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Bukit Batok, often abbreviated as Bt Batok, is a planning area and matured residential town located along the eastern boundary of the
West Region Western Region or West Region may refer to: Places *Al Gharbia, Abu Dhabi, the Western Region *Western Region, Bahrain *Western Region, Eastern Cape, South Africa *Western Region, Ghana *Western Region (Iceland) *Western Region, Nepal *Western Regi ...
of
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. Bukit Batok statistically ranks in as the 25th largest, the 12th most populous and the 11th most densely populated planning area in the Republic. It is bordered by six other planning areas -
Choa Chu Kang Choa Chu Kang, alternatively spelt as Chua Chu Kang and often abbreviated as CCK, is a planning area and residential town located at the north-westernmost point of the West Region of Singapore. The town shares borders with Sungei Kadut to t ...
to the North, northeast and northwest,
Cashew The cashew tree (''Anacardium occidentale'') is a tropical evergreen tree native to South America in the genus ''Anacardium'' that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple accessory fruit. The tree can grow as tall as , but the dwarf cult ...
to the northeast and east,
Clementi Clementi may refer to: People * Aldo Clementi (1925–2011), Italian composer * Cecil Clementi (1875–1947), British colonial administrator and Governor of Hong Kong * Cecilia Clementi, Italian-American scientist * David Clementi (born 1949), Brit ...
to the south,
Bukit Timah Bukit Timah, often abbreviated as Bt Timah, is a planning area and residential estate located in the westernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. Bukit Timah lies roughly from the Central Business District, bordering the Central Wa ...
to the southeast,
Jurong East Jurong East is a planning area and residential town situated in the West Region of Singapore. It borders Jurong West and Boon Lay to the west, Clementi to the east, Tengah and Bukit Batok to the north and Selat Jurong to the south. First ...
to the southwest and
Tengah ''Tengah'' is an Indonesian and Malay word meaning "Central". It can be found in topography, e.g. *Kalimantan Tengah * Tengah Islands or Central Archipelago. *Tengah, Singapore Tengah is a planning area and future HDB town located within the ...
to the west. Bukit Batok largely sits on Gombak norite, a geological formation that is found in high concentrations within the planning area itself, as well as in the western parts of neighbouring Cashew. It was this presence of the
igneous rock Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ''ignis'' meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main The three types of rocks, rock types, the others being Sedimentary rock, sedimentary and metamorphic rock, metamorphic. Igneous rock ...
that made Bukit Batok a pivotal location for the
quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...
ing industry in Singapore around the turn of the mid-20th century.


Etymology

Many differing accounts describe the origin of the name Bukit Batok. ''Bukit'' means "hill" in Malay, thus the name of the town gives the impression of it being hilly. ''Batok'', however, has several interpretations. One version, according to a Javanese village chief of the village Gassing, that coconut trees grew in the hilly area and hence the area was named ''batok'', the Javanese term for coconuts. The Chinese version is that the hills of solid
granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
, which is called ''batu'' in Malay, and then subsequently misnamed as ''bato'' and then finally ''batok''. Another version was that hill looks like a human skull top and the words skull top was pronounced as ''batok''. Others believe that ''batok'', the Malay word for
cough A cough is a sudden expulsion of air through the large breathing passages that can help clear them of fluids, irritants, foreign particles and microbes. As a protective reflex, coughing can be repetitive with the cough reflex following three pha ...
, is linked to the place either because of its cool air (causing
cough A cough is a sudden expulsion of air through the large breathing passages that can help clear them of fluids, irritants, foreign particles and microbes. As a protective reflex, coughing can be repetitive with the cough reflex following three pha ...
s and
colds The common cold or the cold is a virus, viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract that primarily affects the Respiratory epithelium, respiratory mucosa of the human nose, nose, throat, Paranasal sinuses, sinuses, and larynx. Si ...
), or due to the sound of
explosives An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...
historically used at its granite
quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...
, Little Guilin.


