Coney Island, Singapore

This article is about the island in the north east of Singapore. For the town in northeastern Singapore, see Serangoon.

Coordinates: 1°24′32″N 103°55′21″E / 1.40889°N 103.92250°E / 1.40889; 103.92250

Coney Island
Name transcription(s)
 • Malay Pulau Serangoon
Country  Singapore
A view of Coney Island from Punggol Promenade Nature Walk

Coney Island, alternatively known as Pulau Serangoon, is a 133-hectare island located off the northeastern coast of Singapore within the town of Punggol, between Pulau Ubin to its northeast and the mainland to its southwest.[1][2] As it is located just 100 metres from the mainland at its closest point, it will be reclaimed to build quality waterfront housing [3] and linked via a bridge to mainland Punggol. Still, in spite of this small distance, motor launches had to be specially hired to reach the island until the opening of Coney Island Park, linked to the main island by two bridges on its western and eastern ends.

Coney Island is also a popular place for jet skiing and camping.[4] However, this has led to the beaches being polluted by litter such as discarded cans, instant noodle packets and bottles.[5]

In 2014, it was announced that the island will open to the public in 2015. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said that under the Master Plan, a part of Coney Island is zoned for residential, sport and recreational use but as the land is not immediately required for development, a part of Coney Island will be kept as an interim park for the time being. The rest of the island is zoned for park use.[6] On 11 October 2015, Coney Island Park opened to the public, with a beach stretching 2 km (1 mi) and a 2.4 km (1 mi) long path that is part of the park connector network.

Etymology

In an 1825 survey of the coastal areas around Singapore by Crawfurd, Forrester, Lt. Jackson and Dr Johnson, Rabbit and Coney (meaning rabbit) islets were mentioned.

An anonymous writer who wrote the Singapore Chronicle article noted on the sighting of the two islets, namely Rabbit and Coney that:

"the whimsical application to these two islets suggests some observations upon the fantastic names which have been given to places in this part of the world; not only by European navigators but by the natives of the country themselves. There is scarcely any sense or meaning in the best of them. Pray, what is the difference between a rabbit and the coney?"

Scouting

The island was proposed as the main venue to host the 23rd World Scout Jamboree, as part of a defeated bid by the Singapore Scout Association.[7]

References

  1. ↑ City Population - statistics, maps and charts | Coney Island
  2. ↑ Singapore Department of Statistics - Planning Areas/Subzones in Singapore (Year 2015)
  3. ↑ "Land Reclamation in Singapore". Land Reclamation in Singapore. Thinkquest. 2000. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
  4. ↑ "Islands around Singapore". Islands around Singapore. Thinkquest. 2004. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
  5. ↑ "Beaches or the dumps?". Report on the Beaches of Singapore. The Straits Times. 1991. Archived from the original on 2006-10-06. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
  6. ↑ "Coney Island to open to public in 2015". Lip Kok Wai. TODAY. 2014. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
  7. ↑ Singapore bids for World Scout Jamboree 2015. Coney Island, Singapore: The Singapore Scout Association. 11 July 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2015 – via YouTube.

Sources


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