Tengah ( ) is a
planning area
Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. Some researchers regard the evolution of forethought - the capaci ...
and
HDB town located within the
West Region of Singapore. It is bound by
Choa Chu Kang
Choa Chu Kang (), alternatively spelled Chua Chu Kang and often abbreviated as CCK, is a planning area and residential town located at the northwestern point of the West Region of Singapore. The town shares borders with Sungei Kadut to the ...
to the northeast,
Jurong East
Jurong East is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, residential town situated in the West Region, Singapore, West Region of Singapore. It borders Jurong West and Boon Lay to the west, Clementi, Singapore, Cl ...
and
Jurong West
Jurong West is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, residential town located in the West Region, Singapore, West Region of Singapore. Jurong West shares Wiktionary:boundary, boundaries with Tengah, Singapore, ...
to the south,
Bukit Batok
Bukit Batok ( ), often abbreviated as Bt Batok, is a planning area and matured residential town located along the eastern boundary of the West Region of Singapore. Bukit Batok statistically ranks in as the 25th largest, the 10th most populo ...
to the east, and the
Western Water Catchment to its west and north.
Formerly a military restricted area, Tengah is currently reserved for new housing developments since URA Concept Plan 2001, making it Singapore's newest
Housing and Development Board
The Housing & Development Board (HDB; often referred to as the Housing Board; ; ; ), is a Statutory boards of the Singapore Government, statutory board under the Ministry of National Development (Singapore), Ministry of National Developmen ...
town since the development of
Punggol
Punggol ( or ) 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 town directly borders Sengka ...
in the late-90s.
In September 2016, HDB officially unveiled the official plans for the Tengah new town with an official master plan and blueprint for the town.
After the demilitarisation of the military training area at Tengah, the first estate, Plantation Grove, was launched in Tengah in November 2018. Tengah is divided into various districts, namely Plantation, Park, Garden, Market Place, Forest Hill, and Brickland Districts.
Tengah lies east of Jurong Innovation District and north of
Jurong Lake District, two new industrial and business developments. These areas are planned as a new decentralized business district.
Etymology
In old maps, the area appears as Tengeh or Tengah. In
Malay, the word ''Tengah'' means "centre," "central," or "middle." The name may be taken from the nearby ''Sungei Tengah'' (Malay for ''Tengah River'').
History
In the 1980s, under the government's resettlement plan, the residents of Hong Kah Village and Kampong Ulu Jurong were relocated to nearby towns newly built by the government, particularly into the present
Jurong Green,
Jurong Spring, and
Bukit Batok
Bukit Batok ( ), often abbreviated as Bt Batok, is a planning area and matured residential town located along the eastern boundary of the West Region of Singapore. Bukit Batok statistically ranks in as the 25th largest, the 10th most populo ...
areas. Schools were shifted elsewhere, and one example is
Xingnan Primary School, which used to operate at a temple along "Hong Kah Road" in the village. The HDB estates of
Jurong Green and
Jurong Spring are given the name "Hong Kah," probably meaning that most of the villagers resettled there. When the village was cleared, the
PIE
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit (as in an apple pie), nuts ( pecan pie), fruit preserves ( jam tart ...
and
KJE projects started in the area, leading to the creation of "Jurong West Avenue 2," which brought about the rise of both
Jurong West New Town and
Choa Chu Kang New Town. The western part became inaccessible to the public first in 1996 and was used by the military for training activities (which is west of Jurong Road Track 22), followed by the eastern part of Hong Kah (which is east of Jurong Road Track 22) in 2005.
In the past, there were several village roads that used to serve the area. Roads such as Hong Kah Road/Lane/Drive/Circle, Sing Nan Road, Kian Hong Road, Jalan Keladan, Jalan Beka, Jalan Pelawan, Jalan Jelawi, Jalan Sena, Lorong Putek, Jalan Buey, Jalan Mandar, and Jalan Ara. The last few roads, such as Jalan Lam Sam and Jalan Chichau, existed until January 2019. Jurong Road closed on 27 September 2020, and is being replaced by Tengah Way and Tengah Drive.
In late 2018, massive construction works for the HDB estates started in Tengah C1 and C2 planning areas, which are estimated to be completed by 2025. Most of the construction work will be headed by China Construction (South Pacific) Pte Ltd, whereas a few other local construction firms will also be in charge of construction work. The HDB flats in Tengah are constructed via precast components. The first flats in Tengah were completed in 2023, and the neighbourhood centre, Plantation Plaza, opened on 28 June 2024.
Town design and sustainability

According to HDB, residential areas in Tengah will be divided into five districts, each with a unique character. The five districts are Plantation, Garden, Park, Forest Hill, and Brickland.
Tengah was also marketed as Singapore's first smart and sustainable town with a centralised cooling system, which is managed by national grid operator
SP Group.
The cooling system encountered issues with installation and operational issues.
It is also the only town in Singapore which has a car-free town centre.
Various types of dense vegetation are planted along roads to serve as noise and visual barriers, providing a cleaner, greener living environment.
Eco-friendly features in Tengah include bioswales and bioretention basins (or rain gardens), which will collect and cleanse the rainwater before it is stored for reuse within the development or channelled into reservoirs. Such water features also create a conducive habitat for dragonflies and amphibians, which add to the biodiversity of the town and help promote a healthy ecological balance.
Transport
Prior to September 2023, the transport options were limited to a free shuttle bus provided by the transport authority.
At present, bus services 870, 871 and 992 serve the interior of Tengah. On 21 July 2024, a new bus service, 871 was introduced. The two existing bus services, 870 and 992 were amended to the new
Tengah Bus Interchange as well. These services will connect residents to Jurong East, Bukit Batok West, Bukit Gombak and Beauty World. All roads in Tengah, with the exception of Plantation Crescent due to JRL construction, are required to have a bus lane.
Tengah Boulevard will be connected to the eastbound direction of the
Pan Island Expressway
The Pan Island Expressway (Abbreviated as: PIE) is the oldest and longest expressway in Singapore. It is also Singapore's longest road. The expressway runs from the East Coast Parkway near Changi Airport in the east to Tuas in the west and ...
via slip roads from 5 October 2024. This would be expanded to a road interchange linking the road with
Jurong by 2028.
Tengah will be connected to the
Jurong Region MRT line in 2027, with MRT stations
Tengah,
Tengah Plantation, and
Tengah Park servicing the area, and a new integrated transport hub to be ready by 2027 and 2028.
All roads in Tengah will have walking and cycling paths on both sides.
Retail
There are three shopping malls - Plantation Plaza, Parc Point (U/C, opening in 2025) and Tengah Mall (U/C, opening in 2027 together with the integrated transport hub).
Military use
The bigger part of the former Hong Kah Village was an SAF military training area until 10 November 2015. The military training around the area was gradually shifted to Ama Keng Road, and training for
Keat Hong Camp was now conducted at Ama Keng. Massive construction and earthworks subsequently began in October 2017.
References
{{coord missing, Singapore
Places in Singapore
Planned communities in Singapore