NParks opens Coastal PlayGrove, a family-friendly destination with new play areas at East Coast Park

- 4.5-ha Coastal PlayGrove offers diversity in play with tallest outdoor play feature, outdoor classroom by the sea, nature playgarden, and water play area

- New nature trail along East Coast Park with more therapeutic gardens and nature playgardens to be created over the next ten years

Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong today opened the 4.5-hectare Coastal PlayGrove at East Coast Park, with the tallest outdoor play feature at 16 metres and first outdoor classroom by the sea. The National Parks Board (NParks) also announced plans for a new nature trail along East Coast Park that will connect existing and upcoming therapeutic gardens, nature playgardens and forest patches. This is part of efforts to intensify nature in our parks and bring forth the health and well-being benefits of nature to Singaporeans in our City in Nature. Coastal PlayGrove and the upcoming nature trail will offer more diverse recreational opportunities at East Coast Park, ranging from active play to tranquil nature-based interactions for families and the general public. This will help to redistribute crowds across Singapore’s largest park.

The opening of Coastal PlayGrove marks the completion of the rejuvenation of East Coast Park, creating more open spaces and unobstructed vistas of the sea, improving accessibility and enhancing amenities.

Coastal PlayGrove – latest family-friendly destination at East Coast Park

The former Big Splash site used to house a waterpark with vibrantly coloured slides and other recreational and dining options. Closed for redevelopment in 2017, the newly opened Coastal PlayGrove seeks to preserve this dynamic atmosphere using shapes and colours reminiscent of its previous landscape, while also featuring new play areas with different concepts. Open lawns complement the beach setting and the sense of openness associated with East Coast Park.

The main play structure of the newly revamped Coastal PlayGrove is nestled within a reconstruct of the former iconic Big Splash tower. Standing at 16 metres high, the Play Tower is the tallest outdoor play feature in Singapore, featuring a vertical net play, the Vertical Challenge, and slides. The design concept of the Vertical Challenge revolves around the theme of waves and shores, in line with the waterpark and coastal heritage of East Coast Park. Reminiscent of its history, the new Vertical Challenge is designed in the same vibrant colours of the previous water slides. Coastal PlayGrove also retains its waterpark theme with an inclusive water play area that features a wading pool and jets of water with illumination at night in various colours.

Interwoven into the landscape is a nature playgarden with several themed sections that encourage children to interact and play in nature. Next to the nature playgarden is NParks’ first outdoor classroom by the sea. Designed for pre-schoolers, it is equipped with a chalkboard, surrounded by edible plant species and strategically located for a closer view of the sea. This feature offers preschools more programming options.

Enhanced with large open green spaces and play areas, Coastal PlayGrove provides an unobstructed view of the coast. This strengthens the coastal character of the park, complemented by distinct coastal and riverine planting that help to provide shade and to add vibrancy to the landscape through colours.

Coastal PlayGrove also features new recreational and dining options for park visitors. These include Once Upon a Time by The Tiara Society, Food Splash, Oldtown White Coffee and Burger King.

New Nature Trail along East Coast Park

NParks plans to create a nature trail of approximately 15km over the next ten years that will run through the entire length of East Coast Park, from Gardens by the Bay East towards Changi, linking up therapeutic gardens, nature playgardens and forest patches. This includes new therapeutic gardens that will be created in Areas D and F, new nature playgardens in Areas E and F to complement those at Coastal PlayGrove, Cyclist Park and Raintree Cove, and new trails in various forest patches in East Coast Park. The trail will bring people closer to nature for a more tranquil, nature-based experience within East Coast Park.

OneMillionTrees movement

Mr Goh Chok Tong, Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM), together with Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for National Development and Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration and Mr Lim Biow Chuan, Adviser to Mountbatten SMC, opened Coastal PlayGrove this morning with the planting of a Bayu tree (Pterospermum diversifolium) in the nature playgarden at Coastal PlayGrove. This is part of the more than 1,200 trees planted at East Coast Park under the OneMillionTrees movement.

ESM Goh said, “Coastal PlayGrove is developed on the former Big Splash site, which is a special place for many Singaporeans. I am excited at the opening of the reimagined Coastal PlayGrove today, where residents of all ages can gather and create more fond memories together. I thank NParks and the community for rejuvenating East Coast Park and making it a truly unique and iconic national treasure.”

Minister Lee said, “The opening of Coastal PlayGrove marks the completion of redevelopment works for the East Coast Park. We embarked on our efforts to redevelop our largest and most popular park, to provide Singaporeans with a diverse range of recreational opportunities. I am happy to see that Singaporeans are enjoying many of the other redeveloped nodes like Raintree Cove and Cyclist Park. The nature trail that we plan to create will provide a lush and natural connection between these areas, and will add another recreational route to the recently announced ones that we are creating across our island, such as the 18-km Eastern Corridor which will run from East Coast to Pasir Ris. This will provide Singaporeans with more opportunities to enjoy nature and the outdoors, and help make Singapore more green, liveable and sustainable, as part of our vision of a City in Nature.”

As Singapore’s largest and most popular park with 7.5 million visits annually, East Coast Park is known for its distinct coastal identity that has endeared it to generations of users. With the completion of Coastal PlayGrove, East Coast Park offers a diverse range of recreational opportunities to cater to the different needs of users. This includes family-friendly nodes and gathering spaces such as Marine Cove, Parkland Green and Coastal PlayGrove, high activity zones such as Cyclist Park as well as more tranquil zones such as Raintree Cove. The upcoming nature trail will further contribute to the diverse offerings within the park.

NParks will put in place strict safe management measures at Coastal PlayGrove including restriction of access when the safe management capacity of the premise is reached. We seek the public’s understanding and encourage them to visit Coastal PlayGrove on weekdays or during off-peak hours to avoid disappointment. The Vertical Challenge and water play area are opened from 8am to 8pm from Tuesdays to Sundays. Visitors should observe safe distancing, and keep to group sizes of eight people and below when visiting the park. Visitors are advised to be considerate of other members of the public and observe the advisories placed on site.

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