Southern Islands home to third IR?

Smaller, more luxurious resort will feature F&B, spa, health and beauty facilities

By Arthur Sim

(SINGAPORE) The Southern Islands may play home to Singapore's third integrated resort, but sources say it will be on a smaller and more luxurious scale than either of the two resorts announced last year.

Total gross floor area for all development on the Southern Islands is not expected to exceed 230,000 square metres. This is smaller than the 570,000 sq m Marina Bay Sands and the 343,000 sq m Resorts World at Sentosa.

Most of the development will likely be on 30 ha of reclaimed land at Lazarus, Renget and Kias Islands. The total development site, comprising all seven Southern Islands, adds up to 115.6 ha - almost a quarter the size of Sentosa Island.

The Southern Islands will be a low-rise, low intensity resort with buildings not more than four-storeys high. A casino component has not been ruled out, but the resort may not have the critical mass to support this. There is also a 10-year moratorium on casino licences following the two awarded for Marina Bay and Sentosa. More likely attractions will be food and beverage, spa, health and beauty facilities.

The resort will be accessed by sea. International arrivals by private yacht will have to be processed through Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ), expected to be at One Degree 15 Marina Club at Sentosa. Arrivals by helicopter are being considered.

Parts of the islands will remain open and accessible to the public, but the resort will mostly cater to a niche group of high net worth visitors - what the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) calls the 'premium plus customer segment' who seek 'total privacy'.

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