I am not interested in winning any competition (Rail Corridor’s Buona Vista node now open; ideas sought for former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, April 22).

However, I will throw my hat into the ring to say that back when the trains stopped running from Tanjong Pagar in 2011, my first thoughts were: Now it’s our chance to turn this into our own Musee d’Orsay, a former train station in Paris turned into a spectacular art space for premier works of art in France.

For now, I am simply chuffed that the authorities have decided not to demolish this wonderful piece of Art Deco architecture, a part of our history, to, for instance, widen a road (think the National Library and National Theatre).

I’ve extracted the following from something I wrote in 2011 on how the Rail Corridor could be used.

“Turning some of the land around the tracks into community allotments where young people could learn the basics of ‘making food’ will be most educational.

“My family used to live just a few metres from the track, and we often saw people planting and harvesting sweet potatoes. Illegally. (It was on Malaysian land.)

“As for the station, I would turn it into a ‘making culture’ centre.

“On a fortnightly/monthly/bi-monthly rotation we could have artists, artisans, craftsmen and other creative people demonstrate pottery-making, textile printing, basket-weaving, quilting, embroidery, metal- and wood-working, woodturning, candle-making, etc.”

Indeed, why not throw in some poetry reading, concerts and masterclasses in music-making, and small groups that discuss their creative writing?

In short, make it an artists’ hub which is friendly and welcoming to both the arty and not-yet-so-arty.

If integrated into the flora and fauna along the Railway Corridor, it would be such an inspiring destination for both locals and tourists who are not interested in the huge shopping centres.

Would this become a place where nature meets culture (and nurture), lifting our nation and especially the next generation to a higher spiritual and creative plane?

But please provide lots of cooling-off places.

Lee Siew Peng (Dr)