Sengkang New Town

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sengkang New Town
Sengkang is highlighted on this map
English: Sengkang
Chinese: 盛港 (Min Nan: Sēng-káng)
Pinyin: Shèng Gǎng
Malay: Sengkang
Tamil: செங்காங
Demographics
Region: North-East Region
Total area: 10.55 km²
Residential area: 5.07 km²
Dwelling units: 39,982[1]
Projected ultimate: 95,000
Population: 138,500 (31 March 2006)[1]

Sengkang New Town (盛港新镇) is a relatively young satellite residential town in the city-state of Singapore. Originally a fishing village, it is presently undergoing rapid development under the ambition of the Housing and Development Board's (HDB's) of transforming it into "one of the premier towns of the 21st century". The town now comprises 4 large neighbourhoods. Sengkang is one of the 55 urban planning areas outlined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority for long-term land use planning purposes.

Contents

[edit] Location

Sengkang New Town is situated to the north of Hougang New Town, in the north-eastern part of Singapore, under the North-East Region as defined by Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

The town is bounded by the Tampines Expressway (TPE) to the north, Sungei Serangoon (Serangoon River) to the east, Buangkok Drive to the south and Jalan Kayu to the west. Sungei Punggol (Punggol River) cuts through the new town, and divides the town into Sengkang East and Sengkang West. The Sengkang Town Centre is located in Sengkang East.

[edit] Etymology and history

A typical apartment block in Anchorvale Gardens, showing the characteristic 'pilotis' effect on the column façade.
Enlarge
A typical apartment block in Anchorvale Gardens, showing the characteristic 'pilotis' effect on the column façade.

Sengkang, means "prosperous harbour" in Chinese. The name comes from a road called Lorong Sengkang, off Lorong Buangkok. The area was formerly known as Kangkar (Gang Jiao 港脚) or "foot of the port" as there was once a fishing port located along Sungei Serangoon. Fishing villages and rubber and pepper plantations flourished in the area in the old days.

Before the town was developed into a modern housing estate, the area was home to vegetable and pig farms, and tropical forests. The only public housing estate then was the Punggol Rural Centre, comprising a few low-rise residential blocks, located along Punggol Road. These blocks at the rural centre have since been demolished in 2005, to make way for future high-rise residential apartment blocks.

Sengkang's rich history is today reflected in the design of its housing, seen in the three-storey 'pilotis' or stilt effect that all the housing blocks have, reminiscent of the stilts of fishing villages and trunks of the various plantations of bygone years.

The town's first apartment blocks (known locally as flats) at Rivervale were completed in 1997. By Aug 2001, about 33,700 dwelling units have been completed. As at 31 March 2006, there are 384 HDB apartment blocks with 39,982 units in Sengkang New Town, comprising 16,017 four-roomers, 19,477 five-roomers and 4,488 executive flats.[1]

[edit] Main highlights

Sengkang's two main rivers (Sungei Punggol and Sungei Serangoon) bring life through the town with a network of green connectors along their banks, linking housing precincts to neighbourhood parks, and in the future, to the town park and sports complex as well. Eventually, these park connectors will be linked to the future Coney Island Park in Punggol New Town and the existing Punggol Park in the south, to better serve the recreational needs of the residents of Sengkang. Another highlight is the Sengkang Sculpture Park, located in Compassvale, which is an elongated green space created below the Sengkang Light Rapid Transit (LRT) viaducts.

Sengkang is also the first satellite new town in Singapore to have its major public transport amenities built in tandem with the main public housing development. The main heavy rail tunnels through Sengkang and the elevated track infrastructure of the intra-town Sengkang LRT system were developed as the existing public housing blocks were being built in the late 1990s.

[edit] Neighbourhoods

Wall tile mural at Compassvale
Enlarge
Wall tile mural at Compassvale

Sengkang New Town is divided into 4 major neighbourhoods, arranged from east to west:

[edit] Transportation facilities

City planners plan for public transport to eventually become the preferred mode of transport in the future. The government of Singapore ideally desires environmental towns, using public transport to reduce pollution caused by heavy road traffic. Sengkang is part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority's focus for realising this urban planning model. As Sengkang is relatively distant from the city centre at the Central Area, an efficient, high-volume and high-speed public transport system is also preferred to using road networks.

[edit] Public transport

[edit] North East Line

Sengkang New Town is linked to the Central Area and the SMRT lines (to the North-South Line at Dhoby Ghaut Station, and the East-West Line at Outram Park Station) through the North East Line (NEL) at Sengkang Station (NE16) located at Sengkang Town Centre. The NEL system is a fully automated heavy rail mass rapid transit system, and started operations on 20 June 2003. It is currently operated by SBS Transit.

Buangkok NEL Station (NE15), the other station along NEL in Sengkang New Town, serves the housing developments in Buangkok, at Compassvale, and the northern part of Hougang New Town. The station started operations on 15 January 2006.

[edit] Sengkang LRT Line

The intra-town Sengkang Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system is a 10.7 km light rail line that serves to link residents to the town centre. It is a fully automated system, and its rolling stock is supplied by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The system is currently operated by SBS Transit. The Sengkang LRT line forms 2 loops, East Loop and West Loop, that skirt the perimeter of the new town.

