| Woodlands is located at the Northern region of
Singapore. It is bounded by the Bukit Timah Expressway to the West,
Seletar Expressway to the South, Sembawang New Town to the east and the
Straits of Johor to the North. It is best known as Singapore’s gateway
into Malaysia via the Causeway. Woodlands is one of the largest housing
estates in Singapore. History
The name "Woodlands" is possibly derived from the rubber trees that
flourished in plantations there, resembling woods. Woodlands started off
as a village or kampong. Villages in the area included Woodlands
Village, Kampong Mandai Kechil and Kampong Kranji. Aside from rubber
plantations, there were also poultry farms. The location used was
considered ulu or "rural" but has undergone breathtaking changes since
post-independence.
Present
Today, Woodlands is a self-sufficient town. It is also one of the five
regional centres in the Singapore 1991 Concept Plan, serving the North
region, known as Woodlands Regional Centre. It covers Lim Chu Kang,
Sungei Kadut, Woodlands, Mandai and Yishun. The town is well supported
by entertainment and cultural centres like cinemas, parks, shops,
offices and community facilities, all centered around the Woodlands MRT
station. The Causeway Point, the largest shopping centre in the
district, is a one-stop commercial and entertainment centre with over
250 food and retail outlets. Just a stone’s throw away is the Woodlands
Civic Centre, where several major public agencies are housed under one
roof (a one-stop government centre) serving residents living in the
north.
There are three MRT stations in Woodlands: Woodlands, Marsiling,
Admiral, and is well served by the Seletar Expressway and the Bukit
Timah Expressway. In terms of education amenities, besides the various
secondary and primary schools, there are also the Republic Polytechnic,
the Singapore American School and the Singapore Sports School. The
Woodlands Regional Library is housed in Woodlands as well.
As part of the MasterPlan 2008, Woodlands will be developed into a
waterfront living, known as Woodlands Waterfront. It will comprise of a
coastal promenade and a park in Woodland. URA will be building a 1.5-km
long promenade and a nine hectare park along a tranquil stretch of
coastline in Woodlands to improve accessibility to the area and to open
up the scenic waterfront. The promenade, in the form of boardwalk will
be built over the seawall to bring visitors closer to the water's edge.
A park will also be created right next to the coastal promenade.
The Woodlands Waterfront - set for completion in 2010 - will form
part of the comprehensive network of parks and park connectors in the
area. It will be linked to the newly-opened Admiralty Park and Woodlands
Town Garden through a park connector that runs through a HDB estate. |