As per Tam Lam Soon from the BBC Far East Relay in Singapore.
Was talking with him last night, as I'm heading to SG next week. He was filling me in on what is happening next.
Antennas, cables and transmitters are being so to the highest bid scrap dealer.Everything must be cleared away with in the next 8 to 10 months.
Plans for the site include housing, shopping mall, R&D technology centre, and extension of the Kranji Golf Course.
The Singapore Air Force is also going to build an air traffic control tower for Lim Chu Kang Road, which also doubles as a runway.
Tam told me he has been checking out some DXER blogs and just laughed at some of the suggestions people had to to keep the relay. The funniest was someone suggesting the BBC just renew the lease. How do you renew the lease when the landlord no longer wants to rent.
He also told me something interesting. The least of the land, had no changed since it was last renewed in 1992. And in 1992 it was increased by less than 2% from the original lease signed between Lee Kwan Yew and the BBC in the late 60s.
Taiwan chip maker, who is going to lease one zone in Kranji is SGD1,600,000,000 (around £950,000,000 for a 20 year lease. This zone is smaller than the BBC complex. Do you think the BBC could ever afford at paying close to a billion pounds for rent?
Construction to redevelop the site is scheduled to start taking place around the middle of 2024.
(Keith Perron on Facebook/BDXC)
