Queenstown, Singapore

Queenstown
Planning Area and HDB Town
Other transcription(s)
 • Chinese 女皇镇
 • Pinyin Nǚ Huáng Zhèn
 • Malay Queenstown
 • Tamil குவீன்ஸ்டவுன்
From top left to right: The Sandcrawler at One North, University Cultural Centre at the Kent Ridge campus of the National University of Singapore, Haw Par Villa, Panoramic view of Ghim Moh at night, HDB flats along Queensway, Kent Ridge Park
Queenstown

Location of Queenstown within Singapore

Coordinates: SG 1°17′39″N 103°47′10.06″E / 1.29417°N 103.7861278°E / 1.29417; 103.7861278
Country  Singapore
Region

Central Region

CDCs
Town councils
  • Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council
  • Tanjong Pagar Town Council
  • West Coast Town Council
Constituencies
Government
 • Mayors

Central Singapore CDC

North West CDC

South West CDC

 • Members of Parliament

Holland-Bukit Timah GRC

Tanjong Pagar GRC

West Coast GRC

Area[1][2]
 • Total 20.43 km2 (7.89 sq mi)
 • Residential 2.10 km2 (0.81 sq mi)
Population (2015)[1][2]
 • Total 98,050
 • Density 4,800/km2 (12,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)

Official

  • Queenstown resident

Colloquial

  • Queenstowner
  • Queenstownian
Postal districts 3, 5
Dwelling units 30,546
Projected ultimate 60,000

Queenstown (Chinese: 女皇镇, Tamil: குவீன்ஸ்டவுன்) is a planning area and satellite residential town situated on the south-westernmost fringe of the Central Region of Singapore. It borders Bukit Timah to the north, Tanglin to the north-east, Bukit Merah to the east and south-east and Clementi to the north-west and west. Its southern and south-westernmost limits are bounded by the strait of Selat Pandan.[3][4]

Developed by the Singapore Improvement Trust in the 1950s and subsequently by the Housing and Development Board in the 1960s, Queenstown was the first satellite town to be built in the country. Most apartments within the township consists of simple one, two, or three-room flats, typically in low-rise, walk-up blocks. Major development work was carried out during the first Five-Year Building Programme between 1960 and 1965. A total of 19,372 dwelling units were constructed between 1952 and 1968.[5]

Etymology

Queenstown was named after Queen Elizabeth II to mark her coronation in 1952. The area was previously known by the Mandarin Chinese name Wu-wei-gang (Wade Giles: Wu-wei-kang), or in Hokkien as Boh Beh Kang.[6] The arterial road Queensway was officially named in 1954.

History

Previously, Queenstown was a large swampy valley with a channel running through in a southeastern direction. On either side of this agricultural area were hills - feng xing and feng ling. The former was a rubber plantation and the latter, a cemetery also known as boh beh kang. The village in the area, with mainly Hokkien and Teochew-speaking dwellers was also known by this name. Pre-1942, the area was inhabited by hundreds of people in attap-roofed huts, cultivating vegetables, growing fruits and rearing pigs and chickens. Buller Camp, a British military camp, was also set up there until 1953 when it was cleared for the new housing estate.[5]

In 1947, the Housing Committee of Singapore highlighted the problem of inadequate housing in Singapore. The report proposed the decentralisation of the population away from the city with the building of self-contained residential areas in the suburbs. This proposal was believed to be an influence of the New Town movements in post-war Britain.

Queenstown was subsequently chosen by Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) as a site for housing development due to its proximity to the successful first public housing scheme in Tiong Bahru. Construction of Queenstown's first estate, Princess Margaret Estate (named after HM Elizabeth II's younger sister), began in July 1952. By late 1953, a preliminary batch of 3-room flats was ready for occupation. By 1956, work on the Princess Margaret Estate (later shortened to Princess Estate) had more than 1,000 flats comprising one, two and three-room units and 68 terrace houses. A ceremony was held in October that year for Forfar House, a 14-storey block which was a prominent landmark in those days as it was the tallest HDB flat at that point of time.

The area continued to develop as a self-contained community. Some of the facilities and amenities developed included the Town Centre and the Swimming and Sports Complex. The former was fully completed in 1969 with three cinemas and a variety of outlets including an emporium, a fresh food market, a maternity and child health centre, a bowling alley and a nightclub cum restaurant. The swimming complex was completed in August 1970.