History

1928: Bukit Batok was heavily dominated by rubber and pineapple plantations. 1940: At the start of the 1940s, industrialization began to gradually occur in Bukit Timah. Ford factory was one of the first factories to be built along Bukit Timah road near the current day’s site. WWII: In the early stages of the
South-East Asian Theatre of World War II The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II consisted of the campaigns of the Pacific War in the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Indochina, Burma, India, Malaya and Singapore between 1941 to 1945. Japan attacked British and American terri ...
, Bukit Batok became a significant ground for both the
Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
and
Axis powers The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
. The failed attempt by the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
to defend the vicinity during the
Battle of Bukit Timah The Battle of Bukit Timah (10–12 February 1942), was part of the final stage of the Empire of Japan's invasion of Singapore during World War II. Battle On 8 February 1942, the Japanese landed a large force on the western side of Singapore ...
and their subsequent surrender on 15 February 1942 to the
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
at the Ford Motor Factory in present-day Hillview subzone was described by
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
as the " largest capitulation" in British military history. Singapore consequently underwent four years of Japanese occupation, which eventually ended following
Operation Tiderace Operation Tiderace was the codename of the British plan to retake Singapore following the Surrender of Japan, Japanese surrender in 1945. The liberation force was led by Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia Comman ...
in early-September 1945. Consequently, the British’s plans to industrialize Bukit Timah was short-lived and put to an abrupt halt during World War II. The factories that were built before 1942 were swiftly taken over by the Japanese during their occupation of Singapore. Ford Factory, which sits at the bottom of the Bukit Batok Hill, was occupied by Nissan, the Japanese Multination Corporation, to supply military vehicles for the Imperial Japanese Army Force. Both Bukit Batok hill (current day Bukit Batok Nature Park) and Bukit Timah hill were considered as strategic hill grounds (Figure 6) during the Japanese Occupation. These locations were key to controlling the surrounding areas and thus were the site of the fiercest battles of the war. In addition, Bukit Timah Hill was also the British Commonwealth’s last line of defence against the Imperial Japanese Army Force. The Syonan Chureito Shrine Following the successful conquest of Singapore, General Yamashita ordered 500 Australian Prisoners of War to construct the Japanese war memorial, Syonan Chureito shrine, at the top of Bukit Batok Hill. Throughout the Japanese Occupation, the Japanese officials and military personnel would frequently worship their emperor in the Syonan Chureito shrine. In addition, footages of these ceremonies would be broadcast as propaganda in Japan to ensure the citizens’ continuous support for the war. However, the shrine was ultimately destroyed by the Japanese themselves at the end of the World War II as they feared that the honour of the memorial would be tarnished by the returning British troops. Post-War: After World War II, the British returned to Singapore. The areas around Ford Factory became known as the British’s ‘colonial estate factories’ as the British resumed their plans to industrialize Bukit Timah. In addition to the development of factories, Bukit Timah began to be extensively quarried for granite. The Poh Kim Quarry, which lies in the heart of Bukit Batok Nature Park today, was one of the quarry sites in the vicinity. It was quarried for granite between the 1950s to the 1970s but was later abandoned due to the damage that the activities was causing to the earth’s core. 1965-1975: After Singapore gained independence in 1965, the newly formed People’s Action Party (PAP) government aggressively promoted the site as a lightweight industrial area. 1975-: Development of Bukit Batok New Town began in December 1975, transforming the former quarrying village into a self-sustainable new town in the rough span of a decade. As a testament to its heritage, several norite formations and
ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...
s remained preserved, most of which can be found at both
Bukit Batok Nature Park Bukit Batok Nature Park is a urban park in Bukit Batok, Singapore. It is situated near Bukit Batok East Avenue 2, Bukit Batok East Avenue 6, and Lorong Sesuai. History The park was developed on an abandoned quarry site in 1988. See also * B ...
and
Bukit Batok Town Park Bukit Batok Town Park is a nature park located in the precinct of Guilin in the town of Bukit Batok, Singapore. The park was created from a disused granite quarry. As such, it has a resemblance to the granite rock formations in Guilin, China. Henc ...
as a characteristic feature of the modern-day town. Earthworks to build Bukit Batok started in 1979. The first HDB estates with blocks numbered Blk 2xx were completed in 1983, followed by 1xx and 6xx in 1985. Subsequently, the blocks at Bukit Gombak were finished in 1987, with Block numbered 3xx ready for occupancy in 1989. Earthworks at Bukit Batok West began later, and is currently being developed. The first set of Blocks numbered 4xx were completed between late 2018 and early 2019 and have since been occupied, with more blocks currently being built in the process.


