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Seletar is an area located in the north-east of Singapore. Its name can also refer to the Seletar Planning Area (as defined by the
Urban Redevelopment Authority The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Government of Singapore. Mission The authority was established on 1 Apri ...
), situated in the North-East Region of Singapore. The place name was derived from the Malay subgroup who were indigenous to the area, the ''Orang Seletar''. It shares boundaries with the planning areas of
Sengkang Sengkang (, ta, செங்காங்) is a planning area and residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore. The town is the second most populous in the region, being home to 249,370 residents in 2020. Sengkang shares ...
to the south,
Punggol Punggol, alternatively spelled as Ponggol, is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, new town situated on the Tanjong Punggol peninsula in the North-East Region, Singapore, North-East Region of Singapore. The to ...
to the east,
Yishun Yishun, formerly known as Nee Soon, is a residential town located in the northeastern corner of the North Region of Singapore, bordering Simpang and Sembawang to the north, Mandai to the west, the Central Water Catchment to its southwest, An ...
and
Simpang Simpang, is a planning area located in the North Region of Singapore. The word ''Simpang'' means junction or intersection in Malay. It is situated north of Yishun, east of Sembawang and west of Seletar. Pulau Seletar is classified under Simpan ...
to the west, as well as the
Straits of Johor The Johore Strait (also known as the Tebrau Strait, Straits of Johor, Selat Johor, Selat Tebrau, and Tebrau Reach) is an international strait in Southeast Asia, between Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia. Geography The strait separates the Ma ...
to the north. Formerly Royal Air Force Station Seletar
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
military airfield An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...
site, the area now houses a new S$60 million
Seletar Aerospace Park Seletar Aerospace Park is an industrial park in Singapore catering to the aerospace industries. Located in Seletar, the plan to develop 140 hectares of land adjacent to Seletar Airport will further strengthen Singapore's position as an aviatio ...
that spans 140 hectares. The
aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...
park houses industries specialising in
aircraft maintenance Aircraft maintenance is the performance of tasks required to ensure the continuing airworthiness of an aircraft or aircraft part, including overhaul, inspection, replacement, defect rectification, and the embodiment of modifications, compliance ...
and repair services. There are future plans to transform Seletar into one of the Singapore's regional centres, along with Jurong East,
Tampines Tampines () is the regional centre of the East Region of Singapore. With a population of 265,340 living across its five subzones, it is the second-most populous planning area in Singapore, according to the DOS Population Trends 2022. It is h ...
and
Woodlands Woodlands may back refer to: * Woodland, a low-density forest Geography Australia * Woodlands, New South Wales * Woodlands, Ashgrove, Queensland, a heritage-listed house associated with John Henry Pepper * Woodlands, Marburg, Queensland, a her ...
. Once the transformation is complete, Seletar will be known as the only regional centre without a single MRT line passing through it, unlike its other regional rivals who have multiple MRT lines. The recent introduction of newer residential property and retail malls, most notably Greenwich V and Seletar Mall, Parc Botannia at Fernvale, Luxus Hill, Belgravia Ace and Parc Greenwich has served well in rejuvenating the Seletar area, with further plans to increase BTO flats supply in the area serve to create additional housing options for people working in the Aerospace Park.


Geography


Geographical extent

According to the book ''Down the Seletar River: Discovering a Hidden Treasure of Singapore'', Seletar generally refers to a region defined by the Ponggol River to the east, the Seletar River to the west,
Ang Mo Kio Ang Mo Kio is a planning area and residential town situated in the North-East of Singapore. Located approximately north of the Downtown Core district, Ang Mo Kio is the 3rd most populated planning area in the North-East Region and ranks 8th ...
to the south and the Straits of Johore to the north. It includes the areas covering
Yio Chu Kang Yio Chu Kang is a sub-urban area in the northeast of Singapore, with proximity to the Ang Mo Kio, Lentor, Seletar and Sengkang areas. Deriving its name from the Yio Chu Kang Village, it is still known for lush greenery and low-density housing w ...
,
Jalan Kayu Jalan Kayu is a road situated in Sengkang, Singapore. It is located in the northwestern part of Fernvale, near the Seletar–Sengkang boundary. Etymology and history Jalan Kayu was built in 1928 when the first Royal Air Force base outside the Uni ...
,
Lower Seletar Reservoir Lower Seletar Reservoir (Chinese: 实里达蓄水池下段 ; ms, Takungan Air Seletar Bawah) is a reservoir located in the northern part of Singapore, to the east of Yishun New Town. The reservoir has a surface area of 3.6 km², and a capa ...
and a part of
Upper Thomson Thomson is a relatively narrow area stretching from Novena in the Central Region of Singapore up north till Sembawang. The area is mainly located within the central catchment area where some of Singapore's reservoirs are located, including M ...
.


