The mall which is about 200m away from Jurong East MRT Station, opened in 2012 after a major refurbishment and long-time Westsiders will remember it used to be known as Jurong Entertainment Centre with an ice skating rink. Since inception in 1993, the mall had been lacking in footfall and now with stiffer competition from JEM, Westgate, IMM and even JurongPoint, JCube is not able to achieve the same level of traffic the other malls have.
With a proposed amendment to the URA’s masterplan, published by the agency on July 22, it was stated that JCube’s 7,771 sqm plot may be changed from commercial use to a primarily residential development that has commercial spaces on the first storey. If approved, CapitaLand Development – which acquired the mall from CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust in the first quarter of this year – may build a property with more floor space than JCube at a plot ratio of 4.2, up from the current 3.0.
As the Jurong Lake District takes shape, the main transportation node and commercial hub is in Jurong Gateway will attract businesses and in tandem drive employment in the area. With J Gateway as the sole private residential development, this is a good opportunity to reposition the site to accommodate a second residential development in Jurong East. The plot ratio has also been intensified to maximise the use of the land and we should see CapitaLand make an announcement in the near future for the redevelopment plans.