Sengkang
Encyclopedia
Sengkang is a sub-urban town in the north-eastern part of Singapore
. The Sengkang Planning Area, an urban planning
zone under the Urban Redevelopment Authority
, covers the Housing and Development Board satellite new town
of Sengkang New Town
and rural
Jalan Kayu
.
, Sengkang was derived from a small road called Lorong Sengkang, off Lorong Buangkok
. Prior to this, the area was also known as Kangkar 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 Sengkang New Town
was built, vegetable
and pig
farm
s were located in the area, dominated by tropical rainforest
. The only public housing
estate then was the Punggol Rural Centre, comprising a few low-rise residential blocks, namely blocks 1-5, 206 and 207 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.
Due to Sengkang's meaning, many locations within Sengkang have names related to the sea such as Compass Point Shopping Centre
, Anchorvale and Rivervale.
The North East MRT Line
(NEL) at Sengkang MRT Station connects Sengkang New Town
to the downtown area
. The Sengkang LRT Line
intersects with the Sengkang MRT Station at the Sengkang Town Centre, providing residents with convenient public transport within Sengkang New Town itself and other parts of the island.
Amenities in this new town include primary and secondary schools, three shopping malls, a public library
, a polyclinic and community centres. Compass Point Shopping Centre
, a shopping mall attached to the bus interchange and MRT/LRT station
, is a popular place for Sengkang residents to hang out and congregate. Other shopping areas include Rivervale Mall, Rivervale Plaza, Fernvale Point and Kopitiam Square with the latter three houses a wet market
.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. The Sengkang Planning Area, an urban planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
zone under the Urban Redevelopment Authority
Urban Redevelopment Authority
The Urban Redevelopment Authority is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Singapore Government.-Mission:The authority was established on 1 April 1974, and is of especially critical importance to the city-state,...
, covers the Housing and Development Board satellite new town
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
of Sengkang New Town
Sengkang New Town
Sengkang New Town is a relatively young satellite residential town in the city-state of Singapore. Originally a fishing village, the area is presently undergoing rapid development under the ambition of the Housing and Development Board to transform it into a "21st century township". The town now...
and rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
Jalan Kayu
Jalan Kayu
Jalan Kayu is a name of a street situated within the Sengkang Planning Area in the North-East Region of Singapore, under the urban planning scheme of the Urban Redevelopment Authority...
.
Etymology and history
Meaning "prosperous harbour" in ChineseChinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, Sengkang was derived from a small road called Lorong Sengkang, off Lorong Buangkok
Buangkok
Buangkok is an area located in the North-East Region of Singapore. It encompasses an area of Hougang New Town and the medical hub of Buangkok Green Medical Park that includes the Institute of Mental Health north of Buangkok Green, and the public residential areas in the neighbourhood of Compassvale...
. Prior to this, the area was also known as Kangkar or "foot of the port" as there was once a fishing port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
located along Sungei Serangoon. Fishing villages and rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
and pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
plantations flourished in the area in the old days.
Before the Sengkang New Town
Sengkang New Town
Sengkang New Town is a relatively young satellite residential town in the city-state of Singapore. Originally a fishing village, the area is presently undergoing rapid development under the ambition of the Housing and Development Board to transform it into a "21st century township". The town now...
was built, vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
and pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
s were located in the area, dominated by tropical rainforest
Tropical rainforest
A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
. The only public housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
estate then was the Punggol Rural Centre, comprising a few low-rise residential blocks, namely blocks 1-5, 206 and 207 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.
Due to Sengkang's meaning, many locations within Sengkang have names related to the sea such as Compass Point Shopping Centre
Compass Point Shopping Centre
Compass Point is a suburban shopping mall located in the town centre of Sengkang New Town, Singapore.-History:Compass Point was built as an integrated development together with the adjacent Sengkang MRT Station and Compass Heights condominium. Constructed at a cost of S$230 million, the shopping...
, Anchorvale and Rivervale.
Sengkang New Town
The North East MRT Line
North East MRT Line
The North East MRT Line is the third Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore and the world's second longest fully underground, automated and driverless, rapid transit line after Singapore's Circle MRT Line. The line is 20 km long with 16 stations and operated by SBS Transit. Travelling from one end...
(NEL) at Sengkang MRT Station connects Sengkang New Town
Sengkang New Town
Sengkang New Town is a relatively young satellite residential town in the city-state of Singapore. Originally a fishing village, the area is presently undergoing rapid development under the ambition of the Housing and Development Board to transform it into a "21st century township". The town now...
to the downtown area
Downtown Core
The Downtown Core is a 266-hectare urban planning area in the south of the city-state of Singapore. The Downtown Core surrounds the mouth of the Singapore River and southeastern portion of its watershed, and is part of the Central Area, Singapore's central business district...
. The Sengkang LRT Line
Sengkang LRT Line
The Sengkang LRT Line is a 10.7 km light rail line which partly opened on 18 January 2003. It is the second LRT system in Singapore and is fully automated and currently operated by SBS Transit. The line uses the Crystal Mover rolling stock supplied by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries...
intersects with the Sengkang MRT Station at the Sengkang Town Centre, providing residents with convenient public transport within Sengkang New Town itself and other parts of the island.
Amenities in this new town include primary and secondary schools, three shopping malls, a public library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, a polyclinic and community centres. Compass Point Shopping Centre
Compass Point Shopping Centre
Compass Point is a suburban shopping mall located in the town centre of Sengkang New Town, Singapore.-History:Compass Point was built as an integrated development together with the adjacent Sengkang MRT Station and Compass Heights condominium. Constructed at a cost of S$230 million, the shopping...
, a shopping mall attached to the bus interchange and MRT/LRT station
Sengkang MRT/LRT Station
The Sengkang MRT/LRT Station ' is an interchange station in Singapore that serves Sengkang New Town. It is part of the North East Line of the Mass Rapid Transit and the Sengkang LRT Line of the Light Rail Transit....
, is a popular place for Sengkang residents to hang out and congregate. Other shopping areas include Rivervale Mall, Rivervale Plaza, Fernvale Point and Kopitiam Square with the latter three houses a wet market
Wet market
A wet market is generally an open food market. Some of the common names include "Cultural Markets", "traditional markets", "Gaai Si", "Gaai See".-Terminology:...
.