Sembawang

Sembawang New Town
Total area:	7.08 km²
Residential area:	3.76 km²
Dwelling units:	17,874
Projected ultimate:	64,000
Population:	58,700

Sembawang Group Representation Constituency.

Sembawang (Chinese: 三巴旺) is an area in the Northern-most portion of Singapore, encompassing the largest land mass within the Sembawang Group Representation Constituency. The incumbent Member of Parliament for the Sembawang Constituency is Khaw Boon Wan. The constituency jurisdiction extends into the Woodlands New Town, bordering the Woodlands, Marsiling and Admiralty constituency.

The Sembawang Road End region contains some of the historically important colonial architecture which remains standing on the main land till this day. Towards the north-west lies the new residential town of Sembawang, replacing the previous satellite town of Sembawang Road End, of which the latter was phrased out in early 2004 under the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme.

Despite the relatively large development in the new residential area, Sembawang remain a largely suburban residential area with military, industrial and recreational facilities at its periphery. It hosted a major naval base and port facilities since the early 20th century, and continues to handle regular shipping traffic today.

Etymology

The earliest reference to Sembawang is found in Franklin and Jackson's 1830 Map of Singapore, which refers to the River Tambuwang. The place is said to have got its name from the Sembawang tree (Kayae ferruginea), which has been renamed Mesua ferruginea from 1980. This tree can be seen at Carpark C1, Sembawang Park.

Bereft of its particle, sem, the second word, bawang, means "onion" in Malay.

History

The Sembawang area in the early twentieth century was the site of the Nee Soon Rubber estate. During the colonial times, Sembawang was home to a major British naval base, its construction of which began in 1928 and was completed in 1938. The base included dockyards, wharves and workshops, as well as supporting administrative, residential and commercial areas. The Naval Base has since been handed over to the Singapore government, which in 1968 converted it into a commercial dockyard that went on to become Sembawang Corporation, a major state-owned industrial conglomerate listed on the Singapore stock exchange.

Land reclamation

Extensive land reclamation throughout Singapore has left Sembawang with one of the country's last natural beaches, the Wak Hassan Beach located at Sembawang Park. Today, the vegetable farms, rubber plantations and Chinese graveyards surrounding the former naval base have given way to modern housing, especially in the 1990s during the development of a New town by the Singapore Housing and Development Board. The town remains a major port, with Sembawang Wharves handling a high volume of bulk commodities cargo, such as timber and rubber.

Roads and waterways

The Sungei Sembawang winds through the Sembawang new town.

Sembawang in the morning.

One of the key roads which was built to connect the navel base to the city centre in the South is Sembawang Road. This road began as a track in the 1920s and was officially named Sembawang Road in 1938. Buses operated by various private companies were the main mode of transport then. This road was also dotted with many villages along its length : Chye Kay Village, Sungei Simpang Village, Chong Pang Village, Sembawang Village. Most of these villages were cleared from 1970s - 1990s to make way for Yishun and Sembawang New Towns. The last of the villages, Kampong Wak Hassan, was cleared in 1998. Present day Sembawang Road is a major arterial road linking the Northern and Central portion of Singapore.

Many other roads in Sembawang are still named after various Royal Navy Dockyards, warships, Admirals, countries and cities. Examples include Wellington, Canberra, Canada, Gibraltar, Kenya and Falkland. These names were given during the previous British administration, and reflect the town's history as a British naval base.

The main river running through Sembawang, the Sungei Sembawang, flowed along a winding route and ended to the west of Sembawang Shipyard. Its middle section was diverted in the 1920s to provide the land needed for the British Naval Base. During the 1970s, the Northern portions of the river was straightened and canalised. The Southern portions of the river, which consisted of mangroves, ponds and grassland, was filled up in the 1990s in preparation for the development of Sembawang New Town.

Military

As part of a 1990 agreement between Singapore and the United States, American military forces (primarily naval and air force) have been making use of Sembawang's base facilities. The Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific (COMLOG WESTPAC) command has been headquartered in Sembawang since 1992, providing logistic support for the U.S. 7th Fleet in its operations in the Pacific and Southeast Asia.

Sembawang New Town

Planning and construction

The planning of Sembawang New Town was first mentioned in the Urban Redevelopment Authority's Planning Report for Sembawang (1996). This Development Guide Plan, with the aid of zoning maps, highlights the various land zoning proposals, which eventually led to the creation of Sembawang New Town. This provides an interesting perspective to the development of the town. The Sembawang Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Station serves as the central hub, around which residential, commercial as well as industrial zones mushroomed.

Public housing

The Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats in the Sembawang Planning Area have been split among three divisions, each of which is represented by a Member of Parliament. The North West Community Development Council (CDC) is the local administration, initiating, planning and managing community programmes to promote community bonding and social cohesion.

Sembawang Division (MP Mr. Khaw Boon Wan)

Road Name	Flats
Wellington Circle	Blk 501-502A, 506A-507D, 588A-588C
Montreal Drive	Blk 504-504B, 504D, 589A-589D

Canberra Division (MP Dr Lim Wee Kiak)

Road Name	Flats
Canberra Link	Blk 503A-503C, 504C, 505
Canberra Rd	Blk 300, 302, 311, 350A-351D, 352A-352C , 416-425
Sembawang Close	Blk 319-324, 329-335, 339-341B
Sembawang Crescent	Blk 325-328, 335A-338
Admiralty Drive	Blk 356A-360C, 467-469B
Sembawang Drive	Blk 466-466D, 470-481A
Admiralty Link	Blk 482-493

Chong Pang Division (MP Mr. K Shanmugam)

