Sengkang facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sengkang
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Planning Area and HDB Town
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| • Chinese | 盛港 Shènggǎng (Pinyin) Sêng-káng (Hokkien POJ) |
| • Malay | Sengkang |
| • Tamil | செங்காங் Ceṅkāṅ (Transliteration) |
       From top; left to right: Panoramic view of Sungei Serangoon with Rivervale on the west bank, Compassvale, Jalan Kayu, Sengkang LRT Line, Ranggung LRT Station, Sengkang Sculpture Park, Fernvale Primary School
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Location of Sengkang in Singapore
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.svg)
 Sengkang
Location in Singapore
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| Country |  Singapore |
| Region | North-East Region
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| Area | |
| • Total | 10.59 km2 (4.09 sq mi) |
| • Residential | 3.97 km2 (1.53 sq mi) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 249,370 |
| • Density | 23,548/km2 (60,988/sq mi) |
| Postal district |
19, 28
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| Dwelling units | 59,497 |
| Projected ultimate | 92,000 |
Sengkang (Chinese: 盛港, Tamil: செங்காங்) is a busy planning area and residential town in the North-East Region of Singapore. It's the second most populated town in this area. In 2020, about 249,370 people called Sengkang home.
Sengkang shares its borders with several other towns. To the north, it meets Seletar and Punggol. To the east, you'll find Pasir Ris and Paya Lebar. Hougang and Serangoon are to the south, while Yishun and Ang Mo Kio are to the west. Sengkang used to be a fishing village. But the Housing and Development Board (HDB) worked hard to turn it into a modern town with lots of homes.
Contents
What Does Sengkang Mean?
The name Sengkang has a cool meaning! In Chinese, it means "prosperous harbour," which sounds like a busy port. In Malay, it means "to chock, block or wedge." The name came from Lorong Sengkang, an old Malay village road. Before the town was built, many Lorongs (small roads) were in the area. This place was also known as Kangkar (Gang Jiao 港脚), which means "foot of the port." This is because there was once a fishing port along the Sungei Serangoon river.
A Look Back: Sengkang's History
Sengkang started as an area called Kangkar. It was named after the port and fishing village on the Sungei Serangoon river. By the mid-1900s, the area had many rubber, pepper, and pineapple farms. The closest public housing then was in Punggol.
Sengkang stayed mostly undeveloped until 1994. That's when a team from HDB started planning a new town here. They divided Sengkang into seven smaller areas. Their goal was to build 95,000 public and private homes over time.
Local newspapers called Sengkang the 'Town of the Seafarer'. This name shows its past as a fishing village. The town's four neighborhoods – Rivervale, Compassvale, Anchorvale, and Fernvale – got special themes. Some themes were about Sengkang's sea history. Others were about the big farms that used to cover the land. Each neighborhood got a name and a special colour scheme. Even the buildings were designed to look like the stilts of old fishing villages or tree trunks from the farms.
The first apartment blocks in Rivervale were finished in 1997. By 2001, about 33,700 homes were ready. As of 2017, there were 65,981 HDB homes in Sengkang.
In 1999, a group was formed to make sure Sengkang had enough facilities. They worked with different groups to open more shops, a new shopping mall, and childcare centers.
Where is Sengkang Located?
Sengkang is a town mainly for homes. It's in the north-eastern part of Singapore. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) places it in the North-East Region.
The town is surrounded by major roads. The Tampines Expressway (TPE) is to the north. The Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE), Yio Chu Kang Road, and Buangkok Drive are to the south. The Central Expressway (CTE) is to the west.
The Sungei Punggol river flows through the town. It divides Sengkang into Sengkang East and Sengkang West. The main Sengkang Town Centre is in Compassvale. A new industrial area, 'Sengkang West Industrial Area', will be built soon.
New roads have been built to improve travel. Sengkang West Road opened in stages from 2013 to 2015. It connects to areas like Fernvale and the Seletar Aerospace Park.