In the 1970s, the success of the new town led to the development of two nearby neighbourhoods - Buona Vista Estate and Holland Village, with Queenstown new town as a model. However, by the 1980s, the area had become a mature estate with a higher proportion of senior citizens residing in the area than elsewhere, and a gradual migration of the younger generation into other HDB new towns.

Pasir Panjang lies in the southern part of the town (Pasir Panjang in Malay means "long sandy beach"). The coastline was dotted with Malay villages, the main economic activities being fishing and small scale agriculture. Only after the war, did the development of the area begin, with bungalows along the coastline being built in the 1950s. Today, Pasir Panjang is a popular recreational area for sea sports and facilities such as the Haw Par Villa.

Geography

Alexandra Road, where the boundary between the towns of Bukit Merah and Queenstown meet. Beyond the lane to the left is Alexendra Hill in Bukit Merah while the area beyond the right lane is located in Queensway, Queenstown.[3] The Alexandra outlet of IKEA can be seen in the distance.

Queenstown is bounded by the Ulu Pandan Canal, Ghim Moh Housing Estate and the former Tanglin Camp area to the north, Alexandra Road to the east, Clementi Road to the west and the sea to the south. It covers an area of approximately 2,188 ha.[7] The total population (1990 census) is 126,071 with 31,131 housing units.[8] It consists of 16 subzones, namely Ghim Moh, Holland Drive, Commonwealth, Tanglin Halt, Margaret Drive, Mei Chin, Queensway, Portsdown, Buona Vista, Singapore Polytechnic, Dover, National University, Kent Ridge, Pasir Panjang, Pasir Panjang II, and the Port.

Main housing estates

Forfar Heights Today

The main housing areas within Queenstown include:

Forfar Heights

Forfar House, or Block 39, was built in 1956 by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) as a 14-storey block (which at that time was the tallest residential building in Singapore, holding the record until the building of a 20-story block at Selegie in 1963). Also known as Chap Si Lao, it was an early part of the mixed height development of the area. The new blocks at Forfar Heights are featured with blue glazing and blue floodlights at the roof line, reminiscent of the early days, where many units were characterized by blue glass in their windows, by which the district was acquired its Hokkien name Lam Po Lay.

Block 39, Forfar Square, had 106 three-room-flats, four shops, and an eating house, until it was demolished in 1996 under the Selective en bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS). Currently, the new Forfar Heights consists of two 40-storey blocks (Blk 48, 52) and three 30-storey blocks (Blk 49-51). Residency was offered to residents from the old Forfar House and Blocks 6A & 6B Margaret Drive in 1996, and residents from Block 172-175 Stirling Road & Block 96 Margaret Drive in 2001. The new blocks were launched on Tree Planting Day 2005 and SERS Completion Ceremony, 6 November 2005, with guest of honour, Lee Kuan Yew, Minister Mentor and Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC.

The name for Forfar Heights had its origin from Forfar Square, which like most Queenstown street names, was connected to the British Royal Family. The name Forfar comes from The Royal Burgh of Forfar, a Scottish town near the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

Demographics

Being the first satellite HDB town in Singapore, Queenstown has one of the highest proportions of elderly aged 65 and above. Many of the residents live in smaller 2-room and 3-room flats. As a result, Queenstown earned its unwanted reputation as an "elderly town"

Further developments in Dawson located in Princess Estate have attracted many young Singaporeans to this area in the 2000s as part of the urban renewal efforts. It was announced in 2006 that Margaret Drive will be developed into a modern district with amenities.[9]

Due to the comparatively longer heritage of Queenstown district, local community has flourished. Various online communities such as MyQueenstown have been introduced by the local, independent parts of the district. This has certainly changed the image of the district.

Education

Queenstown Planning Area is home to various schools and prominent educational institutions such as the main campus of the National University of Singapore, a major university in Singapore.

Primary Schools

Secondary Schools

Tertiary Institutions

Other Schools

See also

Other amenities

Queenstown MRT Station concourse

Other places in Queenstown include:

References

  1. 1 2 City Population - statistics, maps and charts | Queenstown
  2. 1 2 HDB Key Statistics FY 2014/2015
  3. 1 2 "URA 2014 Master Plan". Urban Redevelopment Authority.
  4. ↑ Singapore Department of Statistics - Planning Areas/Subzones in Singapore (Year 2015)
  5. 1 2
  6. ↑ http://www.queenstown.org.sg/boh-beh-kang.html
  7. ↑
  8. ↑
  9. ↑

Sources

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, April 24, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.