Remaining outlets at East Coast Park enclave shut their doors for good
By Jessica Lim 19 March 2012
Business owner Bill Rigden turned up yesterday for a last bite at McDonald’s in Marine Cove, a place he had patronised since 1989.
The outlet was among the last of the 32 tenants of the East Coast Park enclave that greeted their final customers yesterday.
The 2ha place was known for its food, retail and recreation options, and will be redeveloped by the National Parks Board (NParks).
‘It’s a shame. There’s no other place quite like this,’ said Mr. Rigden, 61, referring to the sun, sea and sand vibes.
By last Wednesday, four tenants had moved out but most stayed till last Friday.
A handful - including the Beach Hut, McDonald’s, Scruffy Murphy’s and Subway outlets - stayed open till yesterday.
McDonald’s marked its last day after 30 years with a walkathon from Marine Cove to the nearby East Coast Seafood Centre, where it has opened an outlet.
About 500 patrons and staff took part.
Crew leader Karen Lee, 55, who started work at the Marine Cove branch nearly 18 years ago, has served young patrons who are now parents with children.
The many requests to take pictures with her yesterday made the occasion bittersweet for Ms Lee, who moves on to work at another outlet in Changi Airport.
NParks has yet to disclose its redevelopment plans for that stretch of East Coast Park, but has said that it wants to free up space for parks and enhance beach access.
It has also announced that it will cater to visitors’ dining and recreational needs.
The plans are in line with the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Master Plan 2008, which has earmarked East Coast Park for enhancement into a regional attraction with more facilities.
NParks general manager for parks Chia Seng Jiang said plans for Marine Cove are being finalised. ‘We will share them when ready,’ he added, noting the new outlets at the site will be leased via open tender.
The emptying out of Marine Cove has been a long time coming.
The leases were originally set to expire in March 2010, when the area was under former landlord Rock Productions. It managed to get a one-year extension till March last year, when the space was handed over to NParks for management. The tenants were told to move out by then, but were given two six-month extensions.
Mr. Amas Tan, owner of the 25,000 sq ft Marine Bowl, has mixed feelings about leaving. Business started to falter about six months ago when customers got wind of Marine Cove’s redevelopment, but he still had to foot the $35,000 monthly rent.
‘My customers stopped coming and the place was also run-down. I’m happy to cut my losses, honestly,’ he said, adding that he lost $150,000 in the past six months. ‘But I love this place. The bowling centre has been here for 25 years.’
Mr. Tan, 55, who has let his 12 employees go, added: ‘We asked the authorities to give us priority to come back here and they said no.’ He will not be opening another bowling centre as he was not able to find a good location at an affordable rent.
Mr. Sebastian See, 27, who started out manning a pushcart selling fruits at Marine Cove six years ago, is ‘very sad’.
The graduate from ITE College West’s Balestier campus went on to expand his business to 18 pushcarts over the years, selling items such as beachwear and snacks. ‘I have to start all over again,’ he said, adding that he still has hopes of returning after the area is revamped.
‘We tried to find a new place but it’s expensive. The only places available are small booths in shopping centres,’ said Mr. See, who will continue writing to NParks and MPs in a bid to get a priority spot.
Others have moved on. Mr. Dexter Low, 45, owner of Taroda Racing Engineering, which operated a racing track for remote-controlled cars and a related store, has a new outlet in Ubi. ‘We really had a very good set-up here,’ he said. ‘We used to have hundreds of people standing around...just watching the cars whizz by.’
He added: ‘We are sad to leave this place, but we have to. There is nothing we can say or do to stop this.’
The owner of Kebab Station, Mr. Rehim Ersoyleyen, 35, who moved out on March 11, has opened a restaurant at the Changi Business Park. ‘So far, business has been good. We have a contract there for five years. It gives us more certainty,’ he said.
Residents said they will miss Marine Cove. Student Angela Tan, 18, who lives in a condominium across the road from East Coast Park, said: ‘For us, it’s a place to meet, eat and rest after a day at the beach. I have so many memories. To me, it’s almost as important as the beach itself.’