Sengkang's Neighborhoods
Sengkang New Town is divided into seven smaller areas called subzones:
- Rivervale
- Compassvale
- Anchorvale
- Fernvale
- Sengkang Town Centre
- Sengkang West
- Lorong Halus North
How Many People Live in Sengkang?
As of March 2020, Sengkang had 240,640 residents. Most of them are working adults. Rivervale is the most crowded neighborhood with 61,400 people. Sengkang Town Centre is close behind with 60,800 residents. Sengkang West has only ten residents, and Lorong Halus North has no one living there. Sengkang is quite packed, with about 22,000 people living in each square kilometer of residential area.
Fun Places to Visit in Sengkang
Sengkang has two main rivers, Sungei Punggol and Sungei Serangoon. Green paths run along their sides. These paths connect homes to parks like Sengkang Riverside Park. They also lead to the Sengkang Swimming Complex, Sengkang Hockey Stadium, and Anchorvale Community Centre. These paths link up to Coney Island Park in Punggol New Town and Punggol Park. This helps Sengkang residents enjoy more outdoor activities.
Sengkang Sculpture Park, located in Compassvale, is a long green space. It's built right under the LRT tracks.
Sengkang's main public transport was built as the homes were being developed. The train tunnels and elevated tracks for the Sengkang LRT were built in the late 1990s. All these transport facilities are connected in one big building complex. This makes it easy for people to go from Sengkang MRT/LRT station, to the Sengkang Bus Interchange, to Compass Heights condominium, and to Compass One shopping centre. The Compassvale bus Interchange opened nearby in 2017.
Getting Around Sengkang
City planners want public transport to be the best way to travel. Singapore's government uses public transport to help reduce pollution from cars. Sengkang is part of this plan. Since Sengkang is a bit far from the city center, a fast and efficient public transport system is important. This also helps reduce the number of cars on the roads.
Public Transport Options
North East Line (NEL)
Sengkang is connected to the city center by the North East Line (NEL). You can catch the train at Sengkang MRT/LRT station in the Town Centre or at Buangkok station in the south. The NEL is a fully automatic train line. It started running in 2003 and is operated by SBS Transit.
Sengkang station is a big hub. It connects to the Sengkang LRT and the Sengkang Bus Interchange. This makes it super easy to switch between different types of transport. The MRT part of the station opened in 2003. The LRT part opened earlier in 2003.
Buangkok station serves the homes in Buangkok and northern Hougang New Town. It was first left unopened because there weren't many buildings nearby. But it opened in 2006 once the first homes were ready.
Sengkang LRT Line
The Sengkang LRT system is a 10.7 km train line. It helps residents travel within the town and get to the town center. It's a fully automatic system. The trains are made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. SBS Transit also operates this system. The Sengkang LRT line has two loops, the East Loop and the West Loop. These loops go around the new town. There are 14 stations, and all of them are open. The line started service in 2003.
Sengkang Bus Interchange
The Sengkang Bus Interchange opened in 1998. At that time, Sengkang New Town was still being built. The Sengkang Bus Interchange is located under the Compass Heights condominium. It's right next to Sengkang station. It opened in 2003 and was Singapore's second air-conditioned bus interchange.
Compassvale Bus Interchange
In 2014, plans were announced to make the Sengkang Bus Interchange bigger. This was to make space for more bus services. The expansion added 12 parking bays, new boarding areas, a staff lounge, and a canteen. This expansion, called Compassvale Bus Interchange, opened in 2017. It's right next to the main Sengkang Bus Interchange.
Road Network
Sengkang is well-connected to other parts of Singapore by its roads. The Tampines Expressway (TPE) links Sengkang to Singapore's main expressway network. The Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) was finished in 2008. It gives a direct route to the city area through the TPE.
New roads were built in the early 2000s to help with traffic congestion. Buangkok Green and Buangkok Drive were finished in 1999. They make the drive from the Central Expressway to Punggol Road shorter. A project to reduce traffic in Sengkang started in 2001. It included an extension to Sengkang East Road and a slip road to the TPE. The Sengkang East Road and Sengkang East Drive Flyovers opened in 2004. These made it easier for people in Sengkang and Punggol to travel around Singapore. Extensions have also been made to Sengkang West Avenue and Sengkang West Way. These connect to the future Sengkang West Industrial Park.
