SINGAPORE – Youth hangout *Scape will be progressively ready for public use by the end of 2025, said the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) on Feb 8.

The building, located in Orchard Link, has been closed for physical upgrading since February 2023, as part of a masterplan to revitalise the Somerset Belt.

Some new features will include more spaces for youth entrepreneurs as well as digital and physical spaces for content creators.

Upgraded community dance spaces on levels four and five of *Scape are already open for use, while the other spaces within the building are still undergoing renovation.

MCCY said in a release on Feb 8 that the physical redevelopment of the rest of the Somerset Belt will kick off by the first half of 2026 and be completed by end-2027. Its statement came in conjunction with the first of a series of workshops in a youth engagement campaign held on the same day.

*Scape declined to share more details on the planned upgrades for the building.

The redevelopment of Somerset Belt spans multiple sites in Somerset Road, Exeter Road and Devonshire Road, covering over 8,714 sq m of space.

This is where the stretch between the Youth Park and Somerset Skate Park lies, and features the graffiti wall and an elevated stage for performances at the Youth Park as well as the area between Somerset Skate Park and the 111 Somerset mall.

Thirty youth volunteers will be involved in a series of three workshops, during which they will propose ideas to include or remove from the masterplan. They will also be asked to give more specific directions on site layouts, and suggest activities to be held along Somerset Belt.

They will work directly with architects, planners, *Scape, and government agencies on the detailed design of the rest of the Somerset precinct, taking on the roles as co-designers.

This first workshop was a two-day overnight camp held at *Scape from Feb 8 to 9, where participants brainstormed about how to make the Somerset Belt more meaningful for youth.

They toured the area at night to g...