Sengkang - Definition and Overview

Sengkang New Town (盛港新镇) is one of the newest satellite housing estates in Singapore. The town that began as a fishing village is today fast developing into one of Housing and Development Board's (HDB's) premier 21st century towns. The town now comprises 4 large neighbourhoods.

Location

Sengkang Town is situated to the north of Hougang Town, in the north-eastern part of Singapore. 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. Sengkang Town Centre is located in Sengkang East.

Historical Background

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.

Town's 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.

Neighbourhoods

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

• Neighbourhood 1 (N1) - Rivervale (Apartment block numbers 1XX)
  • Rivervale Court (Blk nos 101-115)
  • Rivervale Edge (Blk nos 116A-117D)
  • Rivervale Gardens (Blk nos 119A-119D)
  • Rivervale Bank (Blk nos 120-122F)
  • Rivervale Grove (Blk nos 123A-124D)
  • Rivervale Plains (Blk nos 125-141)
  • Rivervale Place (Blk nos 142-149)
  • Rivervale View (Blk nos 157A-161)
  • Rivervale Gateway (Blk nos 183A-192C)
  • Rivervale Haven (Blk nos 193-197)

• Neighbourhood 2 (N2) - Compassvale (Apartment block numbers 2XX)
  • Compassvale South Gate (Blk nos 200-204D)
  • Compassvale Place (Blk nos 205A-208)
  • Compassvale Vista (Blk nos 223A-226D)
  • Compassvale Court (Blk nos 227A-230)
  • Compassvale Plains (Blk nos 231A-241A)
  • Compassvale Haven (Blk nos 245-256A)
  • Compassvale Gardens (Blk nos 257-259C)
  • Compassvale North Gate (Blk nos 260-263)
  • Compassvale Lodge (Blk nos 290-296C)
  • Compassvale Green (Blk nos 297-299D)

• Neighbourhood 3 (N3) - Anchorvale (Apartment block numbers 3XX)
  • Anchorvale Court (Blk nos 301-304C)
  • Anchorvale Place (Blk nos 305-308C)
  • Anchorvale Vista (Blk nos 309A-312B)
  • Anchorvale Gardens (Blk nos 313-318D)
  • Anchorvale Grove (Blk nos 319-325C)

• Neighbourhood 4 (N4) - Fernvale (Apartment block numbers 4XX)

Transportation Network

Public Transport

North East Line

Sengkang New Town is linked to the city and the SMRT line (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 Jun 2003. It is currently operated by SBS Transit.

Buangkok NEL Station (NE15), the other station along NEL in Sengkang New Town, is not in operation until the surrounding housing developments in Buangkok, Compassvale, have been completed.

Sengkang LRT Line

The intra-town Sengkang Light Rail 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.

Sengkang Bus Interchange

The Sengkang Bus Interchange is located at the ground level of the condominium Compass Heights. There are numerous trunk services departing from Sengkang Bus Interchange, terminating at Ang Mo Kio (86 & 159), Bedok (87), Clementi (156), Harbourfront (80), Hougang South (119, loop service), Punggol (83, loop service), Toa Payoh (159 & 163) and Woodlands (965). Feeder services (371, which will be withdrawn on 12 Mar 2005 with the Sengkang LRT West Loop commencing operations in Jan 2005, and 372) are also available, linking residents to the town centre.

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.

Road Network

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

Educational Institutions

There are currently 6 primary schools and 6 secondary schools in Sengkang New Town.

• Primary Schools
  • Compassvale Primary School 康柏小学
  • Fernvale Primary School 丰伟小学
  • Nan Chiau Primary School 南侨小学
  • North Spring Primary School 北源小学
  • Rivervale Primary School 立伟小学
  • Seng Kang Primary School 成康小学

• Secondary Schools
  • CHIJ St Joseph's Convent 圣婴女中（圣若瑟）
  • Compassvale Secondary School 康柏中学
  • Nan Chiau High School 南侨中学
  • North Vista Secondary School 德新中学
  • Pei Hwa Secondary School 培华中学
  • Seng Kang Secondary School 成康中学

Places of Worship

• Churches
  • Abundant Grace Presbyterian Church (Fernvale)
  • Sengkang Methodist Church (Anchorvale)
  • St Anne's Church (Rivervale)

• Chinese Temples
  • Chee Hwan Kog Temple (Anchorvale)
  • Chong Ghee Temple (Rivervale)
  • Chong Hua Tong Tou Teck Hwee (Rivervale)
  • Pu Ti Buddhist Temple (Buangkok, Compassvale)
  • Puat Jit Buddhist Temple (Anchorvale)
  • Singapore Buddhist Welfare Services (Buangkok, Compassvale)

• Hindu Temples
  • Sri Mariammar Muneeswarar Temple (Fernvale)

Sengkang Town Centre

There are currently 4 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.

• Compass Point, Singapore's first thematic suburban shopping centre based on the theme of learning. The shopping centre has been in operation since Aug 2002 and is spread out over four storeys and a basement with an approximate lettable area of 266,000 sq ft. Major tenants include Cold Storage, Metro, National Library Board, Courts, Popular Bookstore and Kopitiam food court.

• Sengkang Community Hub, which houses the following facilities:
  • Punggol Central Constituency Office
  • Sengkang Polyclinic (Singhealth), started operations on 12 Jan 2005
  • Sengkang Neighbourhood Police Centre, opened on 4 Oct 2004
  • Sengkang Community Club, began operations in Dec 2004
  • Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (SANA)
  • Singapore Post, opened on 7 Feb 2005