Sengkang

Background

Sengkang is an estate located in the northeast region of Singapore.¹ Sengkang derived its name from a road called Lorong Sengkang, off Lorong Buangkok.²

With seven sub-zones and a total area of approximately 1,055 ha,³ the estate is bounded by Tampines Expressway to the north, Central Expressway to the west, Yio Chu Kang Road and its extension to the south, and a major arterial road to the east.⁴  Sengkang comprises Housing Development Board (HDB) high-rise public flats and private housing with all the necessary amenities and areas for industrial use.⁵ Existing rivers, such as Sungei Punggol and Sungei Serangoon, provide scenic views.⁶

The theme for the town’s design is “Town for the Seafarer”, a nod to the fishing village, complete with its own jetty, named Kangkar that was previously located in the area. Rubber, pepper and pineapple plantations had once also flourished in the area.⁷

Sengkang is accessible via the Tampines and Central Expressways,⁸ as well as Sengkang and Buangkok Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations on the North-East MRT Line. Sengkang’s town design was also designed with a comprehensive Light Rail Transit (LRT, also known as Light Rapid Transit) system from the start, making it the first LRT town.⁹

In 2002, Compass Point Shopping Centre, located at the town centre of Sengkang, opened.¹⁰ It closed for renovation in October 2015 and will be renamed 1 Sengkang Mall when it reopens in a year.¹¹ The Seletar Mall in Sengkang West opened in 2015. A regional hospital at Anchorvale Street is slated to be operational by 2018. There is also a popular leisure spot called the Sengkang Riverside Park.¹²


Variant names
Chinese names: Sengkang means “prosperous harbour” in Chinese. The area was formerly known as Kangkar (or GangJiao) meaning “foot of the port” since it once was the location of a fishing port found along Sungei Serangoon.¹³



Author
Vernon Cornelius & Aisyah Hamid



References
1. Jose Raymond, “Sengkang Takes Shape,” Straits Times, 8 February 2000, 28. (From NewspaperSG)
2. Urban Redevelopment Authority (Singapore), Sengkang Planning Area: Planning Report 1997 (Singapore: Urban Redevelopment Authority, 1997), 8. (Call no. RSING 711.4095957 SIN) 
3. Urban Redevelopment Authority (Singapore), Sengkang Planning Area, 6; Raymond, “Sengkang Takes Shape.”
4. Urban Redevelopment Authority (Singapore), Sengkang Planning Area, 4.
5. Urban Redevelopment Authority (Singapore), Sengkang Planning Area, 16.
6. Urban Redevelopment Authority (Singapore), Sengkang Planning Area, 15.
7. Raymond, “Sengkang Takes Shape.”
8. Urban Redevelopment Authority (Singapore), Sengkang Planning Area, 12.
9. Urban Redevelopment Authority (Singapore), Sengkang Planning Area, 26.
10. Krist Boo, “Mall Brings Cheer to Sengkang,” Straits Times, 8 August 2002, 6. (From NewspaperSG)
11. “Compass Point to 1 Sengkang Mall,” Straits Times, 23 December 2015.
12. “North-East Region Master Plan,” Urban Redevelopment Authority, accessed 2016.
13. Urban Redevelopment Authority (Singapore), Sengkang Planning Area, 8.



The information in this article is valid as of 2016 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.