FCT to Turn Causeway Point’s Former Cinema Space Into a 32,000 Sq Ft Reading Hub in Mall Revamp

The reading hub will occupy parts of the mall’s sixth and seventh floors, taking over space previously occupied by Cathay Cineplexes, which exited in 2025 after its parent company mm2 Asia entered creditors’ voluntary liquidation. It is being developed under the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Community/Sports Facilities Scheme, with NLB paying a service charge to cover operating costs. FCT and NLB signed a memorandum of understanding on 20 October to work together on planning, design and implementation.

The space will house one of Singapore’s largest publicly accessible collections of pre-loved library books in different languages, which visitors can take home without borrowing, alongside a showcase of Singapore literature and local authors. It will also feature thematic exhibitions and programmes, a children’s play area, food and beverage options within the reading space, and a purpose-built indoor theatre and screening space for films, author talks, storytelling sessions and cultural programmes. NLB will work with the National Arts Council to curate the Singapore literature space.

The AEI is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2027 and to be completed by end-2029. The revamped mall will span more than 425,000 sq ft, up from around 420,000 sq ft, and house close to 250 stores versus about 230 currently. FCT said integrating the community facility within the AEI gives opportunities to optimise commercial space allocation, so that higher-yielding trades can be positioned across more commercially attractive levels. It added that the AEI is still at the planning and design stage, and details such as capital expenditure, return on investment and financial impact have not been finalised.

Causeway Point generated gross revenue of S$97.7 million in FY2025, up 2.8 per cent year on year, while net property income was largely flat at S$69.9 million. FCT’s manager said the AEI seeks to capitalise on growth in northern Singapore, where more than 50,000 new homes are planned and the Woodlands Regional Centre is expected to support over 100,000 jobs. The mall is directly connected to Woodlands MRT station and bus interchange, near the upcoming Johor Bahru to Singapore Rapid Transit System Link.

Department store operator Metro, formerly an anchor tenant, could adopt a different retail format after the revamp. Richard Ng, chief executive of FCT’s manager, said the Reit is discussing potential modular retail concepts with Metro. Asked whether Metro would remain at the mall, he said “they would like to” and that FCT sees the value they bring. Metro was Causeway Point’s largest tenant by gross rental income in FY2025, accounting for 8.3 per cent of the mall’s gross rental income, including Clinique. Other major tenants include Courts and NTUC FairPrice.