Geography


Location

Bukit Batok Planning Area is bordered by six other planning areas -
Choa Chu Kang Choa Chu Kang, alternatively spelt as Chua Chu Kang and often abbreviated as CCK, is a planning area and residential town located at the north-westernmost point of the West Region of Singapore. The town shares borders with Sungei Kadut to t ...
to the north and northwest,
Bukit Panjang Bukit Panjang is a planning area and residential town located in the West Region of Singapore. A portion of this town is situated on a low-lying elongated hill. The planning area is bounded by Bukit Batok to the west, Choa Chu Kang to the ...
to the northeast and east,
Clementi Clementi may refer to: People * Aldo Clementi (1925–2011), Italian composer * Cecil Clementi (1875–1947), British colonial administrator and Governor of Hong Kong * Cecilia Clementi, Italian-American scientist * David Clementi (born 1949), Brit ...
to the south,
Bukit Timah Bukit Timah, often abbreviated as Bt Timah, is a planning area and residential estate located in the westernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. Bukit Timah lies roughly from the Central Business District, bordering the Central Wa ...
to the southeast,
Jurong East Jurong East is a planning area and residential town situated in the West Region of Singapore. It borders Jurong West and Boon Lay to the west, Clementi to the east, Tengah and Bukit Batok to the north and Selat Jurong to the south. First ...
to the southwest and
Tengah ''Tengah'' is an Indonesian and Malay word meaning "Central". It can be found in topography, e.g. *Kalimantan Tengah * Tengah Islands or Central Archipelago. *Tengah, Singapore Tengah is a planning area and future HDB town located within the ...
to the west. Bukit Batok New Town is located within Bukit Batok Planning Area.


Subzones

Bukit Batok Planning Area is divided into 9 subzones:


Commercial activities

Bukit Batok's main shopping complex ''
West Mall West Mall () is a shopping centre located in Bukit Batok New Town, Bukit Batok, Singapore, next to Bukit Batok MRT station. Background It was opened in 1998. It consists of eight storeys, for a total gross floor area of , and sitting on a land ...
'' was opened in mid-1998. Developed by Alprop Pte. Ltd., a joint venture between the United Industrial Corporation (UIC) and Singapore Land, it has 7 storeys in total gross floor area of 283,000 sq ft (26,300 m²) on a land area of 106,000 sq ft (9,800 m²). It was built at a cost of S$170 million and houses amenities including a post office, Community Library and Cineplex, together with shops, restaurants and a supermarket.


