Former Middleton Hospital earmarked for lifestyle hub use

Straits Times

28-05-2025

The former Communicable Disease Centre as viewed from 23 Akyab Road on Oct 10, 2024. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Former Communicable Disease Centre in Moulmein Road put up for use as lifestyle hub
SINGAPORE – Once a place for the treatment of patients with infectious diseases such as smallpox, tuberculosis and Aids, the former Middleton Hospital and Communicable Disease Centre could soon house pickleball courts, cafes and art galleries.
A tender for the 91,541.27 sq m site in Moulmein Road to be used as a lifestyle hub on a short-term tenancy was launched on May 28 by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA).
Approved uses for the site include office spaces, serviced apartments, spa and wellness facilities and urban farming plots, among others. It is currently zoned for residential use.
Of the site's 44 buildings, 23 have been safeguarded for potential conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), and will be subject to addition and alteration guidelines from the authority. This is to ensure the retention of their character and key architectural elements and features.
The other 21 buildings cannot be demolished, but will not be subjected to the addition and alteration guidelines.
SLA said that the site 'served as a pivotal institution in Singapore's healthcare history for over a century'. It was established in 1913 as an infectious diseases hospital and named the Middleton Hospital in 1920 after Dr William Robert Colvin Middleton, a public health advocate.
Of the 12,978.88 sq m of gross floor area across the site's buildings, a maximum of 3,893.66 sq m – or about 30 per cent – can be used for retail or food and beverage purposes, or both.
F&B uses, including outdoor refreshment areas, can form no more than half of the allotted 3,893.66 sq m.
The SLA said in a press release that it envisions 2 Moulmein Road to be 'a dynamic lifestyle hub with offerings that will cater to families and multi-generation communities'.
The successful tenderer will be awarded a tenancy of five years , with the option of a four-year extension, subject to the Government's approval.
Based on the URA's Master Plan 2019 – a statutory document that guides developments for the next 10 to 15 years – the site is currently zoned for residential use, subject to detailed planning.
When vacant state properties are not earmarked for immediate development, SLA, as the custodian of state land, can put them up for rent in the interim period.
Other state properties that have been converted for lifestyle use recently include the former Nan Chiau High School in River Valley, now New Bahru ; and the former St Andrew's Mission Hospital near Maxwell Road, now Kada .
Block 807, the former hospital's mortuary, is one of 23 buildings being considered for conservation.
PHOTO: ST FILE
The former Bukit Timah Fire Station is also being turned into a lifestyle hub.
Dr Yeo Kang Shua, vice-president of the International Council on Monuments and Sites Singapore, welcomed the announcement that 23 buildings have been earmarked for potential conservation, as future works will likely be guided by the relevant authorities to avoid adverse impact on the buildings' heritage value.
'This gives the tender more transparency and helps to moderate the expectations of potential bidders,' he said.
'Realistically, some works will be needed to make the site suitable for new programmes and functions, and the question is how intervention much is too much and how little is too little – a right balance needs to be found,' Dr Yeo added.
He said the hospital's lush and spacious layout is notable, as it gave patients fresh air and daylight – elements associated with health and hygiene, even today.
Block 804, the administration block of the former Middleton Hospital, is among those being considered for conservation.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
The concept of such a cultural landscape should be retained on the site, said Dr Yeo.
Ms Tricia Song, head of research for Singapore and South-east Asia at CBRE, said that the addition and alteration guidelines by URA for the 23 buildings are unlikely to affect demand for the site, as the short tenure does not justify heavy capital expenditure and redevelopment.
However, Dr Chua Yang Liang, JLL's head of research and consultancy for South-east Asia, said the conservation-related requirements are a dual-edged sword for developers – they add complexity, costs and constraints to development plans, but also offer unique character and heritage value that can become distinctive selling points.
Ms Song said that the site is relatively well-located – within reasonable walking distance from Novena MRT station and flanked by Novena Health City and Balestier Road, which provide a business and residential catchment.
If the future hub is well-planned with ample and cheap or free parking, the location is attractive for fitness, spa and wellness and sports facilities such as pickleball courts, which she said are lacking in the area.
The former hospital was home to some of Singapore's last Nightingale wards, which featured no subdivisions and were designed to be airy.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Ms Catherine He, head of research at Colliers Singapore, similarly said that recreational uses would be suitable for the site, as these have relatively lower fit-out costs and are in line with the site's medical legacy.
'The area is already well-served by a number of hotels, retail and offices and hence these uses are unlikely to be duplicated,' she said.
Dr Chua added that pre- or postnatal care centres and spa and wellness facilities could generate strong demand by complementing the existing healthcare ecosystem in the area.
He said that a critical consideration for potential bidders will be the traffic implications, as the Novena area 'already experiences considerable traffic congestion, which could pose a significant operational challenge for certain uses'.
Century-long healthcare association
In its 2020 book Uncommon Ground, SLA said that Middleton Hospital had its roots in a smallpox hospital and quarantine facility that began in the 1870s, and was set up at Balestier Plain.
Plans to replace this facility were drawn up by the British Municipal Commission in 1905, with the infectious diseases hospital eventually opening at the 2 Moulmein Road site in June 1913.
The former Middleton Hospital's iconic gatehouse, which was demolished in 1982 for road widening works.
PHOTO: ST FILE
In 1985, the hospital came under Tan Tock Seng Hospital as its Department of Communicable Diseases, later renamed Communicable Disease Centre.
It played a role in the fight against various infectious diseases – such as the Sars outbreak in 2003 – until December 2018, when it was decommissioned and replaced by the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, located at Jalan Tan Tock Seng.
SLA said that the site supported Covid-19 operations until it was returned to the state in 2023.
Heritage author and blogger Jerome Lim, who edited SLA's book, said he hopes that besides the 23 buildings in the former hospital that have been earmarked for potential conservation, lesser-known aspects like its drainage system will also be retained.
He said the drains were 'built by the municipality with beautiful brickwork and used to be lined with ceramic', a feature that is rare in Singapore.
The former Middleton Hospital, pictured in 2009, was from 1992 to 2018 the Communicable Disease Centre.
PHOTO: LIANHE WANBAO
Mr Lim added that there is also evidence that a double-drain system was originally installed at the hospital, which separated contaminated discharge from the wards from the public drainage system, thus preventing the spread of diseases.
He said that the site also has some portions of the hospital's original fence, which have sharp tips that were meant to prevent quarantined patients from escaping.
Retaining such features would allow future visitors to better appreciate how the hospital was designed, he said.
SLA's tender closes on Aug 6, and is slated to be awarded on Nov 30.
Ng Keng Gene is a correspondent at The Straits Times, reporting on issues relating to land use, urban planning and heritage.
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