SINGAPORE - St James' Church Kindergarten will be shutting its branch in the Dempsey area by the end of next year, having lost the tender for the property. It first opened its doors there in 2006. A check on the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) website last month showed that the tender for the 20,500 sq ft site in Harding Road had been awarded to Odyssey The Global Preschool, which placed the highest bid of $133,333 a month in rent from 2023. The tenure is for an initial three-year tenancy, which can be renewed for two further periods of three and two years. Anglican Preschool Services (APS), which runs St James' Church Kindergarten, had placed a bid of $76,200 a month for the site, which comprises four blocks and a sprawling garden. The non-profit pre-school's lease ends on Dec 31 next year. APS chief executive Andrew Tay told The Straits Times on Nov 24 that it will be moving the pupils enrolled at the Harding Road campus to any of the other 18 pre-schools under APS. These include two other St James' Church Kindergarten campuses - one in Leedon Road and the other in Gilstead Road - and the Little Seeds Preschool childcare centres. The number also includes three kindergartens that w...