also being planned, she added.

Planting for the nature ways will start along Pasir Ris Drive 12 and Elias Road in Pasir Ris West, before extending progressively to the rest of the town, said Indranee.

She added that surrounding Housing Board estates and other developments will also be encouraged to adopt the nature ways’ planting palettes.

There are also efforts to get residents involved in the greening plans.

For example, a new Nature Kakis chapter for Pasir Ris West is in the works to run nature-related initiatives such as nature walks.

The Nature Kakis is a network of community groups across Singapore made up of grassroots leaders and volunteers. Each chapter organises activities in their respective towns to make native biodiversity more accessible to residents and encourage environmental conservation and stewardship among them.

In its factsheet, NParks said existing Nature Kakis are trained to facilitate community tree-planting events to support the OneMillionTrees movement.

This refers to an initiative launched in 2020 with the aim of restoring nature across the island by planting a million trees over 10 years.

Tan Kai En, a member of an existing Nature Kakis chapter for Pasir Ris Central, said the new chapter in Pasir Ris West is being set up in response to growing interest from residents there in community gardening.

The 39-year-old said he hopes the two chapters in Pasir Ris will collaborate to run townwide events and activities that bring residents closer to each other and to animals - “which are also their neighbours” - in the area.

A new rooftop community garden at the multi-storey carpark of Block 601A Elias Road is set to open in the first half of 2027 for residents to grow edible plants, NParks said.

Khairi Mohamed, 31, said he looks forward to the new nature ways as they will bring greenery even closer to his family, which includes his three-year-old son.

“I want my son to see how colourful nature can be even as we build and develop more in the town so that he knows the value of sustainability,” said the nurse, who has lived in Pasir Ris all his life.

Another resident who wanted to be known only as Woo, said he hopes the new greenery will provide more shade and bring more animals and insects to the neighbourhood.

The 55-year-old executive in the aviation industry said he was concerned that ongoing construction of upcoming BTO projects next to Pasir Ris Park has led to the loss of habitats for wildlife. He added that he has seen more animals like snakes and monkeys in urban areas since the works began, likely because they were displaced from their habitats.

Some residents and nature enthusiasts had in 2023 bemoaned the loss of forested areas bordering the park due to construction, and warned about its potential impact on wildlife like the rarely-sighted collared scops owls.

Woo said: “I think we need to strike a balance between development and protecting wildlife. I hope the plans for these greener roads help with that.”