Major roads within Sengkang include Sengkang East Drive, Sengkang East Avenue, Sengkang East Road, Sengkang East Way, Sengkang West Avenue, Sengkang West Road, Sengkang West Way, and Jalan Kayu.
Sengkang Town Centre
The Sengkang Town Centre has four main building complexes.
Compass Heights
Compass Heights is a private condominium. It's connected to the public transport facilities nearby.
Sengkang Interchange
Sengkang Interchange is in the middle of the town. It includes the Sengkang Bus Interchange and the Sengkang MRT/LRT station.
Compass One Shopping Centre
Compass One, used to be called Compass Point. It was Singapore's first shopping center with a learning theme. It even has a public library inside! The mall opened in 2002. The only other shopping mall that was older than Compass One is Rivervale Plaza.
Sengkang Community Hub
Sengkang Community Hub opened in 2005. It has a community club and a neighborhood police center. It also houses the KK Women's Clinic @ Sengkang, Sengkang Central Constituency Office, and the Sengkang Branch of Singapore Post Office.
Facilities and Services in Sengkang
Education: Schools for All Ages
As of 2024, Sengkang New Town has twelve primary schools and six secondary schools.
Primary Schools
- Anchor Green Primary School
- Compassvale Primary School
- Fern Green Primary School
- Fernvale Primary School
- Nan Chiau Primary School
- North Spring Primary School
- North Vista Primary School
- Palm View Primary School
- Rivervale Primary School
- Seng Kang Primary School
- Sengkang Green Primary School
- Springdale Primary School
Secondary Schools
- CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent
- Compassvale Secondary School
- Nan Chiau High School
- North Vista Secondary School
- Pei Hwa Secondary School
- Seng Kang Secondary School
Many large childcare centers have also been built. They help meet the needs of the town's many young families. There are also plans for a junior college in the town. This will help meet future education needs in the North-East Region.
Shopping and Commercial Spots
The town first relied on Rivervale Plaza for shopping. It opened in 1999 with a wet market, shops, and a supermarket. Then Rivervale Mall opened in 2001. Compass Point opened in 2002, just before the Sengkang MRT/LRT station.
Fernvale Point served residents in Sengkang West for almost ten years before it was taken down. Seletar Mall opened in 2014. It brought the first cinema to Sengkang!
Anchorvale Village is a new development with homes and shops. It opened in May 2024. It has a 3-story hawker center and neighborhood shops.
Community Gathering Places
The first community center, Rivervale Community Centre, opened in 2004. It was located under a housing block. It served residents before Sengkang Community Club opened a year later.
The Sengkang community center moved to a new building in 2021. Anchorvale Community Club opened in 2009 next to the Sengkang Sports Complex. The Fernvale Community Club opened in 2022. It has a hawker center, childcare, and a wet market.
A new, separate Rivervale Community Centre opened in 2022. The HDB Branch Office for Sengkang is at Rivervale Plaza.
Fire Station
Sengkang Fire Station opened in 2001. It's the biggest fire station in Singapore. The S$14 million station covers a large area. It's used by the Singapore Civil Defense Force. Sengkang Fire Station can hold 700 fire fighters and rescue workers. It's also the first station to recycle water used during drills.
Hospitals and Clinics
Sengkang General and Community Hospital is a large hospital. It has 1,400 beds and serves people in the north-east region. The hospital opened in 2018. The SingHealth Sengkang Polyclinic is also located in Sengkang.
Sports Facilities
Sengkang Sports Centre, also known as Sengkang Sports and Recreation Centre, is a great place for sports. It's next to the Anchorvale Community Club. It has one of two covered pools managed by Sports Singapore. Sengkang is also known for its hockey facilities. They were upgraded for the first Youth Olympic Games in 2010.
