Should Golden Mile Tower’s iconic cinema block be preserved, the authorities of the development have granted the owners on Beach Road more gross floor space.

The proposal by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) came during a continuing collective selling campaign for the strata-titled structure, an 18-story office tower above a six-story retail and parking podium hosting the cinema block.

This most recent decision by the URA captures how the agency has operated lately to safeguard important strata-titled buildings like Golden Mile Complex.

Beside Golden Mile Tower, the construction was kept in October 2021 thanks to incentives for redevelopment with more gross floor area available.

According to Ms Anna Tan, at Tag Realty, if cinema block remain, the owners of Golden Mile Tower have approval to reconstruct the complex into a 48,871.2 sq m development. This results in a 25% rise beyond the property’s current gross floor area, 38,553.72 sq m.

She said the approval from URA, gained on December 23, has led in an extension of the collective selling exercise to Feb 12. It commenced in August 2024 and was supposed to end on December 31.

With a reserve price of $556 million in April 2023, this third collective selling initiative falls below the $650 million reserve price in November 2022.

Along with their agents and authorised service providers, I would also wish to acquire SPH Media Limited, related businesses and affiliates of SPH Media Group. business and campaigns.

Hoping that an approved application would demonstrate potential buyers the redevelopment possibilities of the property, the Golden Mile Tower collective selling committee applied to the URA for the complex to be rebuilt as a 46,253 sq m mixed-use development on Aug 7, 2024.

The URA turned down the project, which included a five-storey retail platform, a 32-storey office and hotel tower, and a 35-storey office and residential tower, on December 23; the agency then presented a counter-proposal to the committee with two alternatives.

Create a 48,871.2 sq m construction with a maximum height of 164m or totally rebuild Golden Mile Tower, with a gross floor area to be capped at the complex’s present 38,553.72 sq m, if at least the current cinema block is maintained.

Whether or not the cinema block is kept intact, the construction replacing Golden Mile Tower might find use in business, hotel, and residential sectors.

When questioned why URA provided incentives given the movie block is under protection, an agency spokesperson said Golden Mile Tower is “a landmark which reflects the transformation of Beach Road over the years”.

The spokesman said, not stating the possible conditions that might be imposed on the cinema block should it be preserved, “while redevelopment of the site can be considered, keeping the cinema block, with its iconic facade that face Beach Road would allow it to continue to be a familiar icon, reflecting on the identity and history of the Beach Road area.”

Among the earliest results of independent Singapore’s efforts to revive its city core—regions the authorities in the 1960s declared to be “slum-ridden”—along with Golden Mile Complex, which was conserved in October 21

The two projects along the “Golden Mile,” described in the 1965 annual report of the Housing Board as a sequence of “towering flats, office blocks and commercial development facing overlooking Singapore harbour.”

Built by Chong Gay Theatres, who had earlier established Kallang Theatre, Golden Mile Tower housed Golden Theatre. Among the largest theatres in Singapore when it originally opened in 1973, Golden Theatre placed Chong Gay alongside to such entertainment behemoths like Shaw and Cathay.

Docomomo Singapore Mr. Ho Weng Hin, of Docomomo Singapore, said the URA’s decision to nudge developers towards conserving the most socially significant space of Golden Mile Tower priorities the retention of the feature valued by the public, so providing a good balance between increasing development on the site and preserving a space of great significance.

He pointed out that Beach Road’s strong tradition in superb theatre and entertainment included Golden theatre.

Alhambra and Marlborough, two earlier films Shaw Towers replaced there, were dismantled and rebuilt with Prince and Jade theatres housed within in the late 1970s.

Associate director Mr Edwin Loo of real estate consulting Cistri said the team behind The Projector, which opened at Golden Mile Tower in 2014, has been among the most successful in “demonstrating to the wider public that previously neglected post-war modern development has its charm as well where modern meet heiitage.”

Mr Loo said, “it would not be hyperbole to say that the success of The Projector as an anchor tenant of Golden Mile Tower has greatly raised awareness of Singapore’s modern architectural legacy among the wider public in recent years.”

Mr Loo said there is no guarantee if the extra gross floor area would be sufficient to tip the scales in favour of preserving the movie complex.

He included the expectations of the subsidiary owners of Golden Mile Tower as well as the assessment of renovation and adaptive reuse costs by the potential developers would define conservation.

“The subsidiary owners need to understand that given the risks and costs of redevelopment, an incentive does not automatically result in windfall gains,” Mr Loo added.

“They will have to be realistic if they wish to reach a good result at a cost that guarantees redevelopment stays financially reasonable.”

Correspondent Ng Keng Gene of The Straits Times covers land use, urban development, and issues connected to heritage.