History
“Sengkang” means “prosperous harbour” in Chinese. The word 'Sengkang'
came from a road called Lorong Sengkang (which no longer exists).The
area was formerly known as “Kangkar (Gang Jiao 港脚)”, or “foot of the
port” in Hokkien, as there was once a fishing port located along Sungei
Serangoon. During those old days, finishing villages, pepper and rubber
plantations used to thrive in the area.
In 1994, HDB began to conceptualize the making of Sengkang new town.
Sengkang was carved up into six neighbourhoods that will eventually
house a total of 95,000 public and private housing units in the long
term. Sengkang's rich history became the theme for its future — Town of
the Seafarer. Three neighbourhoods carry a marine sub-theme, while the
other three will reflect the past when sprawling plantations covered
parts of the area. The six neighbourhoods are planned to have names and
colour schemes to go with their respective themes. Even the design of
the housing in Sengkang is reminiscent of its rich history - housing
blocks in the area are built with a 3-storey pilotis effect
(ground-level supporting columns by which buildings are lifted), to
recall the stilts of fishing villages and trunks of the various
plantations of bygone years.
Present
Today, Sengkang is a relatively young satellite town located in the
North-Eastern region of Singapore, which is bounded by Punggol New Town
to the North, Ang Mo Kio New Town to the Southwest, Hougang New Town and
Serangoon New Town to the South and Pasir Ris New Town to the East.
It is 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. An integrated approach was used to develop the town's
transport, housing and commercial facilities. The Sengkang MRT station,
Sengkang LRT station and the bus interchange are all housed within a
single building to allow for seamless travel.
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. Sengkang
Sculpture Park, located in Compassvale, is an elongated green space
created below the Sengkang Light Rail Transit (LRT) viaducts.
And as part of the MasterPlan 2008, there will be a Sengkang Sports &
Recreation Centre and the Anchorvale Community Club, where one can swim,
play soccer, shop and learn to dance all atone location, right by Sungei
Ponggol. |