SINGAPORE: The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) gazetted the acquisition of two land parcels on Wednesday (Jun 4) for the redevelopment and expansion of Woodlands Checkpoint.
The land parcels are currently owned by the Malaysian government.
In a joint press release, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and SLA said that they will work closely with the Malaysian government through the acquisition process.
“We will continue our strong partnership with the Malaysian government to strengthen connectivity and people-to-people links,” the Singapore authorities said.
The two land parcels have a total area of 0.79ha, slightly larger than a football field. They are vegetated and unused and are located near the middle of the planned redevelopment area.
The acquisition of land is part of ICA’s plan on redeveloping and extending Woodlands Checkpoint in phases over the next 10 to 15 years to “provide a long-term solution to the chronic congestion at this land crossing”, said the joint press release.
In 2024, the daily volume of travellers at Woodlands Checkpoint rose by 22 per cent, increasing to 327,000 from 269,000 in 2023.
During the year-end school holidays in 2024, a record 376,000 travellers passed through the checkpoint on Dec 20 2024.
By 2050, the average daily number of travellers at Woodlands Checkpoint is projected to reach 400,000.
In 2024, ICA said that Singapore had written to Malaysia in May 2022 and in November 2023 to propose the purchase of the land.