Seletar Planning Area

Seletar Planning Area, as defined by the
Urban Redevelopment Authority The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Government of Singapore. Mission The authority was established on 1 Apri ...
, shares a land boundary with planning areas of
Sengkang Sengkang (, ta, செங்காங்) is a planning area and residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore. The town is the second most populous in the region, being home to 249,370 residents in 2020. Sengkang shares ...
to the south, riverine boundaries with
Punggol Punggol, alternatively spelled as Ponggol, is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, new town situated on the Tanjong Punggol peninsula in the North-East Region, Singapore, North-East Region of Singapore. The to ...
to the east and
Yishun Yishun, formerly known as Nee Soon, is a residential town located in the northeastern corner of the North Region of Singapore, bordering Simpang and Sembawang to the north, Mandai to the west, the Central Water Catchment to its southwest, An ...
to the west. Its northern boundary is made up by the
Straits of Johor The Johore Strait (also known as the Tebrau Strait, Straits of Johor, Selat Johor, Selat Tebrau, and Tebrau Reach) is an international strait in Southeast Asia, between Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia. Geography The strait separates the Ma ...
. Seletar Planning Area is officially divided into 4 subzones – Seletar, Seletar Aerospace Park, Pulau Punggol Barat and Pulau Punggol Timor.


History

The area was home to the indigenous
Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...
population, especially the ''Orang Seletar'' (Malay for ''Seletar people'') - a subgroup of Malay sea gypsies living on the waters of the island. There were already hundreds of them even before the arrival of Raffles. Seletar was originally a rubber plantation estate owned and managed by the Singapore United Rubber Plantations Ltd. In 1923, the Straits Settlement government bought from the Singapore United Rubber Plantations Ltd and gave it to the British
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
as a site for its military air base in Singapore. Construction of the airfield was completed in 1929 and it was officially opened in 1930. The airfield was the first RAF base east of India and had also served as a civilian airport until 1937, when
Kallang Airport Kallang Airport (also known as the Kallang Aerodrome, Kallang Airfield and RAF Kallang) was the first purpose-built civil international airport in Singapore, opened officially on 12 June 1937 and ceased operations in 1955, when it was reloca ...
was opened to the public. The Seletar Reservoir (now known as
Upper Seletar Reservoir Upper Seletar Reservoir ( ms, Takungan Air Upper Seletar, Chinese: 实里达蓄水池上段) is Singapore's third impounding reservoir, after MacRitchie Reservoir and Peirce Reservoir (now the Upper Peirce Reservoir and the Lower Peirce Reservoi ...
), was first built in 1920, after the First World War to cope with the water demand in Singapore. It was marked as a conservation site in August 1999. The area is also dotted with colonial bungalows that were built for the military personnel of the RAF, which still stands today. In 2007, the government announced that some 174 bungalows has been set aside for demolition to make way for the new Seletar Aerospace Park, while the remaining 204 bungalows will be retained and some of these units will be converted into aerospace training schools and food and beverage outlets, while 131 units will be set aside for residential use.


See also

*
Seletar Airport Seletar Airport is a civilian international airport serving the north-east region of Singapore. It is located approximately northwest from Changi Airport, the country's main airport, and about north from the main commercial city-centre. T ...

Belgravia Ace


References


Sources

*Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2003), ''Toponymics – A Study of Singapore Street Names'', Eastern Universities Press, {{Places in Singapore Places in Singapore North-East Region, Singapore