Transport

There are two MRT stations in the Bukit Batok area:
Bukit Batok MRT station Bukit Batok MRT station is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore), Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the North South MRT line, North South line in Bukit Batok, Singapore. Until the opening of the History of the MRT (Singapore)#Woodlan ...
and
Bukit Gombak MRT station Bukit Gombak MRT station is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the North South line in Bukit Batok, Singapore. Located at the junction of Bukit Batok West Avenue 5 and Bukit Batok East Avenue 5, it is the nearest MRT station to ...
. The
Bukit Batok Bus Interchange Bukit Batok Bus Interchange is an interchange bus station located at Block 631 Bukit Batok Central, Singapore, near West Mall Shopping Centre and Bukit Batok MRT station. The sheltered concourse is built underneath a multi-storey carpark simi ...
, sited near to Bukit Batok MRT station and West Mall, is of moderate size and nearly completely used by
Tower Transit Singapore Tower Transit Singapore is a contracted bus operator operating in Singapore. It commenced operations on 29 May 2016 and it is a subsidiary of Transit Systems. History In October 2014, the Land Transport Authority called for tenders to operate 26 ...
. The interchange and most of the services were previously operated by Singapore Bus Services (the precursor of
SBS Transit SBS Transit Limited (SBST or just SBS) () is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus and rail services. With a majority of its shares owned by Singaporean multinational transport conglomerate ComfortDelGro Corporation ...
), until 26 December 2000, when bus services were transferred to Trans-Island Bus Services (the precursor of
SMRT Buses SMRT Buses is a bus operator in Singapore. A subsidiary of SMRT Corporation, it traded as Trans Island Bus Services until 10 May 2004. History Trans-Island Bus Services (1983–2004) In April 1981, Communications & Labour Minister Ong Teng Cheo ...
). SMRT Buses remained the operator until 29 May 2016, when only bus services 852 (until 2018, under Seletar Bus Package) and 61 and 991 were left with SMRT Buses. SBS Transit still has a bus depot in Bukit Batok.


Public service and utility

Bukit Batok has 1 fire station located at 80 Bukit Batok Rd, Singapore 658072. The HDB Branch is located at Bukit Batok Central.


Education

, this area has a total of six primary schools and six secondary schools.School Information Service
/ref> These include Princess Elizabeth Primary School, Keming Primary School, Lianhua Primary School, St. Anthony’s Primary School, Bukit View Primary School, Bukit View Secondary School, Bukit Batok Secondary School, Yusof Ishak Secondary School, Hillgrove Secondary School, Dunearn Secondary School and more.
Millennia Institute Millennia Institute (MI) is a centralised institute in Singapore offering three-year pre-university education. It is currently the only pre-university centre to offer the Commerce stream apart from the traditional arts and science streams offered ...
, formed from the merger of Jurong Institute and
Outram Institute Centralised institutes in Singapore offer three-year pre-university courses under three streams, the traditional science and arts streams concurrently offered in Junior college (Singapore), junior colleges, and the commerce streams. These lead to ...
, moved to its new campus off Bukit Batok West Avenue 3 in January 2007. Bukit Batok is also home to
Singapore Hotel and Tourism Education Centre The Singapore Hotel and Tourism Education Centre (abbreviation: SHATEC) was set up in 1983 by the Singapore Hotel Association to equip Singapore’s hospitality industry with a skilled workforce. Location SHATEC's main campus is located at 21, ...
(SHATEC).


Recreation

The Bukit Batok swimming complex is located off East Avenue 6. There are many parks in the neighborhood, including the
Bukit Batok Town Park Bukit Batok Town Park is a nature park located in the precinct of Guilin in the town of Bukit Batok, Singapore. The park was created from a disused granite quarry. As such, it has a resemblance to the granite rock formations in Guilin, China. Henc ...
and the
Bukit Batok Nature Park Bukit Batok Nature Park is a urban park in Bukit Batok, Singapore. It is situated near Bukit Batok East Avenue 2, Bukit Batok East Avenue 6, and Lorong Sesuai. History The park was developed on an abandoned quarry site in 1988. See also * B ...
. The CDANS Bukit Batok Country Club, for reservist members of the Civil Defence forces and their families, was opened in 1998. It offers a golf driving range, swimming pool, bowling alley and sports facilities for relatively affordable prices. The Civil Service Club Bukit Batok Clubhouse offers swimming, bowling and related recreational facilities to civil servants, their families and the public. It is located near Bukit Batok Town Centre and was opened on 1 March 2006.