Station names are:

[edit] Sengkang Bus Interchange

The Sengkang Bus Interchange is located at the ground level of the condominium Compass Heights, next to Compass Point Shopping Centre. There are numerous trunk services departing from Sengkang Bus Interchange, terminating at the following destinations:

A feeder service is also available, linking residents to the town centre.

[edit] Other Bus Information

There are other bus trunk services passing through Sengkang New Town:

Bus services which have been removed or re-routed due to the operation of the North-East Line:

[edit] An integrated system

The Sengkang NEL Station, Sengkang LRT Station and Sengkang Bus Interchange are fully integrated within a single building complex to allow seamless travel for the residents of Sengkang New Town across the different available modes of public transport.

[edit] Road network

Sengkang East Way
Enlarge
Sengkang East Way

The major roads that currently link Sengkang New Town to Punggol New Town and the Tampines Expressway to the North, and Hougang New Town to the south are:

  • Punggol Road
  • Sengkang East Road
  • Sengkang East Drive (bypasses TPE to Punggol)
  • Jalan Kayu

The arterial roads that run in the east-west direction within Sengkang New Town are:

  • Sengkang East Avenue and Sengkang West Avenue
  • Compassvale Drive and Anchorvale Drive
  • Sengkang East Way
  • Compassvale Bow
  • Buangkok Drive

[edit] Educational institutions

There are currently six primary schools and six secondary schools in Sengkang New Town.

[edit] Places of worship

Sengkang Methodist Church
Enlarge
Sengkang Methodist Church

[edit] Sengkang Town Centre

Sengkang Town Centre. The building complexes are, from left to right, Sengkang Community Hub, Compass Point Shopping Centre, Sengkang MRT, LRT and Bus Interchange, and Compass Heights Condominium.
Enlarge
Sengkang Town Centre. The building complexes are, from left to right, Sengkang Community Hub, Compass Point Shopping Centre, Sengkang MRT, LRT and Bus Interchange, and Compass Heights Condominium.

There are currently four major building complexes within the Sengkang Town Centre.

  • Compass Heights, a private residential condominium development.
  • Sengkang Interchange, comprising the bus interchange, and the NEL and LRT stations.
Sengkang Fire Station
Enlarge
Sengkang Fire Station

[edit] Other amenities

  • Fire stations
    • Sengkang Fire Station. Singapore's newest and biggest fire station opened on 19 May 2001. Aside from being the largest, covering 7,000 square metres, the $14-million state-of-the-art facility boasts a few other firsts for the Singapore Civil Defence Force. It is home to the first Immediate Response Centre - which brings together a medical company and a rescue battalion under one roof, with all their specialised equipment. The station in Buangkok Drive is one of 14 here. It has the capacity for 700 fire-fighters and rescue personnel. Sengkang Fire Station is equipped with HAZMAT capability to handle incidents involving hazardous materials. It is also the first station to employ a water conservation system where water used during drills are diverted to a pump well for recycling purposes.

[edit] Politics of Sengkang New Town

The Anchorvale and Fernvale neighbourhoods of Sengkang New Town belong to the Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency.
Enlarge
The Anchorvale and Fernvale neighbourhoods of Sengkang New Town belong to the Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency.

The neighbourhoods Anchorvale and Fernvale of Sengkang New Town fall under Sengkang West division of the Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency. Its Member of Parliament is Lam Pin Min. The two neighbourhoods were under the Jalan Kayu division, under Wee Siew Kim, before the general election in 2006.

Compassvale, including Buangkok, and Rivervale, come under the Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency. The Member of Parliament is Charles Chong for Buangkok and a portion of Rivervale, under Punggol South division. From 2001 to 2006, Michael Lim was the Member of Parliament for Punggol North division, which covers Compassvale and a part of Rivervale. Penny Low is the current Member of Parliament for Punggol North division. In the latest 2006 general election, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC was expanded from five to six MPs as the population in Sengkang and Punggol new towns has grown since 2001.

Before 2001, the entire Sengkang New Town and Punggol New Town were part of Cheng San Group Representation Constituency, which was hotly contested in 1997 general election.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Sarah Ng, Nur Dianah Suhaimi, "Posh Punggol v 'Ulu' Sengkang", The Sunday Times, 26 November 2006

[edit] External links


edit      Neighbourhoods of Sengkang New Town     Sengkang
Anchorvale | Compassvale | Fernvale | Rivervale
edit New towns and estates in Singapore Flag of Singapore
New towns: Ang Mo Kio New Town | Bedok New Town | Bishan New Town | Bukit Batok New Town | Bukit Merah | Bukit Panjang New Town | Choa Chu Kang New Town | Clementi New Town | Geylang | Hougang New Town | Jurong East New Town | Jurong West New Town | Kallang | Pasir Ris New Town | Punggol New Town | Queenstown | Sembawang New Town | Sengkang New Town | Serangoon New Town | Simei New Town | Tampines New Town | Toa Payoh New Town | Woodlands New Town | Yishun New Town
Estates: Bukit Timah | Changi Village | Kembangan | Macpherson | Marine Parade | Potong Pasir | Tiong Bahru
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../s/e/n/Sengkang_New_Town_a3a7.html"