Road Name	Flats
Sembawang Dr	Blk 312-314, 406-415
Sembawang Vista	Blk 315-318
Admiralty Dr	Blk 353A-354D
Sembawang Way	Blk 355A
Admiralty Link	Blk 401-405

Current and future development

In the Draft 2003 Master Plan, a Sembawang Activity Corridor was proposed. Plans are in place to develop an activity corridor stretching from the Sembawang Town Centre to the Jalan Legundi area. Mentioned in the Plan was the development of the Sembawang Bus Interchange next to Sun Plaza, as well as a Sembawang Sports Complex at the junction of Sembawang Road / Canberra Road / Sembawang Avenue. Park connectors linking Sembawang MRT Station and WoodlandsMRT Station are in the work, as well as a new park connector along Sungei Simpang Kiri from Yishun Avenue 2 to Sembawang Road, bringing people to the lively Sembawang Activity Corridor. A new Community Centre for Sembawang residents will be co-located with the existing Sembawang Neighbourhood Police Centre at Sembawang Drive.

Recent updates of the Sembawang Planning Area can be accessed here.

Communal facilities

Sembawang MRT Station

The new town contains some of the most common communal facilities found in Singapore, such as:

• Sembawang MRT Station. To preserve the kampong atmosphere of Sembawang, this station has a uniquely-shaped kampong-styled roof. Acceding to a request by workers from the Sembawang Shipyard, the Land Transport Authority constructed a bay for 350 bicycles as most of the workers cycle to and from work. This is in-line with the environmentally friendly mentality prevalent in the kampongs.
• Shopping centres, including the Sun Plaza shopping centre next to the Sembawang MRT Station, and Sembawang Shopping Centre which is opening in the last quarter of 2008.
• The Sembawang Community Library, managed by the National Library Board is situated within the Sun Plaza shopping centre. It serves residents in the North West areas of Lim Chu Kang, Mandai, Sembawang, Simpang, Sungei Kadut, Woodlands and Yishun.
• Three primary schools (Canberra Primary School, Sembawang Primary School, Endeavours Primary School and Wellington Primary School), and three secondary schools (Canberra Secondary School, Sembawang Secondary School and the holding campus of Naval Base Secondary School, located there due to PRIME).
• Sembawang Bus Interchange, strategically located next to Sun Plaza, was completed in December 2005. This replaced the old bus interchange located at the Northern tip of Sembawang Road, just next to Sembawang Park. Some photos of the old interchange can be found here.

Attractions

Bottle Tree Village

The Bottle Tree Village is located at the end of Jalan Mempurong and is famous for its Bottle Trees (Brachychiton rupestris) which have been specially flown in from Queensland, Australia by the owner Mr. Alex Neo and Mr. Colin Chia. Apart from the unique trees, other Australian flora can be spotted in the surroundings. An eatery, Sembawang Eating House, is located within this Village, serving traditional Chinese stir-fry dishes. (www.bottletree.com.sg)

Sembawang Park

Sembawang Park, a 15 hectare tranquil park developed in the 1970s and maintained by the National Parks Board, is situated at the Northern tip of Sembawang Road. One of the few parks in Singapore with a natural beach, the Wak Hassan Beach, this park is a heaven for city dwellers who are tired of the never-ending concrete buildings and sky-scrapers. It's a popular spot for campers as well as families who wish to spend an idyllic day by the beach. One can dine at the Beaulieu House, built in 1910, which was the residence of Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton (Commander-in-Chief British Eastern Fleet, 1940-1942). A wide range of fauna and flora awaits visitors, ranging from the spectacular Cannon Ball tree (Couroupita guianensis) to the many species of birds which have made the park their nesting grounds.

• 
  Sunrise
• 
  Wak Hassan Beach
• 
  Cannon Ball Tree

Sembawang Park Connector

The Sembwang Park Connector is part of the Park Connector Network managed by the National Parks Board. As their name imply, these connectors aim to form a continuous loop which would hopefully connect all the major parks within Singapore. The Sembawang Park Connector runs parallel to Sungei Sembawang, a canal which serves as the demarcation between Woodlands and Sembawang New Towns.

Simpang Kiri Park Connector

The Simpang Kiri Park Connector demarcates the Southern border of Sembawang New Town, starting from the Southernmost tip of Canberra Link and terminating at Jalan Mempurong, where the Bottle Tree Village and Masjid Penempatan Melayu Sembawang can be found.

Sembawang Hot Spring

The Sembawang Hot Spring, discovered in 1909, is located near the junction of Sembawang Road and Gambas Avenue, along Jalan Ulu Sembawang. It is Singapore mainland's only natural hot spring and was once bottled for sale under the label Seletaris by Fraser and Neave, a food and beverage company. Located on land used by the Ministry of Defence, improvement works were carried out in the area surrounding the spring and it was re-opened to the public on 1 May 2002.

Sembawang Camp

Except by permission, the military base in Admiralty Road is open only to military personnel on official business. However, there are transport exhibits adjacent to the helicopter pad and naval exhibits in Endurance Block.

See also

• List of countries by northernmost point

References

• Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2003), Toponymics - A Study of Singapore Street Names, Eastern Universities Press, ISBN 981-210-205-1
• N Edwards, Peter Keys (1985), Singapore, A Guide to Buildings, Streets, Places, Times Books International, ISBN 997-165-231-5
• Yim Chee Peng (2001), Sembawang Town : Aesthetically Yours, Roseapple Books

External links

• Sembawang Town Council official website
• USN Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific official website
• Infopedia, Sembawang Hot Spring (National Library Board)
• Infopedia, Sembawang Road (National Library Board)