Politics

The jurisdiction of Bukit Batok is shared by the
Jurong Group Representation Constituency The Jurong Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency located in the western area of Singapore. The GRC consists of a large section of Jurong, sections of Bukit Batok and areas near Upper Bukit Timah Ro ...
(Jurong GRC), which has an office at Bukit Batok Central and manages much of Bukit Batok; and
Chua Chu Kang Group Representation Constituency The Chua Chu Kang Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency located in the western area of Singapore. There are four divisions of the GRC: Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Gombak, Keat Hong and Brickland. Military ...
(Chua Chu Kang GRC), which manages areas north of Bukit Batok West Avenue 3 and Bukit Batok Central. There are four
members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
, two from each GRC, representing various areas in Bukit Batok. Bukit Batok was a single-member constituency by itself prior to the 1991 elections, which was later mainly consolidated into Jurong GRC until in the
2015 elections The following elections were scheduled to occur in the year 2015. Africa * 2015 Beninese parliamentary election 26 April 2015 * 2015 Burkinabé general election 29 November 2015 * 2015 Burundian legislative election 29 June 2015 * 2015 Burun ...
, where it carved out as a SMC again. As of 2016, Bukit Batok represents in
Jurong GRC The Jurong Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency located in the western area of Singapore. The GRC consists of a large section of Jurong, sections of Bukit Batok and areas near Upper Bukit Timah Roa ...
and
Bukit Batok SMC Bukit Batok Single Member Constituency (SMC) is a single member constituency in Bukit Batok of Singapore. It used to exist from 1972 to 1988 as Bukit Batok Constituency and was renamed as Bukit Batok Single Member Constituency (SMC) as part of ...
. For Jurong GRC, Bukit Batok East is the only constituency, of which
Rahayu Mahzam Rahayu binte Mahzam ( Jawi: رحايو مهزم; born 1980) is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Law concurrently since 2022. A member of the govern ...
is the current MP.
David Ong David Ong Kim Huat ( zh, s=王金发, p=Wáng Jīnfā; born 19 May 1961) is a Singaporean former politician who has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC) (Bukit Batok), Adviser to Jurong GRC Gr ...
, served as an MP for Bukit Batok constituency until his sudden resignation in March 2016;
Murali Pillai K. Muralidharan Pillai ( ta, முரளி பிள்ளை; born 30 October 1967), better known as Murali Pillai, is a Singaporean politician and lawyer. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parlia ...
, a candidate who contested and lost
Aljunied GRC The Aljunied Group Representation Constituency is a five-member group representation constituency (GRC) in the north-eastern and eastern region of Singapore. The GRC consists of five divisions: Eunos, Bedok Reservoir-Punggol, Kaki Bukit, Sera ...
in the 2015 elections, has since represented Bukit Batok, following his
by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
victory on May 2016. In the same elections in 2011 and 2015, Bukit Gombak represents in
Chua Chu Kang GRC The Chua Chu Kang Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency located in the western area of Singapore. There are four divisions of the GRC: Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Gombak, Keat Hong and Brickland. Military ...
, there are two constituencies also in Bukit Gombak, one of which it is a different system. Bukit Gombak represents as
Low Yen Ling Low Yen Ling ( zh, s=刘燕玲, p=Liú Yànlíng; born 1974) is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Mayor of South West District since 2014, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Minister of State for Trade and Indu ...
MP, while
Amy Khor Amy Khor Lean Suan ( zh, s=许连碹, p=Xǔ Liánxuàn; born 1958) is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Senior Minister of State for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment since 2020. A mem ...
represented
Hong Kah North SMC The Hong Kah North Single Member Constituency is a single member constituency (SMC) in the western part of Singapore. The Member of Parliament for the constituency is Amy Khor of the People's Action Party The People's Action Party (abbrevia ...
.


References

{{Authority control New towns in Singapore Places in Singapore New towns started in the 1970s