3 comments:
Marine Cove tenants say final goodbyes
Remaining outlets at East Coast Park enclave shut their doors for good
By Jessica Lim
19 March 2012
Business owner Bill Rigden turned up yesterday for a last bite at McDonald’s in Marine Cove, a place he had patronised since 1989.
The outlet was among the last of the 32 tenants of the East Coast Park enclave that greeted their final customers yesterday.
The 2ha place was known for its food, retail and recreation options, and will be redeveloped by the National Parks Board (NParks).
‘It’s a shame. There’s no other place quite like this,’ said Mr. Rigden, 61, referring to the sun, sea and sand vibes.
By last Wednesday, four tenants had moved out but most stayed till last Friday.
A handful - including the Beach Hut, McDonald’s, Scruffy Murphy’s and Subway outlets - stayed open till yesterday.
McDonald’s marked its last day after 30 years with a walkathon from Marine Cove to the nearby East Coast Seafood Centre, where it has opened an outlet.
About 500 patrons and staff took part.
Crew leader Karen Lee, 55, who started work at the Marine Cove branch nearly 18 years ago, has served young patrons who are now parents with children.
The many requests to take pictures with her yesterday made the occasion bittersweet for Ms Lee, who moves on to work at another outlet in Changi Airport.
NParks has yet to disclose its redevelopment plans for that stretch of East Coast Park, but has said that it wants to free up space for parks and enhance beach access.
It has also announced that it will cater to visitors’ dining and recreational needs.
The plans are in line with the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Master Plan 2008, which has earmarked East Coast Park for enhancement into a regional attraction with more facilities.
NParks general manager for parks Chia Seng Jiang said plans for Marine Cove are being finalised. ‘We will share them when ready,’ he added, noting the new outlets at the site will be leased via open tender.
The emptying out of Marine Cove has been a long time coming.
The leases were originally set to expire in March 2010, when the area was under former landlord Rock Productions. It managed to get a one-year extension till March last year, when the space was handed over to NParks for management. The tenants were told to move out by then, but were given two six-month extensions.
Mr. Amas Tan, owner of the 25,000 sq ft Marine Bowl, has mixed feelings about leaving. Business started to falter about six months ago when customers got wind of Marine Cove’s redevelopment, but he still had to foot the $35,000 monthly rent.
‘My customers stopped coming and the place was also run-down. I’m happy to cut my losses, honestly,’ he said, adding that he lost $150,000 in the past six months. ‘But I love this place. The bowling centre has been here for 25 years.’
Mr. Tan, 55, who has let his 12 employees go, added: ‘We asked the authorities to give us priority to come back here and they said no.’ He will not be opening another bowling centre as he was not able to find a good location at an affordable rent.
Mr. Sebastian See, 27, who started out manning a pushcart selling fruits at Marine Cove six years ago, is ‘very sad’.
The graduate from ITE College West’s Balestier campus went on to expand his business to 18 pushcarts over the years, selling items such as beachwear and snacks. ‘I have to start all over again,’ he said, adding that he still has hopes of returning after the area is revamped.
‘We tried to find a new place but it’s expensive. The only places available are small booths in shopping centres,’ said Mr. See, who will continue writing to NParks and MPs in a bid to get a priority spot.
Others have moved on. Mr. Dexter Low, 45, owner of Taroda Racing Engineering, which operated a racing track for remote-controlled cars and a related store, has a new outlet in Ubi. ‘We really had a very good set-up here,’ he said. ‘We used to have hundreds of people standing around...just watching the cars whizz by.’
He added: ‘We are sad to leave this place, but we have to. There is nothing we can say or do to stop this.’
The owner of Kebab Station, Mr. Rehim Ersoyleyen, 35, who moved out on March 11, has opened a restaurant at the Changi Business Park. ‘So far, business has been good. We have a contract there for five years. It gives us more certainty,’ he said.
Residents said they will miss Marine Cove. Student Angela Tan, 18, who lives in a condominium across the road from East Coast Park, said: ‘For us, it’s a place to meet, eat and rest after a day at the beach. I have so many memories. To me, it’s almost as important as the beach itself.’
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